Jay fidgeted in his seat, his fists repeatedly clenching and unclenching as he pondered F.G.'s words. He turned his head to stare at the wall, overlooking the photos in their frames, hoping the churning in his stomach would finally stop. But it didn't. He wanted to yell at the headmistress, lean over the desk and demand that she give Queenie her memories back, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. The council had made their decision to leave Queenie the way she was, but that didn't mean he had to. All the lying and sneaking around was seriously starting to affect his relationship with his friend and he was going to put a stop to it. After all, it was the right thing to do.

"I really am sorry, Jay." Fairy Godmother said with a small, sympathetic smile. It did nothing to make him feel better, especially since Jay knew full well she'd been against the idea of restoring Queenie's memories since the very beginning. He had no doubt in his mind that she'd voted against the idea, and his respect for her had long since dwindled.

"Can I at least know why?" Jay asked with a sigh. A part of him had to know that there was a good reason for this. He needed to be able to speak and be around Queenie without feeling like an absolute failure of a friend, and this could only be achieved if he knew he was doing some good.

"Unfortunately I can't just tell you what was discussed at this meeting, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that there was a very good reason. We take the lives of our students very seriously here and we don't take magic lightly." Fairy Godmother reassured, and Jay nodded with some understanding. It wasn't a very good explanation, but it was the only one he was going to get.

"I have to ask, how is Queenie?" F.G. inquired gently, leaning forward to rest her hands on the desk.

Jay opened his mouth to reply, but had to pause when he noticed the fairy's curious gaze. She'd asked many times how Queenie was and he often told her everything without hesitation, but something was different this time. Whether it was because she'd just given him some less-than-joyful news only moments ago, or because he'd started seeing her in a somewhat different light lately, he wasn't sure. Her tight-lipped smile seemed strained, the corners of her lips twitching as she patiently awaited his reply. His eyes flickered to her hands, taking note of the way her fingers twitched every now and again. F.G. wasn't just asking because she was concerned for Queenie's well-being. He could tell by the way she sat straight in her chair, practically frozen in place when usually she seemed so much more relaxed.

"She's okay. I had Evie speak to her and she said everything's fine. She's been making friends with Uma and the crew, so I haven't had the time to talk to her lately." Jay finally said.

"No headaches? No weird feelings around Mr. Hook? Nothing concerning?" The Fairy asked.

"Nothing." Jay replied with a frown. She'd never pressured him about it before. It was almost as if she was looking for something to be wrong.

"I see. Well I think it's best for me to take a look into Queenie's mind, since she's been spending so much time with these pirates." Fairy Godmother suggested lightly.

"W-What?" He stuttered, his eyes widening just a fraction. He'd heard her words loud and clear, but he had to hear them again.

"I think it's best if I take a peek into Queenie's mind, just to make sure everything's still in place. You understand, don't you?"

The former thief held his breath for a moment. He uncrossed his arms and instead leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. He let the fairy's words sink into his brain, letting the thought lull about as he attempted to form a good enough reply. He'd already been on the fence about Fairy Godmother leaving Queenie the way she was, but there was no way he was going to sit down and watch her fuck with Queenie's head again. There really was no reason for it either. If her memories hadn't come back on their own by now then they surely wouldn't be returning, and putting Queenie through all of the mind-wiping again was absolutely pointless. Pointless and cruel, in his opinion. Jay knew it hurt her, he'd seen the pain on her face whenever F.G. put her hands to the girls head, and the way Queenie always stared at him with fear in her eyes when it started would forever be burned in his own mind. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't do it.

"I'm sorry F.G. but I can't. I can't let you do that." Jay found the strength to say. He watched carefully as the woman's smile wiped away, her lips pursed as she gave a small sigh. She wasn't happy, but he couldn't even bring himself to give a damn.

"I wasn't asking for your permission, my dear. With the councils decision made I have to ensure the walls are in place. Your being there isn't essential, but it would make the little one feel a lot better." She explained with that sickly-sweet voice that Jay suddenly couldn't stand.

"I'll talk to her, see if she's okay with this." Jay said with reluctance. He didn't want to be the one to tell Queenie she had to go through it, but F.G.'s words were more of a warning than anything else. They were going to do this with or without him.

