Warnings;

Slight sexual situation further towards the end. Slight violence as well.

Anyway, enjoy!

Jay bolted out of Evie's dorm room and straight towards Queenie's, his mind singing praises for the Isle and the troubles that came with it. If he hadn't have been a thief, he'd have either run out of breath by now or crashed into some innocent bystander. Thankfully, he did neither. He moved swiftly yet cautiously as he made his way towards Queenie's room, adrenaline coursing through his veins as his heart pounded in his ears.

The princess of Hearts had been asleep for two days, and Jay had been forced to shamefully admit to an annoyed Evie that he hadn't been to see her since. He'd let Queenie down in the worst way possible. First, by leaving her to fend for herself on the Isle of the Lost. Then he'd left her there again after they'd returned for Mal. And he knew his third strike had been allowing F.G. to take her memories away. His good intentions had caused disastrous results and he was now starting to see the consequences of his actions. It didn't matter that he'd only let Queenie carry on in Auradon without her memories in an effort to give her a good life. He'd had to admit to himself that his reasoning had been utterly selfish. He'd thought that by ridding Queenie of everything horrible she'd endured without him, he could somehow make up for being the reason she'd gone through it in the first place. And for a while he thought he'd done the right thing by her, but now he knew he hadn't. All he'd done was provide a temporary pause to an incredibly large problem.

Jay's reasons for not visiting Queenie during her 'sleep' had also been rather selfish of him. A part of him knew full well that, when she woke up, she wouldn't ever speak to him again. And that killed him. But that wasn't all. Queenie's current state could have been completely avoided if he'd just spoken up in her defence. He should have told F.G. to give her back her memories as soon as she hid them, but he hadn't. He'd gone along with everything, assuring himself over and over again that this was all for Queenie. So to see her trapped in her own head and re-living all the memories she'd had taken away from her was much too painful for him. So he'd simply stayed away.

He couldn't do that now. Now, something was off. Everyone had heard Queenie's blood-curdling screaming, maybe even those on the other side of the school. It was so loud and so pitched that it rang in his ears. And it hadn't stopped either. If anything it had gotten worse, louder even. So he didn't care if she didn't want to see him, and he didn't care if she hated him for what he'd done. He had to make sure she was okay. It was the least he could do.

When he eventually got to Queenie's dorm room, he had to stop in the doorway, his hands gripping the frame like a vice. He took in deep breaths, his rush fading now that he'd arrived at his destination.

"Jane," Jay said loudly, catching the girls attention. He didn't know why it was her in the room instead of F.G., but he wasn't about to question it either.

"I have to get my mom, I'm not equipped to handle this." Jane gasped hurriedly, her panic-stricken eyes staring up at him.

Queenie's dorm room, usually so quiet and peaceful, had erupted into utter chaos. She was thrashing around in her bed, her screams dulled but still as terrifying as they'd been before. Her legs kicked at the blankets wrapped around them, her head tossing from side to side as her entire form broke out into a large sweat. Whatever she was dreaming about, it wasn't good.

"What happened?" Jay asked the younger fairy, lightly grasping her upper arms in desperation.

"I-I don't know." She whimpered in reply. "One minute everything's fine and the next-" Jane stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "I don't know what's wrong."

Jay sighed and gripped at his hair. He could only watch as Queenie carried on, the two guards that were always at her door holding down her arms by the wrists. If they couldn't see what was going on, how the hell were they supposed to help?

"Jay."

The former thief turned at the sound of Uma's voice. She was in the doorway, her eyes trained on a frantic Queenie. But once Jay spotted the pirate behind her, all thoughts flew out of his mind. He saw red.

"Jay!" Uma yelled, darting out of his direction. Without her sword she couldn't do anything, and Jay certainly had his target locked. If she got caught in the middle it would be a very messy fight.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?!" Jay demanded, shoving Harry up against the wall in the hallway. He pinned him there with his hands, using every ounce of strength he had to keep the first-mate in place.

The old VK knew full well that Harry had been source of many of Queenie's problems and he was certain that this was no different. The first-mate had pounced on Queenie the moment he knew they weren't coming back, and Jay had a small feeling that it was merely to get back at them. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if it had all been Uma's idea in the first place, but his war was with Harry. And though the pirate may have been nothing more than a pain in the ass when Jay was on the Isle, he'd now grown into a full blown pest. Especially where Queenie was concerned. So even though Jay knew Queenie would hate him more for hurting Harry, he just couldn't help but blame him.

