Author's Note: Bear with me please as I make typos and correct them after posting-If you notice any typos/confusing sentences feel free to make them known to me.

Without any further ado...your recap and then the next chapter.


Previously on SoulMarked...

He seemed to understand her intent. There was a pause before he locked eyes with her, "I want to see you again...I'll be waiting at the Wharf."

Cassie frowned in distrust.

He seemed to read her expression and offered his own assurance, "Just me."

Cassie briefly turned her head away from him. Privately she allowed a small lopsided smile to herself.

"Even if you say no I'll still wait for you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his signature smirk return.

"Then it doesn't matter what I say." The little cat quipped as she took another step back, now only a few steps away from the corner of the alley, though just as she reached the end of the alley she did give another lopsided smile, this time for him to see, as she stated, "Until next time then."

It was clear from his returning smile that he took her words as she had hoped.

"Aye."

It would be a few days more until the shipment.


Chapter 15: They're your family

Harry Hook took long strides over the cobblestone streets back towards the coast and in the direction of the Lost Revenge.

Harry's original news for Uma and Gil was forgotten in the wake of the conversation he had had with Cassie. His mind was fixed on how the conversation had ended with an informal promise of another meeting. Oh and how he looked forward to that meeting. Every moment he spent with her felt right. He had only gotten a little taste of what his days would be like with her but it was enough to make him want more. Harry had never felt so alive. Every part of him, mind and body, was drawn to her.

Cassie was seductive and elusive, like grabbing at a flame. Harry had never been so elated and frustrated in his life. While the chase was exciting now, he found himself wishing she would stand still long enough for him to catch her.

Cassie was equal parts beguiling and stubborn. While half of him wanted to ravish her the other half was tempted to shake some good sense into her.

How someone with such fiery wit couldn't figure out that he had no reason to hurt her, but every reason to want to protect her was beyond him. For one reason or another, she was so stubbornly convinced that he was bad that he had no idea how to counter it. He couldn't even say for certain whether it was about soulmates in general or about him in particular. The first one he couldn't figure out the motivation for or even guess at the source of such hate, but the second one he thought he had a clue about. If she had been getting his SoulMarks all this time then she had no doubt some nasty words on her skin. Words that would define him whether he liked it or not.

That line of thought was a long, dark path though and he'd rather not dwell on what words might be on her skin. Though thinking about her skin wasn't an unwelcome thought on its own. Despite his years of flirtation and play-acting with the opposite sex Harry couldn't help the heat he felt in his neck and cheeks at that thought. Despite being renowned as something of a player on the isle; only he, Uma, and Gil knew the truth of the matter. Harry could flirt with the best of them, but when it came to the real thing he knew next to nothing. He knew even less about love.

Harry turned the corner, noting with content the comforting presence of both lanterns and colorful cloth decorations. He was back in the heart of pirate territory. The market was still not full, not like it would be in a few hours, but a few enterprising isle-residents had begun to set up their stalls. Soon the rest would follow and by noon a steady stream of customers, thieves, and pirates would filter in and out.

Hook kept a brisk pace, mindful not to glance in the stalls directions lest the owners take that as him showing interest and pounce on him as a potential customer. Harry did however take enough time to employ one of the stall owner's children to serve as a messenger for him with directions to go and fetch Gil. The shrimp of a kid was off in no time and happy at the payment Harry placed in her small hands. Harry felt a twitch of a smile as the squirt ran off but gave the child no more thought as he went back on his way to the chip shoppe. In no time he was in Ursula's Fish and Chips. Harry would have to wait for Uma to rise on her own and come out, since he was in no mood to risk sneaking past Ursula to wake her. There were very few brave or foolish enough to attempt that after how the last attempt had ended. A whip from Ursula's tentacles was not to be taken lightly...

Fortunately he didn't have to wait long.

Gil was the first to come in, red-faced and shaggy-haired under his bandanna as if he had just rolled out of bed and ran there.

He probably had.

"You called a meeting? What's up?" Gil had caught his breath quickly and was already removing his bandanna to fix his hair under it.