"Thank you, Jay. Everything will go fine dear, I promise, and this will be the last time." F.G. told him, her shoulders dropping in relief at the thought of him complying with her request.

Jay nodded and stood from his seat, grabbing his backpack as he moved towards the door. He let out a breath as he finally left the room, turning to walk down the hall at a fast pace. He had to find Queenie.

~...~...~

Queenie grumbled incoherently as she stared down at her blank notebook, her fingers practically digging into her scalp as she willed her mind to work. For what seemed like the thousandth time she looked to the right, re-reading the same page she'd been on for nearly half an hour now in an attempt to focus her entire attention on completing this report. She'd never been a slacker, always being one of the first to hand their homework in on time, but it seemed her newly-found suspicious nature was thwarting any plans she had of completing her task. Her heart raced at the thought of not getting it done, a part of her wondering if her teachers would also see the half-assed attempts she'd been putting into her work lately. So many different scenarios flashed through her brain, the most notable being her superiors keeping her behind after class to discuss her problems and her popping open like a soda can. She just had to think. A task easier said than done.

"Damn it." Queenie hissed, throwing herself back into her chair. She looked away from the large pile of books and towards the window, staring at absolutely nothing as she fiddled with her pendant. She knew full well where her mind wanted to venture and she wasn't about to let it happen.

A loud, rhythmic knock echoed through the room and Queenie rolled her eyes. She stood and moved towards the door with every intention of telling whoever it was that she was busy and that she had to study. She'd had so many distractions in her life lately that she was beginning to lose sight of what was really important. If the Auradon-Born even suspected her of pulling away from her work they'd surely tell F.G. and, accompanied by the fact she was now hanging around with pirates, she'd surely be sent back to the Isle.

"Look, I don't have the time-" Queenie stopped as soon as she yanked the door open, her words suddenly caught in her throat as she realised just who it was on the other side.

"Ye don' have the time for me? I'm hurt, lass."

"No." Queenie said firmly. "Not you. Not now." She rambled exasperatedly.

"What the bloody hell did I do now?!" Harry wondered incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?!" She yelled back, her former annoyance and frustration at not being able to get any work done now doubled by Harry's appearance. He was all she could think about lately, all she'd ever thought about since his arrival, and though she feared what he could do to her if she pushed him too far she also held a small resentment towards him, and in her current state it was the only thing she could handle.

"Is it that time o' the month again, love?" Harry asked with a pitying expression.

Queenie raised her brows, unable to decipher if he was really that much of an idiot or if he was trying to push her buttons again. Either way she wasn't in the mood for it and she certainly wasn't going to stand around and play his games.

"Leave the girl alone, Harry." A familiar voice commanded. It seemed while Queenie had been battling it out with Harry, Uma had been right behind him listening to every word.

"Ye're no fun anymore." Harry grumbled towards his Captain, stepping further into Queenie's room until the young princess could see the teal-haired VK.

"Why are you both here?" Queenie asked with confusion, her eyes bouncing between the Captain and first-mate. Could they have found a solution already?

"Have you seen Ava today?" Uma asked instead of answering the princess's question.

Queenie closed her bedroom door and turned to lean against it. She thought back over the past few days to when she last saw the little mermaid, and was slightly guilt-ridden as she realised she hadn't seen her in at least two days. Queenie had been so caught up in her own problems she hadn't even taken the time to realise that she hadn't been spending as much time with her best friend as she used to. She was utterly ashamed to admit that going to see Ava hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Not in two days." Queenie told the Captain as she moved towards her bed. She sat down at the edge and mentally cursed herself out.

"I haven't seen her since this morning." Uma stated.

The princess closed her eyes tightly, running a hand through her hair as she pushed her waves back and out of her face. It wasn't late, not by usual Auradon standards anyway, but Ava would have definitely returned to her room by now. Even Queenie knew Ava well enough to know that she wouldn't stay out on her own longer than necessary. The little mermaid loved to be around her friends, her fondness for talking about her day and asking how they were wouldn't allow her to stay alone too long, and with Uma in her room Queenie knew something had to be wrong. Ava was either with her or Uma, but if she wasn't with either of them then where on earth was she?