"I haven' seen her yet, so how the hell do I know?!" Harry shouted back, his gaze wandering over Jay's shoulder and into Queenie's room. "Let me see her."

"You're not going anywhere near her. Not now and never again." Jay said adamantly.

"Ye tried that once before, mate." Harry said with a dark chuckle. "How well did that work out for ye?"

Jay pulled back his arm, his hand clenched into a tight fist as he drew back. He could beg for Queenie's forgiveness later.

"Hey!" Uma exclaimed, shoving herself between the pirate and thief. She kept her back to Harry, her small hands shoving Jay back a step. "This isn't helping. Now, I'm not saying it's a great plan either, but he might be able to help her." She said firmly, attempting to put as much space between the two as she could. "You want to keep Queenie safe, I get that, but so does Harry. You have to let him try."

A tense and awkward silence came down onto the three. Jay stood still, shuffling around on his feet as he tried as best as he could to reign in his fury. Harry leaned back against the wall, his left hand tightening the grip on its hook as he watched Jay, his eyes often flickering into the room behind him. And Uma was in the middle, her dark eyes warily scanning both teenagers as she waited for the situation to die down.

"Fine." Jay spat with reluctance. He hated to admit it to himself and he never would say it out loud; But Uma was right. Harry was an asshole and everyone knew that, but he'd also spent a lot of time with Queenie and there was a very good chance he could help her. So if Jay had to retreat to spare his friend the pain she was going through, he'd do it.

"Good." Uma sighed with a twinge of relief. It could have gone either way, and if they'd been back on the Isle it very well may have turned into an all-out war. But this was Auradon, and somehow it had tamed Jay.

The same couldn't be said for Harry, however.

"Now be a good boy an' toddle on, yeah?" The first-mate jabbed, the urge to kick Jay while he was down too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Go check on Queenie." Uma demanded of her friend, her irritation towards his obnoxious antics coming back stronger than ever. Jay may have been tamed but he still had some Isle inside of him, and Harry's continued remarks would eventually force it out.

"Fine." Harry sighed with mock-annoyance, hastily moving by them and into Queenie's dorm room.

"If he hurts her I'll kill him." Jay swore, his statement aimed towards Uma.

"If he hurts her, we all will." She promised, finally releasing the hold she had on his arm as they walked into the room.

~...~...~

'Please, stop.'

Since the scene had come up on the TV, Queenie had been running on full anxiety. Her palms had sweat and her heart had practically jumped up into her throat. She'd known what was coming the moment it started, but nothing could have prepared her for it. Not even the soothing presence of her other self could have helped her. But at least the other girl had tried. Her gentle tone and reassuring statements that 'it would all be over soon,' wasn't lost on the young princess, but they hadn't helped in the slightest.

The pain had been so overwhelming that she'd had nothing to do but voice it. Her entire mind had stopped once she'd realised what was about to happen and her emotions had gone into overdrive. She'd even tried to run from it. Queenie had shaken her head, making a split-second decision that she couldn't do it, but her attempts had been halted by the other girl. When she'd reached to switch off the TV the other girl had jumped into action, her hands locking down Queenie's wrists and keeping her there.

'You have to feel it.' She'd said, her eyes conveying the uttermost regret she had to offer. And minutes after Queenie knew why.

When she woke up from it all, Queenie knew full well that should anyone see her scar and ask what being 'hooked' felt like, she would never be able to give them a simple reply. It had started off as a sting, something uncomfortable but easy for her to handle. However, when Harry dug his hook in even further it took a very large turn for the worst. It burned and ached all at once, and for a second she'd thought he was carving her heart right out of her chest. It had been unbearable, her entire upper body burning and screaming in protest as he mutilated her for his own benefit. So if anyone ever did ask her, she'd only be able to tell them one thing.

Claimed. One small word that could bring out a hundred questions. And it was the only thing she could think to describe that amount of dedication towards someone. After all, the other girl had been right; She had asked for it. Begged for it, even. Queenie had been so eager to prove herself to Harry that she hadn't fully thought out her entire plan when she'd asked him to do it. She could see it in her head now, how she'd expected to be marked, but not in a place chosen by Harry himself.

Queenie blinked as the scene faded from the screen, both her own screams and that of herself on the TV fading. It was finally over.