"Aye." Harry couldn't still the grin pulling at the corners of his lips, "I had a little chat with our favorite kitty."

Gil's eyes lit up with excitement. His preening was put aside for a moment as he focused his attention solely on Harry, "Cassie?"

Harry smiled good-naturedly, used to Gil's excitement and his simple questions, "Aye."

"Yes!" Gil was not jumping per say, but he was definitely bobbing up and down with excitement, "We've got to wake Uma." the blonde declared eagerly.

Harry watched as Gil's face lit up and crumbled in turns as he considered the actually consequences of that idea, finally the muscled teen groaned in exasperation, "We can't wake Uma, but, ahh, waiting is so—"

"Will you two at least try to not wake up my mom?" came a feminine voice from the employee only entrance.

Both boys turned to face the teal-haired captain. She was not yet dressed in her work clothes, work wouldn't be starting for hours still, but instead she was dressed in her usual colors of teal and black.

"Uma!" Gil greeted cheerfully. The first mate approached with a smile and came to stand by her side.

"What's all this about?" she asked, gesturing between the two of them and the fact that they were both there so early.

"I'm callin' a meetin'," Harry stated firmly, not asking for permission but stating the facts of it, "Our little kitty is in more trouble than we thought."

That got Uma's attention. With a raised brow and a look at the empty entrance, she nodded to the booth in the farthest, darkest corner. When they were unable to get down to their usual private spot, that particular booth served as their substitute meeting location. It was in the farthest corner from both the entrance door and from the employee entrance.

The three of them took their seats, Uma on one side and Harry and Gil sharing the opposite side. They would have to keep their voices quiet but it was better than many places on the Isle.

"Alright," Uma began in hushed but serious tones, "Spill it Harry."

And Harry did.

He explained their meeting and though he might have purposefully forgotten to mention how he had flirted and played with the little kitty he didn't leave out much else. He explained that for some reason she was resistant to him as a soulmate, explained her stubbornness, explained how his newest SoulMark was connected to Mad Maddy of all people, how Cassie had only given him the information about the Queen of Hearts by chance of a slip-up, he shared how he thought the Queen's motivation was revenge for her dad's tricks, and finally he explained his promise about the Goblin's Wharf. All the while the captain and Gil listened with rapt attention, not interrupting the first mate once until it was clear he had said his words and was done.

Uma was the first to speak when the time came, though it was clear from her expression that she was still wrapping her mind around all of it, "So Cassie thinks the Queen of Hearts is after her for revenge because of her dad?"

"T'aint secret her da an' the Queen were sworn enemies." Harry shrugged, as if it was no leap in logic that that hate transferred from father to daughter in the Queen's eyes. Uma frowned then, finding the argument lackluster at best. If Cassie were merely hiding from the Queen of Hearts then she could have joined their crew. Though upon reflection Uma came to a new perspective. If Cassie was as trigger-shy as Harry said then there must be a reason that she didn't trust soulmates. With that in mind, Uma tried to look at the offer from Cassie's perspective. The Lost Revenge had gained considerable territory and numbers over the last couple months but they still were no match for the Queen's strictly trained Royal Flush. Even separated from Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts had maintained a certain level of power and fear. Her power's foundation was the Royal Flush, the most ruthless of her executioners which had been declared guilty beyond redemption and banished to the Isle with their bloodthirsty queen. Looking at it like that, Uma almost understood Cassie's reservations. The Lost Revenge might have the numbers, but even if Cassie were to join them—so long as the Queen was out there she wasn't safe. It was best to be invisible.

Though Uma had to wonder how invisible she was after all their poking around. They might have inadvertently caused more complications while asking around.

Harry and Uma exchanged a look. Judging by Harry's guilt-ridden expression, Uma suspected he had been holding similar thoughts.

This time it was Gil to add in his two cents, "I once heard Lizzie talking about how, more than Alice or anyone else, her mom hated the Cheshire Cat. Something about blaming him for the whole Alice thing and her banishment here." Gil shrugged, "Lizzie doesn't talk about her mom much so that's all I know."