"Where would she be?" Harry asked from the other side of the room.

"There's not many places she'd go. Study Hall, the library," Queenie listed.

"She swims around the pier every night." Uma added, and Queenie nodded.

"Couldn't she have just decided to stay out longer? I mean, she loves being in the water." The princess offered as a suggestion.

"Not enough to stay out there for three hours. She's never done that before." Uma objected with slight frustration. She was worried about Ava, but she had every right to be. Ava was good and pure, maybe the most kindest person in Auradon prep, and that made her a very easy target. If they were on the Isle, she'd be dead by now.

"We should go out and look." Queenie said, already rushing from her spot on the bed to grab her plimsolls. "We could check those places I mentioned, ask around to see if anyone's seen her. If she is out in the water then you'll have to do that alone." She told Uma with an apologetic shrug. "I can't go out there."

Uma nodded and Queenie got to her feet. She wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion but her pyjamas would have to do.

"Uh, love?" Harry called, and Queenie turned. A soft, light fabric collided with her face and she let out a huff, pulling the material away to see what he'd thrown at her.

"I don't exactly need my jacket, Harry." Queenie said as she rolled her eyes. Auradon was hardly every cold, and though the night's often got a little chilly the last thing on her mind at the moment was getting sick.

Harry tilted his head in her direction, gently tutting as he slowly approached her. He stood straight when they were no more than a few inches apart, his eyes slowly raking over her face and lower. Queenie had no idea what he was doing, they had to leave and she couldn't dive too deep into a full explanation, so she just put it down as him attempting to intimidate her in some way. Whatever it was, though, she really didn't have the time for it.

"Fine." Queenie huffed once she realised his intense stare wouldn't let up until she put the jacket on. She pushed her arms through the sleeves and flicked her hair out afterwards, crossing her arms with annoyance as she raised a brow up at the pirate. "Happy now?" She muttered with a small, forced smile.

The first-mate took a step back and slowly assessed the princess in front of him, and Queenie had to roll her eyes once more. He was being absolutely ridiculous. The time he was taking to scrutinize her appearance could be put to much better use, but she'd leave that argument for later.

When Harry narrowed his eyes and moved back into her personal bubble, she snapped.

"Harry!"

"Shush now, love, I'm busy." He admonished lightly, tossing his hook onto her bed. He ignored her irritated expression, instead looking down to focus on the task at hand.

"I'm not a baby, Harry." Queenie stuttered, lowering her head to see him doing up the zipper.

Eventually his fussing stopped completely, and when it did Queenie seriously had to keep herself focussed. He wasn't messing with her zipper anymore. Instead his right hand firmly took hold of her hip while his left, now free of it's hook, tickled the space between her breasts. She swallowed hard, her throat unbearably dry as she decided to wait him out. She knew what he was touching, it was something he'd done himself and something she often couldn't find the will to look at, her eyes tearing up at the very sight of it. For her it was a brand, a mark that meant she actually belonged to someone other than herself, and a constant reminder that she still had no idea who she truly was. But for Harry it was something different.

"This isn' for anyone else, alright?" He muttered low and into her ear. "It's always been our little secret an' I wanna keep it that way." And with that said, he pushed straight past her.

Queenie swayed, her senses finally coming back to her one by one. She looked down and noticed that he'd pulled the zipper up to cover her 'mark', and she had to admit that she was partly grateful for it. The last thing she needed was someone noticing it and pointing it out, asking her where and how she got it when she didn't even know herself.

"Are you guys done?" Uma asked impatiently.

Queenie nodded her head. Whatever issues she and Harry had could wait until later. Right now, though, they had to find Ava.

~...~...~

Ava drew in a deep and shaky breath, gently rubbing her arms in the hopes of warming up. Her wide, frantic eyes took in the scene around her once more. The school's pool closed at five PM so she knew no students would be coming any time soon. No one was coming to get her.

The red-haired teenager lowered her face into her arms and released a pain-filled squeak. Crying wouldn't do her any good, she knew that, but she simply couldn't help herself. She lifted her head and gave a small grunt, attempting to pull her large tail out of the water and onto the ridged floor. The flooring around the pool was designed for practicality and laid down to ensure no students would slip in their rush to dive into the water. Unfortunately for her all it did was scratch nastily at her scales, making it that much harder for her to move around.