"Are you okay?" The other girl asked worriedly, letting go of Queenie's wrists to sit back on the couch.

The young princess bit her bottom lip and stuttered out a breath. She was in absolutely no way 'okay'. Her cheeks were soaked with salty tears, her eyes red and swollen from the amount shed. Her body was warm, the aftermath of her sweating spell lingering on her skin. Her chest didn't burn anymore, and no longer could she feel the cold of Harry's hook piercing her skin. Her body was back to normal, but her mind was far from settled.

There had been a few memories played before that one, every single scene containing Harry as a secondary character. Queenie had watched how they interacted on the Isle, how skittish she'd been around him and how manically excited he seemed when she came into his view. Her chest fluttered every single time he came around and her stomach churned with apprehensive twinges. Much the same as they'd been before she remembered. She feared him and adored him at the same time and it infuriated her to no end.

"I don't know." Queenie finally found the energy to reply. She stared down at her hands, her fingers shaking as she re-counted the events in her head. It was over and she could still somehow feel it. All the other pains and horrible stings had disappeared, but this one in particular was sticking to her.

"It'll always be there." The other girl said with a small, saddened smile.

"I know." Queenie muttered.

Getting her memories back was quickly becoming a struggle. The good had been wonderful, and having them back was an utter blessing. But the bad were horrible. And what was worse was that they weren't at all in order. Some were older than others, though she'd been reassured by the other girl that the first memory she had after the VK's had left had been meeting Harry. There had been smaller moments between her meeting with him and her friends leaving her, but apparently they'd never fully return. Even now they were blurry, only numerous flashes of her running for her life or hiding away in her den appeared in clear view. She really hadn't done well before Harry found her and she was starting to understand a little more about him, and why he was so dead-set on keeping her around.

There would be more memories to come and Queenie knew that, but the ones she'd seen of her and Harry so far made everything a little clearer. He'd saved her. He'd taken her in when she had no one else to turn to and, despite whatever intentions he had then, had done everything for her. He'd let her stay in his room in the ship while she healed, brought her food and water and refused to leave until she digested both. He'd helped her go back to her den when she was ready, making damn sure everyone saw him with her when he took her back, an act of possessiveness to others but to her it was more. He'd kept her safe and protected, just as promised, from everyone but himself.

Queenie's opinions on Harry had greatly changed. She still saw an arrogant, violent and slightly-insane pirate. But there were some redeemable attributes to add. He could also be considerate, calm and, if the situation demanded it of him, kind. What they'd had on the Isle had truly been a messed up and twisted relationship, but he'd been her friend, and he'd done so much more for her than the Core-Four ever could have.

"There you go." The other girl said with slight excitement, a bright gleam lighting up in her eyes at the sight of Queenie's small change-of-heart. "I told you. He can be an asshole, but he's ours. And we're his."

Queenie nodded, though she couldn't quite hide her confusion at the other girls statement. Everything she'd seen so far had been nothing more than a friendship of sorts. Nothing more than that had made itself known. Harry was a huge flirt, that much she knew, from what she'd seen and remembered and everything she'd endured with him on the outside proved as much. He was insanely gorgeous and his charm wasn't at all lost on anyone, and he clearly enjoyed using it to his advantage. She may have 'belonged' to him, but he was in no way hers.

"Oh, you'll see." The other girl smirked.

~...~...~

Harry whistled a small tune, his hook laying on the bedside table beside him as he flicked through the pages of a book he'd found in Queenie's room. He scanned the writing in the pages with little enthusiasm, abandoning every story as he read the titles at the top of the page and moving onto the next. He held no great interest in learning how Cinderella met her Prince Charming, or how Sleeping Beauty's Prince defeated Maleficent and woke her from her long slumber. They were much too repetitive. A girl being thrown into trouble of some kind and a boy running in to save them. They all ended with a 'happily ever after' that made him shiver in disgust. The only tales he'd actually taken the time to read had been Mulan's; A woman saving the men. And though it hadn't ended in some romantic crap that made him cringe it still held that 'H.E.A.' at the end and that made it irritating.

The first-mate took a quick glance up at his princess, his gaze then returning to the book. She was still sleeping.

It hadn't taken long for Queenie to settle back down, but the manner in which she'd done so had been a little strange. One moment she was screaming bloody murder and the next she was silent. Her moving stopped and her breathing slowed, and soon enough everything was as it had been. None of them had played a part in it, not even Harry. Which led them all to believe what she'd been going through had simply been something in her mind, not a physical attack as they'd all worried about.