Uma took in this information with a more thoughtful expression than the actual info warranted. It became clear why when she spoke next, "Gil."

The muscular blonde looked his captain in the eyes, golden brown to dark brown, "Yeah?"

"Lizzie is your sister-in-law," Uma saw Gil open his mouth and added quickly, "Of sorts." She was aware that Gaston Jr and Lizzie were not technically married. Though in her mind being soulmates and having a child together was as close to that as most Isle residents got. Which brought her to her next thought, "When the chips fall, Lizzie might side with her mom, in which case you're in an awkward situation..."

Gil's cheer dropped visibly.

"You're not suggesting he'd betray us." Harry frowned critically. He didn't for a second believe Gil would turn against them.

Uma chose her next words carefully, "I'm not accusing you of anything, but I know that you care about Lizzie and your nephew. If you stay here you might be put in a situation where you can't afford to be neutral anymore and have to make a choice." And in a rare moment of genuine kindness and compassion Uma reached her hand out across the booth and took Gil's into her own before saying her next words as intentionally as she could manage, her tone willing the muscular blonde to understand she had only the best intentions in her heart for him, "I'd prefer if you didn't have to make that choice at all."

"What are you saying?" Gil looked wide-eyed and alarmed. It was obvious to Harry what Gil was fearing; Gil didn't want to be rejected; kicked out and abandoned from the only real home and friends he knew.

"I'm saying..." and this was where Uma knew she had to choose her words very, very carefully, "I don't doubt your loyalty to us and the crew, but Gil, if it came to it, could you fight your own family for us?"

"I..." Gil's wide-eyed look morphed into something much sadder. Even worse than his fear of being rejected was his feeling right now as he truly considered what he would do if asked to do that.

Uma's frown wasn't cruel or disappointed like so many times before, her frown at that moment was watery and pained. She knew what that answer would be for half the crew but not many of them felt anything for their relations. Gil however felt deeply for everyone he met, never mind the blind and unfiltered love he had for his nephew which extended to the mother of his nephew. And betraying Lizzie wouldn't just be a betrayal to her and his nephew but of his brothers as well. Gil would be isolating his whole family in a single stroke all for someone he had never met.

Harry for his part wanted to avoid that fate for Gil. He gently placed his hand on the muscular teens shoulder, "Mate, ye don' need to make that decision. Cassie's my soulmate an' the Queen of Hearts is her and my problem. Maybe ye can sit this one out?"

While the blonde appreciated his friends offer of an out, it felt wrong for him to take it.

Wordlessly the teen shook his head.

"I want to help."

Uma wore a mask of indifference, "Are you sure?"

Gil nodded, but Uma wouldn't let him agree that easily, "They're your family." He needed to fully understand the weight of his decision.

Gil looked a little guilty but nodded again, "I know, and...I still don't have an answer. I can't say what I will do, but I know I won't betray you guys."

Now Uma allowed the mask of indifference to melt, giving way to a sympathetic smile, "I know you won't Gil."

"Now—" her brown orbs got a sharp glint to them, "What do we know about the Queen of Hearts?"

~...~...~

Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, was prepping for the morning appointments when she heard a faint whimper from behind the curtain. The whimper grew to an insistent cry as Lizzie ducked behind the curtain and through the hidden doorway.

"Oh, Quinton." Lizzie cooed as she picked up her baby boy. Lizzie's heart swelled and her smile grew as Quinton settled against her chest restfully. Looking into his sleepy brown eyes Lizzie knew she would do anything for her son. Quinton might not have been planned but he was a blessing. He had brought so much happiness and fulfillment to her. He had become the best part of her life. Her one regret was that her son would be raised on the Isle within her mother's grasp.

Growing up under her mother had been an evil she wouldn't inflict on anyone, let alone her child...

Lizzie, back when she was known as Elizabeth, had experienced oppression on a scale like no other. The Queen of Hearts was obsessed with absolute rule and execution. Elizabeth did not get a loving mother, but a ruler. Her mother did not even see her as a living person, but rather as a means to get flattery and status. Elizabeth's heart burned with shame remembering how complacent she had been before, bowing her head to her mother's every whim and struggled and strained to do as her mother wished.