Ava didn't usually hold any personal resentment towards her beloved tail. Even in the water it was a heavy weight but she was used to it, her aunt Melody had certainly made sure of that when she and her sisters were old enough to go swimming. Never before had she been forced to drag it around on land. It was a pointless and useless thing to learn, especially since she could easily just switch her tail back to legs after a bit of drying and a painless, simple transition. But this time was different. She didn't have a towel at hand this time, or the warm, sunny deck of the pier to help her dry off. It wouldn't have helped this time though, not after what Thalia and the other fairies had done.

From the day she was old enough to learn Ava had been told to be kind and never to judge others, and she had always stuck to those rules. She was good and she was nice to everyone no matter what. Coming to Auradon, though, had been her biggest wake-up call. She'd made the mistake of assuming everyone was like her, when really there was no one else. The other princesses were snobby and rude, often ranting or raving about the fact some prince hadn't given them the right courting gift, or because their skirt didn't match their necklace. When she first arrived she'd tried to be like that to fit in with the others, but it was an almost impossible task to complete. She didn't have a prince fighting for her attentions and she hardly ever cared what she wore outside of her room. She did what was comfortable for her and if she looked good then that was wonderful, but it never dampened her day if she didn't.

Uma's arrival in Auradon had changed things. Ava hadn't ever had a roommate before, but with all the children of the Isle coming to Auradon Prep they were seriously lacking in space. The VK's had certainly shaken up their peaceful world. The majority of the students had been anxious and irritated at the thought of more villains coming through, but Ava had been absolutely excited. It had been a little nerve-wracking to know that she was rooming with the daughter of her mother's enemy, but Mal and the others had eased the situation somewhat. After leaving the princesses to their own devices and living in her own little bubble Ava had thought things had been rather good in her life. She didn't have any pressure on her shoulders to live up to any expectations and people were, for the most part, nice enough to her. Things had been good, but after finally making friends with Uma she realised they could be so much better.

Ava's breathing become short and she had to sob once more. Her gills wouldn't allow her too much time out of the water and, whether she liked it or not, she had to go back in. With a few quick and sharp shuffles she was back in the pool, forced to breathe in the chlorinated water. The chemicals in the pool burned her eyes if she was under for too long and absolutely irritated her gills. There was a very, very good reason she and Uma stuck to swimming in the ocean and Ava knew that if the fairies had known how dangerous it was for her they never would have spelled her.

No one could have seen the day's events coming. Ava hadn't even expected Thalia to take it so far, but she had. After their argument and Thalia's little threat Ava had gone about her day as she usually would. She still sat with Uma at lunch and still talked to her before they went to sleep at night. She hadn't seen Queenie in a little while but she hadn't thought to push on that matter. Whatever Queenie had going on was her own business and, if the princess needed her, Ava would always be there to lend a helping hand. If her friends were ever sad or just having a bad day she'd do whatever she could to cheer them up, and even if it didn't she slept a little better at night knowing she at least tried. But maybe that was why she never saw it. Ava always tried to do what was best for her friends and hardly ever thought of herself, if she had she'd have taken Thalia's threat a little more seriously and could have prevented her current dilemma. But what was done was done, and she couldn't change that now.

Ava took in a large breath of fresh air as she lifted her head out of the water. She held tight to the railings on either side of the steps to enter the pool, her lilac and teal tail flowing and flickering in the water beneath her. Her brown orbs stared longingly at the door, the chemicals from the pool irritating her eyes and making it that much harder to stay awake. Swimming in itself was tiring, doubled thanks to her tail, but she couldn't just fall asleep. If she spent too long out of the water she'd suffocate and she dreaded to think what would happen if she stayed under the water for too long. All she could do was stay and wait, and pray to anyone that someone was coming for her.