Harry staying in Queenie's room to keep watch, however, hadn't entirely been his idea. He'd planned on retreating back to his room to continue his 'sulking', as Uma enjoyed to put it. But his Captain had other plans. She'd used her position to her advantage and demanded he stayed with Queenie, just in case she took another turn. He found the idea utterly ridiculous. If Queenie did start up again then there was nothing he could do except leave her be and let her ride it out. But he knew full well the only reason Uma even told him to stay was because of him, not Queenie. Maybe she thought it was best for Harry to spend some time with the princess, that it would break him out of his 'funk' in some way. But all it really did was make him bored. Bored and tired.

With a huff of annoyance Harry closed the book and leaned back in the chair. He clasped his arms together behind his head and lifted his feet up onto Queenie's bed, crossing them at the ankles. He wasn't overly fond of staying still and the thought of staying on 'house-arrest' until his Captain came to get him made him a little bit more irritable than usual.

When nothing of interest in Queenie's room caught his eye, Harry's wandering gaze eventually came back to the sleeping princess. He'd seen her asleep many times before this, but she was truly out of it this time. Back on the Isle, when she'd been recovering in his room on the ship, she'd often turn in her sleep, her eyes clenching every few seconds as if she was having a bad dream. Her hands would grasp the thin blanket he'd thrown over her, her small moans and groans often filling the silence. Now, though, there was nothing like that. She didn't move and she didn't make any noise. She didn't do anything at all.

Harry furrowed his brows in thought, a sudden curiosity sneaking its way into his mind. He brought his legs down from the bed and slowly moved from the chair. He spared once glance towards the bedroom door, a part of him wondering if the guards would come bursting in. But when he was satisfied that they wouldn't be taking a look anytime soon, he carried on.

After some careful movement and seconds that seemed to drag into hours, Harry eventually found what he was looking for.

He hadn't properly looked at it since she'd allowed him to do it, but he hadn't ever really asked her. The small hook-shaped scar was roughly the size of the palm of her hand, carved rather messily into the skin between her breasts. Now that he could see it clearer than ever, he knew he'd done a terrible job. But it hadn't been his fault entirely. He'd never in all his life been asked to 'hook' someone, let alone someone as meek and simple as Queenie, and her offer had completely thrown him that day.

The events leading up towards her 'hooking' hadn't been anything too unusual. He could remember it now. She'd asked him to take her back to the den and, as always, he'd immediately jumped to defence. He still re-counted how angry he'd been at her request, how utterly offended he'd been at the thought of her leaving him because her health had come back to her. After everything they'd been through together he now knew that, no matter what, she wouldn't have left him. But back then things hadn't been quite so easy. Back then he hadn't fully trusted her.

'Are ye tryin' ta run from me, princess?' He could clearly remember himself asking. Her eyes had widened with absolute dread when she'd realised what he was attempting to accuse of her trying to do, and he couldn't quite blame her for that. He knew how scary he could be, how overbearing he was sometimes, but it was just how he was.

'No, no Harry,' Queenie had tried so hard to make him see that she wasn't going to leave. She'd tried to speak but he'd stopped her every single time, throwing nasty comments her way as well as reminders of how much he'd done for her.

The large argument they'd had that night had been purely one-sided, leaning in his favour. Queenie had grown during her time with him but she never would have spoken back to him then. He'd really given her his all that night. The dangerous expression that had even the strongest surrendering to him, his ability to throw anyone off their guard when he forcefully pushed himself into their bubble. All of it. He had used everything in his power to sway her mind and keep her there with him, confident that she had no defences against him.

'Hook me.'

Queenie had, in the plainest of terms, grabbed him by the balls by saying that. And he'd dropped his act quick. His eyes had widened just a fraction, his brows furrowing in absolute bewilderment as he stared into her innocent hazel eyes. At first he'd thought she was talking about sex. After all, a girl asking for his hook wasn't as uncommon as one might think, and his frazzled mind had come to that conclusion before anything else.

He'd brought himself back around soon enough. He'd smirked down at her, unravelling her with his gaze as he hastily attempted to find a witty enough reply.

'Ye're a little weak for me, lass.' He'd told her, though that couldn't have been further from the truth. In all honesty the thought of being her first had been very, very tempting for him. But his sadistic ass had been waiting for her to beg him for it, still not understanding exactly what it was she wanted him to do.