~...~...~

Queenie chewed nervously at her thumbnail as she followed Uma and Harry through the school's hallways. Their attempts to find the little mermaid so far had been a complete failure. She hadn't been in the library or study hall, and the only option left was the pier. It could very well take all night to search the water, since Uma would have to do it alone and because it was getting dark, both facts dwindling their chances at finding their friend. But if it took all night to find Ava then Queenie was more than happy to do it. The mermaid was a wonderful friend and Queenie was not about to go back to her dorm room because the chances of finding her in the dark were slim, or because she was just tired. She'd been, at least in her own opinion, a terrible person for not speaking to Ava in two days and now was her chance to make up for it.

"I'm not gonna let ye jus' go swimmin' aroun' Auradon all bloody night, you'll drain yerself if ye do that!" Harry exclaimed.

"I have to find her, Harry. And I'm your Captain so you'll do what I say." Uma said back, her tone leaving no room for argument.

The princess stayed silent, a small part of her knowing better than to get between the Captain and first-mate. Since leaving her bedroom she felt more like a third wheel than anything else. Neither one had made any attempt to include her in the conversation, she even assumed they'd forgotten all about her. They had a thing going and no matter how uncomfortable she was Queenie didn't want to disrupt it.

"Would Ava have any enemies here? Anyone from the Isle?" Queenie asked, albeit with slight hesitance. After all, in the situation they were in anything could help, and it didn't seem as if they were getting anywhere with their little argument.

"Well I'm friends with her, and my mom's probably chopping up fish guts as we speak so that's a no." Uma said with a humourless scoff.

"What about here in Auradon?" Harry suggested.

"No one in Auradon would hurt Ava." Queenie immediately objected. "She was born here, they have no reason to hurt her." She added afterwards, her brows furrowing with annoyance as the pirate rolled his eyes. "They're not like you."

Queenie let out a groan as she felt her back hit the wall with a loud 'thud'. She'd regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, but she hated them more now with Harry's fingers firmly wrapped around her neck. Their little moment in her room had made her forget just who she was dealing with and how quickly he could change from neutral to down-right murderous. It was an enormous mistake, and it was one she wouldn't be making again afterwards.

"Ye're a bloody idiot sometimes." Harry mumbled, leaning in until she had nothing left to do but stare back at him. "Ye're walkin' proof that these Bore-Adon assholes aren't as nice as they keep tellin' everyone. The Isle didn' take away yer memories, lass, someone here did. An' no one here is helpin' ye get them back, we are. So ye better change yer bloody tune about us. Ye're one of us, too, darlin' an' don' ye dare forget it." He seethed.

Queenie shifted as far as she could into the wall, giving Harry a small nod to let him know she'd heard every word. He switched back just as fast as he had before, that anger she was beginning to familiarize herself with melting into his usual, self-satisfied grin. He'd said what he had to and that was that, but she knew better. Just as she wouldn't forget what he said, he wouldn't forget what she had said first, and she knew full well he'd be more than happy to throw it back in her face if it had been someone from Auradon that caused their friend's disappearance. He was a bastard like that.

"You're right, Harry." Uma finally spoke up, and both heads turned. "There is someone." She continued, closing her hand into a fist to pound the wall beside her.

"Who?" Queenie asked curiously. Whoever Uma had in mind must have been a very good guess, otherwise she wouldn't have been so vexed.

"Thalia."

"Tinkerbell's daughter?"

"The only one." Uma confirmed.

"Why would Thalia hurt Ava? She hasn't done anything to piss off the fairies." Queenie pointed out. She couldn't deny that she was surprised, Ava was lovely and she never hurt anyone, so what reason could they have for doing something to her?

"There's a secret class only the Auradon-born were told about. A therapy group or something stupid like that. Ava's been going and the fairies aren't happy with the fact pirate's are here in Auradon." Uma explained.

"No one's happy with us being in Auradon. Audrey still doesn't like Mal for what her mom did, but she hasn't done anything drastic, and Audrey is the queen of turning a small, annoying situation into a full blown crisis. Ava hasn't done anything wrong, there's no way they'd do something to her." Queenie attempted to rationalise. The last thing any of them needed was Uma jumping to conclusions and stabbing someone, and it certainly wouldn't help Ava in any way.

"No, you don't get it. They wouldn't hurt Ava because she's directly done something wrong. But they would hurt her for hanging out with us." Uma flicked her index finger to gesture to herself and Harry.

"Do you really think the fairies are petty and cruel enough to go after an amazing person just because of who she's friends with?" Queenie asked with slight disbelief, only to be returned with a look from Uma that clearly said 'Are you that much of an idiot?'.

"How the hell did ye survive without me for so long?" Harry exclaimed, and Queenie turned back to him. "When ye get yer head back together I'm gonna remin' ye of this moment." He stated.

"Okay, I guess it couldn't hurt to at least talk to Thalia." Queenie said reluctantly. She really didn't want to go approaching the fairies, especially since they were only ones in Auradon allowed to use magic on school grounds. It was meant for educational purposes and for them to figure out what they were destined to do, but the princess still wasn't eager to find out what they could do with it if they felt threatened in any way.

"Good to see you on board, Q'. Now, where's Thalia's dorm room?" Uma asked quickly, placing a hand on her hip.

"Uh, you're kidding right?" Queenie wondered slowly. The two pirates shook their heads and she let out a small, nervous giggle. "Uma, Thalia's room is right next door to yours and Ava's."

"Really now?" The Captain muttered, staring at the princess in thought. "Then we better go find her."

~...~...~

The walk to Thalia's room went by faster than Queenie could have anticipated. Her anxiety had peaked on the way, the sudden urge to turn and flee nagging at the back of her mind. The fairies had always been a relatively harmless bunch, sticking together in groups of five or more, and never using their magic around the other students at Auradon Prep. They kept themselves to themselves and very rarely would she see one without another close by. It wasn't too hard to understand why the fairies had been shaken by the appearance of pirate's, but taking it out on Ava was not the way to go. If it had been Harry they messed with then Queenie wouldn't have given it a second thought. He was an enormous douche and his father had caused a lot of trouble for Thalia's mother, so a brewing war between the two could've been seen a mile off. But Ava was an auradon-born with a beautiful personality, and the princess couldn't stand the thought of the fairies doing something to hurt her. She just hoped she was right, because if she wasn't then Uma would definitely be getting kicked out of Auradon.

"This one, right?" Uma asked, standing in front of a numbered door. She looked at Queenie who stood close behind Harry, still undecided on what she was doing with herself.

"Yup." Queenie confirmed quietly, giving a small nod.

Uma smiled and before Queenie even had time to think, the teal-haired VK had already twisted the doorknob and walked straight into the room, her first-mate coming in right behind her.

At the sound of Thalia's ear-shattering scream, Queenie took a quick look around the hallway, staying outside a little longer to make sure no one would come out of their rooms to see what was going on. When she was somewhat satisfied, and slightly disturbed, by the knowledge that no one was going to check in she entered the dorm room herself, closing Thalia's door behind her.

"Where the fuck is Ava?!"

Queenie turned around at Uma's loud yell and her eyes widened at the scene in front of her. Harry had Thalia up against the wall beside her bed, his forearm across her chest to keep her from moving with the sharp tip of his hook pressed against the skin of her neck. Uma was right beside the two, her face intimidatingly close to the fairy's in an attempt to pull out any information, clearly by using any means necessary. The pirates didn't care if Thalia was a fairy, Queenie assumed they didn't know about the magic they held, and they were on a mission. It was a little terrifying to watch, and Queenie was beginning to have an idea of how they ruled the Isle. No one in their right mind would be stupid enough to risk getting on the wrong side of both Harry and Uma.

"Guys!" Queenie cried, running towards the soon-to-be-violent altercation in the hopes of calming it down. "You can't do shit like this here." She hissed to the two pirates, her fearful gaze often travelling back towards the door at the risk of someone barging in.

"She knows where Ava is." Uma stated firmly, and Queenie flinched at the utter hate in the girls expression when she looked at Thalia. Uma had always been a grumpy person, very rarely smiling unless it was at the down-fall of someone else, but Queenie had never seen her this angry. Overprotective was an under-statement, and pirate's clearly took it to the next level.

Harry chuckled and pressed his hook in further, the pointy tip drawing a slight scratch down the fairy's neck. Queenie had to think fast. Uma was the level-headed one out of the two and she was practically fuming, only a few steps away from tipping over the edge. But Queenie knew, even after only knowing him for more than a week, that Harry was all too quick to resort to violence. He'd been so close to throwing her in the ocean even with his Captain's protection, and she dreaded to know what he'd do if Uma gave him the okay to hurt Thalia.