'Not that, Harry.' She'd muttered with a small blush, looking away for a second. Her eyes had eventually travelled towards his hook. 'Hook me.'

Harry gave a small chuckle as he remembered his reaction. He'd been, maybe for the first time, absolutely stumped. He'd even had to take a few minutes to think over the idea. He'd hooked people before but they hadn't ever been so willing. So to have Queenie in his room, on his bed, almost pleading with him to do it...well, it would have thrown anyone's mind through a loop.

Queenie hadn't known it then, but she would eventually come to find that what she should have asked him to do was 'claim' her.

Claiming on the Isle was a rarity, and it wasn't something to be taken lightly. No one Harry knew had ever been claimed and he never had any intention to do so himself. It was the biggest commitment on the Isle. Marriage and dating was never really a thing and thus, no one had any real reason to go through any of that bullshit. So they had their own thing, something Harry assumed the original villains had come up with to spit in the face of all the Auradon-Born who'd put them there.

The Isle of the Lost was a dark and evil place, and the relationships that brewed there were much the same. But they had rules. One villain claiming another had to be consensual, that much was true. One had to be willing to do the act and the other had to be willing to take it. It was something no one rushed into with eagerness. To be claimed by another villain could in some ways be a good thing. It meant that you were protected by them and taken care of by them, and no one else could say otherwise. But in true villainous fashion it also had its downsides. The claimed would always wear a mark of some sort by the claimer, something that would always stay on their body until they passed; Usually a tattoo. But the claimed would be forever tied to their claimer, forced to do whatever was asked of them no matter what, and they most certainly wouldn't be allowed to stray from their claimer.

And Queenie had been naïve enough to tempt him with it.

Harry had, of course, let the idea lull around in his mind for a while. And he'd been stupidly self-absorbed enough to take it. After all, he wouldn't have said no then. In his mind he'd have been able to keep Queenie with him for as long as he wanted and she'd never be able to leave him. He didn't even have to think twice about taking care of her, because he'd done enough of it up until that point and thought it rather easy.

He'd been such an idiot.

Taking care of Queenie on the Isle hadn't been too hard. She'd never left her den unless he asked her to do so. She'd been much too weak and obedient to go out looking for trouble. At least at first. But the return of the Core-Four had shaken up their little world. During those events she'd gotten stronger, as Harry had wanted, but in that strength she'd found the courage to leave him. Not quite entirely, as she still held his mark, but in her own little way.

Harry drew in a breath, his index finger tracing the pattern on her chest. He knew he shouldn't have been so quick to claim her, especially considering everything they'd gone through together. They'd killed together, and that had been the evillest act of all, but he should have kept a close watch on her after that. He should have known that by doing such a thing her little head would get all tangled again. But he'd left her on her own, and she'd gone to Auradon without him.

"If ye can hear me, princess, I need ye ta listen good." He whispered into her ear. "I won' ever say this again. But I'm sorry, lass. That I couldn' keep ye as safe as I thought I could. That I didn' take better care of ye. I'll try an' do better when ye wake up, love. I swear ta ye, Queenie, I won' let them hurt ye again."

The first-mate moved back into his chair, resuming the position he'd been in before. He felt somewhat relieved to get all of that off his chest, and knowing that she probably hadn't heard him made it all the more easier. It didn't matter if she didn't know, he did. And he meant it.

Harry picked up the book he'd dropped and decided to give it one more go-through. He had nothing else to do but sit and wait so, until that ended, he had to keep his mind occupied.

After some mindless scanning Harry eventually moved on from where he'd left off, and he found himself on a rather interesting page.

'Captain Hook and Peter Pan'.

Harry smiled and looked it over, his eyes now picking up on something in the corner of the page that none of the others had. A small bend at the corner that refused to be put back in place when he tried, having been folded down one-too-many times.

He came to conclusion rather quickly. Queenie had been reading this, and from the fact that it had a neat little dog-ear at the top of the page and none of the others did, she must have read it more than once.

"Oh princess, ye still surprise me."

~...~...~

Queenie gagged and dry-heaved, her body bent awkwardly between her legs as she took in long, wheezing breaths. She wanted to be sick. She could feel the liquid coming up through her stomach and into her throat and yet she couldn't do it. Maybe it was because she was inside of her own head. But her uneasy feeling and nervy tummy wasn't because of anything she'd done herself, but because of what she now knew she was capable of doing.