"Uma you can't just hurt her until she tells you what you want to know." Queenie urged the easier VK. Things were going to turn bad and they were going to go down quick if she didn't do something.

"Why not? Look at her." The Captain demanded, and Queenie did as asked. The fear in Thalia's eyes was the most obvious of all, the way she trembled and shook from head to toe and didn't even try to hide it. Not that Queenie could blame her. The princess had been on the end of Harry's hook more than a few times and even she'd been terrified. But Uma did make a good point. The fairy couldn't meet eyes with any of them, a clear sign that she was either guilty of doing something, or she knew something.

"If you do something now you're going to regret it. Someone's going to find Thalia and she's going to tell them what happened. You'll be sent back to the Isle, Uma, and Ava will be on her own for good. They don't do second chances here, not the elders anyway, and this is a punishable offence." Queenie said loudly. It wasn't hard to see how much Uma cared about Ava, and using it against her was a bit of a bitch move, but it had to be done. After all, she was right. And Uma knew it too.

"I can do it." Harry shrugged indifferently. "I'm used ta this." He muttered.

"You wanna go back to the Isle, Harry?" Queenie wondered with obvious scepticism.

"I don' bloody care about goin' back. I was a fuckin' king over there."

"A king without a queen is a very lonely king. If you get thrown back on the Isle I'll stay here. You won't get your princess back and all of this will have been for nothing." The princess said gently. Uma had slowly withdrawn from the fairy, and now it was Harry's turn to relent. "Please, don't leave me on my own again." Queenie pleaded.

Harry paused and stared hard at the fairy in front of him, his brows furrowed as he thought over Queenie's words. She wasn't playing a game and hoping for the best by enticing his better side, she was only telling him what she really wanted to say, and it just so happened to be at the right moment. He'd been messing with her mind since the day he came. He'd made her laugh, made her cry and almost everything in between, and the thought of him leaving her for good left her with a sudden ache in her chest. Maybe it was the girl inside of her, or maybe it was just her, but neither wanted him gone completely.

"Fine."

Queenie let out a breath of relief, uncaring of how irritated Harry was at the fact he couldn't hurt Thalia. He'd turned away from it because Queenie had begged him to, and that was good enough.

"Thank you." Queenie sighed gratefully. She watched with a wary gaze as he walked towards his Captain, only looking away once she was content with the distance between him and Thalia.

"What do we do with her?" Harry asked his Captain, nodding towards the fairy on the floor.

"Thalia." Queenie called lightly, not wanting to scare the girl further. She crouched down to her level, happy to see that Harry hadn't done any permanent damage. "Do you know what happened to Ava?" She asked, making sure her voice was as clear as it could be.

"I-It was just a prank, I swear." Thalia cried, the adrenaline wearing off and leaving nothing but an overwhelming sadness and realisation of just how bad things could have gone in that moment. Queenie knew it all too well, but she had to admit that seeing it on someone else was much better than going through it herself.

"What did you do?" Queenie asked further. They were in a bit of a rush but she had to take things slow if she was going to get anything from the fairy.

"We use it on each other all the time. It's a little spell, brings out a persons true form and doesn't let them turn back for a few hours. With us it makes us shrink, brings out our wings, but it doesn't hurt. We were just mad that she was hanging with...well, them!" Thalia exclaimed with disgust, waving a hand towards Harry and Uma.

"I think the little thing has a death wish." Harry taunted, moving as if he was going to come back to her again. He was only toying with her, but Thalia didn't know that.

"Sit down, Harry." Uma scolded, giving him a swift hit to the arm.

"Thalia, where did you last see Ava?" Queenie inquired, pulling the fairy's attention back to her.

"She was running to the pool. The spell should wear off soon, plus she's a mermaid." Thalia said offhandedly, and Queenie winced. She looked back at Uma, who was less-than-pleased with Thalia's lack of sympathy in the matter.

"Uma," Queenie warned nervously. She couldn't blame Uma for being so mad, but she couldn't blame Thalia either. No one knew what putting a mermaid in chlorinated water would do, not unless they'd seen it first-hand or been told by someone of that nature. Queenie hadn't even known until Ava told her after a girls-night-in that turned into a Q&A.

The Captain stood and slowly paced in the room, often glaring daggers at the fairy. It seemed she was so full of rage that she didn't know whether to go find Ava, or beat the living shit out of Thalia.

"Uma please go, just find Ava and make sure she's okay. Harry and I can deal with Thalia. You have to find her now." Queenie begged. She knew that in any other situation Uma would have gladly stayed, just to prove a point if nothing else. But Ava had been gone for a while, and there was a good chance she was already on her last legs, so to speak.

Thankfully, Uma knew a desperate situation when it made itself known. She turned and left the room without another word, rushing to find their friend. In the meantime, Queenie and Harry were left with Thalia, who was beginning to return back to her normal self.

"So, what do we do with her then, lass?" Harry inquired.

Queenie pursed her lips in thought. She stared at Thalia, her mind flowing with possibilities, both good and bad, as the fairy stared back at her. Queenie let her eyes roam about the room until she spotted something just on top of Thalia's desk. A small, brown pouch, filled with something that glittered and glowed.

"Bring that over, please." Queenie requested, pointing to the object that'd gotten her attention.

Harry gave her a confused look, but nodded none the less. He trailed his way over to the desk and gripped the pouch, making sure to take a quick peak inside as he brought it over to the princess. He knelt down to Queenie's level once he was close enough, his eyes flickering over every inch of her face to figure out what she was thinking.

"You know what this is, Harry?" Queenie asked him, lowering her hand to grasp something she'd only ever read about in books. It felt like sand, the majority falling through her fingers until only a few particles attached themselves to her skin.

"Oh, I know what this is, love." Harry said back, attempting to conceal the grin threatening to make its way back to the surface. "What I wanna know, is what ye're gonna do with it."

Queenie attempted to remain indifferent, but it was so hard to do when he was looking at her like that. She wasn't a bad person. The thought of hurting someone, anyone, without reason or cause made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't like violence and she loathed bullies. However, the fact that her best friend was suffering in the Auradon pool just because she was nice enough to make friends with pirates filled Queenie with a much, much different feeling than she was used to. It was like her temper was peaking again, that swallowing wave of utter fury and resentment taking over until it clouded every other emotion. Only this time it was aimed at one, very specific, person. And that person was Thalia.

"I am going to see how powerful this stuff really is." Queenie admitted freely, a hidden, darker part of her revelling in the way Thalia shivered and tried to hide herself away. "You in?" She asked the first-mate, raising her hand to show him the beautiful, gleaming dots that had stuck to her fingers and palm.

"Oh, my little princess." Harry whispered. He leaned in close and pressed his forehead against hers, his right hand gripping her neck so she had no other choice but to stay where she was. This was Harry's definition of affectionate, and he showed it so rarely that Queenie had to take a minute to fully comprehend what was going on. "I've been waitin' for you."

AN

Hello readers! Just me again. I know I said I was going to have some Uma/Ava in this chapter but things kind of dragged out and I didn't want to stretch everything too much. So big apologies if you were looking for that in here. I do promise that it will be in the next chapter though.

Just a few little things I should mention. I feel like I've been painting a pretty bad picture on Fairy Godmother when that wasn't my original intention. She's not a bad person, really! But I feel like things with the older generation are a bit different in Auradon. They're happy with how they do things and it's a kind of 'my-way-or-the-highway' thing with them, so just keep in mind that F.G. isn't a big enemy here. Also, Queenie and Harry won't be killing Thalia. Queenie is a good person but, like a lot of people, her friends getting hurt for no reason is a big no-no. Especially Ava, since she'd like the baby-sister of the group. Also, I know the ending to this was a bit twisted, but Harry and Queenie have been so up and down in this fic that they needed a little, nice moment. Or as nice as things can get between these two.

Anyway, make sure to leave a review or PM me to let me know what you guys thought. Big thanks to all who've reviewed, favourited and followed this story. You guys are absolutely amazing and have really helped me keep up with this story, and deal with the writer's-block I've been dealing with lately. So much love to you all.

Any typo's will be removed once I've had a proper read through.