What her on-screen self was in the midst of.

The young princess had seen quite a lot since Harry's 'hooking' had been shown, but nothing like this. She'd felt the chill of the ocean-air on her skin and the sickly-salty smell that always accompanied it. She'd felt her boots thudding against the wooden floor of the ship as she followed Harry into the cells, and she had even felt the warmth of his hand against hers.

But this was nothing compared to that.

The gurgle her mothers guard made as she tore through his throat was unbearable. His eyes, wide and filled with nothing more than pure fear staring up at her. The strong metallic scent that filled her nostrils as his blood poured out of the wound and down his neck and chest would always stay with her. His weak pleads before she'd willingly cut into his jugular would forever echo in the darkest parts of her mind.

Despite it all, the sight of herself ripping into an unarmed man wasn't the worst of it. Oh no, what Queenie found most horrific was how she felt doing it.

Absolute relief. And not the normal kind either, like all the times she'd finished her homework and was happy to be left to do whatever she wished. This had been utterly overwhelming. As if she'd carried around an enormous weight upon her shoulders and ending this mans life had taken all of it away. At first she'd been at least a little anxious, but Harry's proximity and low hums in her ear in that particular moment had taken all of it away.

When she finally composed herself, Queenie mustered enough strength to look up at the screen. It wasn't necessary, since the entire thing would play itself out in her mind no matter what, somehow seeing it from another point of view was easier. At least this way, even if it was for a small minute, she could trick herself into thinking that she hadn't done it, that it wasn't her doing any of it.

'How do ye feel, love?' Harry had asked her, his form moving away from behind her to look down at the dead man.

"Brace yourself." The other girl muttered with warning.

'I-I feel,' The on-screen version of herself paused to take a moment, her eyes roaming the mans face as she searched her thoughts and feelings. 'Amazing.' Was what she finally said.

Queenie gasped breathlessly as a sudden surge of absolute elation flashed through her form like lightening. A flush of warmth erupted in her cheeks and neck, an odd and tingling sensation starting in her stomach.

She wanted to feel terrible, to feel something other than happiness at the realisation that she'd taken a life, but she didn't. And what was worse was that she'd felt this once before, and not on the Isle.

After tormenting Thalia with pixie dust, this is what the outcome had been. Excitement, a strange and sudden rush of feeling like nothing could bring her down, and adoration for the boy she'd done it all with. Back then it hadn't been anything huge, she'd thought of it as a way of soothing her odd temper, but now she knew that it was more than that.

Queenie watched the TV through half-lidded eyes, the strange pleasure that came with easing her anger still there, and still just as powerful. She watched as Harry quickly embraced her, his hands gripping her thighs as he lifted her into the air. Her chest fluttered as her on-screen self stared down and into his eyes, her forehead against his as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her right hand was stained red, her small fingers still tightly holding onto Harry's hook as her arm wound itself around his neck. Her left hand, however, was lightly stroking his cheek, a small and dazed smile on her lips as she nuzzled his nose.

'Oh, I wish ye could see how amazin' ye look right now, princess.' Harry had said with a whisper, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. The look in his eyes was one Queenie had seen a handful of times on the outside, and her growing eagerness for something she couldn't quite place left her wondering just where this horrific event was going.

'Harry.' Her on-screen self muttered with a purr, and Queenie drummed her fingers against the couch. She had no idea what was going on with her in that moment, maybe she hadn't even known what it was back then either. But there was an urge there to get as close to Harry as possible, like how they were that night just wasn't enough.

Harry had chuckled and slid a hand up her spine, his fingers wrapping around the ends of her hair and tugging back. 'I know, love.' He'd said. 'But not tonight, I have ta do somethin' with this lad first, then I'm all yers.'

'You promise.' She'd whined with a small pout.

'I promise, Queenie. Go home, lass, get yerself cleaned up an' get some sleep, 'kay? I'll come for ye tomorrow, love.'

Their 'tomorrow' never did come. It had already played itself out and Queenie had been forced to go through it. Her head had been torn in two, her overwhelming devotion towards Harry clashing with the disgust and horrific reality she had to face on what she'd done that night. After leaving him on the ship she'd gone back to her den, cleaned herself up, and lost her mind in the midst of it. Her head had thundered with an unbearable ache and her entire being was shoved through an agonizing type of sensation when she reached for the drawer in a nearby nightstand.

That night that seemed to have happened so many years ago, she'd messily scribbled down one word on the perfectly written Auradon letter of request. 'Yes'. And in a poof of smoke it had disappeared from her hands, the letters somehow formed from a magic stronger than the one keeping the barrier in place. But her acceptance had been seen, and Jay had come to get her the very next morning.

"And now you know." The other girl said loudly, leaning forward to switch off the TV that'd turned to static once more.

"B-but I didn't fix anything." Queenie stuttered with disbelief, her body slowly coming down from the high cloud she'd been on. "I don't feel any better. I did that." She waved a frantic and shaking hand towards the TV. "How could I do something so evil?" She sobbed, her hands clutching at her hair.

"We're not evil." The other girl said adamantly, shifting to further face Queenie on the couch. "We thought that getting rid of everything would fix things, but it didn't. We can't be fixed because we don't need fixing."

"How can you say that?!" Queenie shouted. "We killed someone. And what we did to Thalia wasn't good, or kind or anything Auradon stands for. We belong on the Isle."

The other girl pursed her lips and jumped forward, taking a tight hold of Queenie's forearms. "We don't belong on the Isle. We're a good person. Everything we've done for our friends for the sake of keeping them happy proves as much. All of those times we stayed with Harry and let him vent wasn't for us. And all the guilt we felt at going against Jay in some way or another doesn't quite seem evil to me." She said firmly.

"What we did-"

"What we did was survive. That guy deserved to be killed for what he did to us. Thalia deserved what happened because of what she did to Ava. We are survivors and if you don't get that into that thick skull then we're going to be right back where we started. We are loyal to a fault. We're good, but god help anyone that tries to hurt our friends, or us. Don't fight against me, use me. Two sides of the same coin, remember?" The other girl re-capped.

'Like a coin, ye toss it an' ye never know what ye're gonna get.'

Harry's words rang loud and true in Queenie's ear, and once again she let her mind run free.

Everything she'd gone through on the Isle and everything she'd done after having her mind tampered with came together into one large ball of chaos and confusion. She wasn't evil. She was kind and thoughtful and loved to make her friends smile. But she wasn't good either. Her slumbering anger often woke at the slightest of things and she was more than capable of hurting someone and having absolutely no regrets. She was Isle and Auradon. Good and bad. Two sides of the same coin.

"I'm not evil." Queenie muttered to herself, doing the same over and over again until she could firmly root it within her mind.

"We're not evil." The other girl corrected with assurance.

"But that's bad. If we're both, then where do we fit?" Queenie wondered with obvious puzzlement, a new worry burrowing itself into her already messed up head.

"We fit where we want to fit." The other girl stated with a beaming smile. "We go where we want and we do what we want. We're from Wonderland; The world of the upside down. We are stronger than any Auradon-Born or Isle-Born because we get to be both. We have Wonderland magic in our blood and only we get to decide what we do with it. No one else. Not even Harry."

"Harry," Queenie sighed wistfully, her heart strings tugging at the mere mention of his name. She'd felt bad for him before for coming to Auradon for a princess that didn't remember him but now it had doubled. How could she have forgotten him?

"You didn't forget." The other girl shrugged. "You remembered, that first moment when you saw him. How scared we were. How excited he made us. We would never forget Harry."

"But we're not like him. We're not what he wanted."

The other girl laughed. "Do you think he cares? He likes that we're different. He doesn't give a shit that we're good and bad. He just wants us. We're his, and he's ours."

"We love him, don't we?" Queenie wondered, though even she knew the answer.

"Of course we do. And he loves us too. In his own fucked up way."

The young princess nodded and took in a large, soothing breath. She'd finally done it. She had her memories back, and she hadn't gone completely insane doing it. And the best of all was the clarity. All this time she'd been dragging around a heavy weight, unsure of where she belonged. But now she knew. She could belong in Auradon if she wanted, or she could go back to the Isle, and she could happily survive in either. Being both would always confuse her, but she had someone on the outside that she could turn to if it got to her too much.

"Our aunt." The other girl noted.

"Yup. We haven't met her yet." Queenie told her.

"We should."

"We will."

The other girl giggled and gave a small nod. "Are you ready to let me in now?" She inquired with a raised brow.

"I'm ready." Queenie said clearly and without hesitation. She'd endured everything up until this point, and she wasn't about to go back now.

"Good. Now breathe."

Without another wasted minute, the other girl took Queenie's cheeks in both hands and connected their mouths. It wasn't a kiss, it was a merge. The Isle joining the Auradon and the bad joining the good in a collision of green light.

Queenie felt the air being sucked away from her, a strangely delightful force moving through her mouth and into her throat, an odd pressure entering her mind.

'We're going home.'

~...~...~

Ava twirled the ends of her hair and stared through the window, her jittering nerves causing her legs to start bouncing. She could see the students sat at the benches talking aimlessly, and members of the Auradon fencing team battling outside of the practice area in an attempt to show off for the cheerleaders. They were all so happy and content in their little bubbles, so unaware of what was really going on.

And it was immensely irritating.

The little mermaid rolled her eyes at their antics, wondering how they could all go about life as normal when there were much darker things going on in their school. But maybe on some level they did know, and maybe they were all just ignoring it.

'Ignorance is bliss.' Ava thought to herself, a grimace crossing her face. She hated how bitter she'd somehow become over the last days, how annoyed she was that no one besides herself, Jay, and the pirates knew about the truth in Auradon. It wasn't the peaceful and joyful place she'd once thought of it as, and that dampened her mood somewhat.

It had been three days now since Queenie had been brought back, and Ava was hopeful that this would finally be the day her friend came back to life. It was also part of the reason she'd vouched to stay with her. She wanted Queenie to wake up to someone familiar and safe. Harry was no threat to the princess, of course, but he'd been going absolutely mad in the silent room and everyone could tell. So Ava had relieved him of some stress and offered to stay until he was satisfied he'd had enough freedom for one day.

Truthfully, Harry scared the daylights out of her. His towering frame and overly-hardened eyes was something she wasn't quite used to, but she had to make herself adjust to it. He was important to Queenie and just as, if not more, important to Uma. If he was going to be a constant in their lives then Ava had to somehow get to know him.

An act easier said than done, she now knew. He wasn't as short with her as he was with everyone else but that intensity was still there. That lingering threat of danger whenever he lurked around suffocating her until she was increasingly uncomfortable. And the ridiculous thing of it all was that he hadn't even said anything worth worrying about. A few snarky comments and sly looks was all she'd really gotten from him, so she'd had to put it down to the aura he gave off since arriving. His demeanour often gave off a mix of 'stay-the-hell-away' but that smirk constantly plastered across his face could convince someone otherwise. Uma held a vibe quite like his, especially to outsiders, and it really threw Ava. After all, she'd grown up around the kind smiles and warm gestures of the Auradon-Born, so the dark allure the pirates carried around with them like a weapon was overly new to her.

'Although,' she thought with a faraway gaze in her eye. They really did carry it well.

A loud and wheezing intake of breath rang out in the deathly silent room, and pulled Ava out of her sinful thoughts.

It took her a moment to fully comprehend just what she was seeing, and she blinked her eyes furiously as she jumped to her feet.

Queenie was awake.

AN

Hi readers! Just me again.

First of all, I'm so, so, so sorry for the cliff-hanger...again. I don't mean to do it but it just keeps happening and I can't stress how sorry I am that it does. But this is the last one...for now anyway.

Anyway! Queenie's awake! Also, I wanted there to be some more points of view from Jay and Harry. I've been staying away from their characters a little bit but honestly I think we needed to see some more of those two, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Also, Ava's starting to come down from cloud-nine, and there's more in store for her so I hope you guys stick around for that.

Right, review acknowledgement time;

Jon Snow Warrior Queen; I know. I'm so sorry. I did it again! No more for a while I swear.

PinkTribeChick; Yeah, we all wish Harry would man up and admit how he feels for Queenie. But think of it this way, this is a guy who looks down on weaknesses and thinks very highly of himself. So, of course he isn't going to admit how he feels about her. Not out-loud anyway. But I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

labyrinthlover; Me too! :)

Sanura Bey; I know. I'm overdoing it with the cliff-hangers but I just can't help it.

Anyway, that's all from me for now. Much love to everyone who've reviewed, favourited and followed. You guys are amazing!

Also, I wanted to run an idea by you guys. I've had this idea mulling around in my head for a while so I wanted an opinion. An AU of sorts, probably a one-shot, on how Harry and Queenie would have met if Jay had actually come back to get her the first time. Let me know what you'd think of something like that.

Okay, so, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks!

Any typos will be removed once I've properly read through.