Her mother only saw Elizabeth as a means of competing with the Evil Queen for status. Every time Evie achieved something, Elizabeth was forced to practice and practice to serve her mother's goals. She was an expensive toy, a symbol of status, a cup for the queen to fill with whatever she wished. If the dehumanization of her had been the extent of it, Lizzie would be fine. It wasn't of course.

Her mother was the Queen of Hearts; a cruel, volatile tyrant with bloodlust. The things Lizzie had seen her mother do, had heard her order without a second thought...the punishments Lizzie had endured.

Etiquette lessons with her mother were the worst. Any minor mistake would result in a fierce crack from the riding whip her mother always carried. More often than not the lessons only ended when Lizzie was too bloodied and trembling from pain to continue. Lizzie knew that her mother would never allow Quinton to be anything but another vessel for her to shape and fill.

With a shudder Lizzie remembered the half-starved kitten she had brought home one night. Her mother had raged, ready to toss the poor creature out the second story window—and she would have if Lizzie's father hadn't stepped in and calmed her. That was when Lizzie had first realized how much her mother hated all cats, all because of the Cheshire cat. Her father had been the only person alive who could ever calm her mother from her tantrums. Somehow he even managed to convince her mother to allow Lizzie to keep the kitten until it was old enough to care for itself. At the time, her mother's glare was a black vortex of rage. That should have been her first warning. Lizzie had been a fool. She had thought she had won for once.

No.

Lizzie woke the next morning with a dead kitten, its belly cut open so Lizzie knew it was no accident or natural occurrence.

Her mother was punishing her for disobeying.

In a rage Lizzie responded by throwing away her mother's best knives. Her mother was not impressed and, not to be outdone, she had her men gather all the neighborhood cats. And to make sure she was extra clear, the Queen of Hearts left a surprise for her eleven year old daughter to wake up to: a bed covered with dead cats. After that, Lizzie's dad convinced her mom to stop, but there was an unspoken understanding between her mother and her. If Lizzie defied her again the punishment would be much, much worse.

As much as Lizzie hated to admit it, her mother had shaped who she had become. The Queen of Hearts had shaped her into the fierce, strong, eloquent, and ruthless woman that she was—but in the process she had neglected to make Lizzie love her.

No, there was no love between her and her mother. The Queen had no motherly affections, all those had been given by her father who had taken care to raise her and provide for her needs. Her father had been the one to sooth her mothers temper most times when Evie bested Elizabeth. Her father had been the one to teach her to read and write, had been the one to tuck her into bed. He was who Lizzie modeled her parenting after. Ever ounce of love she possessed she had gotten from her father and Gaston Jr.

Lizzie wished with all her heart that it was her mother, and not her father, who was dead. However, the world was cruel and unfair.

Quinton was safe from her mother for now, after all the Queen despised taking care of fussy babies. But Lizzie knew that as soon as Quinton grew the Queen would take an interest in him. She would force those same horrendous etiquette lessons on her precious baby boy. She would shape her child into someone the Queen saw fit.

Lizzie had one bargaining chip that she was holding for her son. She would do whatever necessary to give her son a better life than she had had.

Lizzie heard Quinton whimper in complaint and realized she had been holding him too tightly. With a sense of shame, the young mother loosened her grip carefully and looked down at the sweet bundle in her arms.

"Shhh, Shhh" she shushed him gently, "I will protect you."


Author's Note:

This week's chapter was Gil's dilemma and mother-Lizzie feelings.

REVIEW RECOGNITION:

Historic Soldier: You're quite right and I agree with you. I think judging people by names, labels, appearance is something that kids and adults alike struggle with though. Even the most mature people can use those things to make a judgement of someone before ever meeting them unfortunately. That particular trait used to be one of my worst habits and although I am sure I still do it from time to time, I like to think I try to be better. It's a process.

Lottielue1: Hehehe, your review honestly made me smile. I'm glad you really liked it. I can't clarify your wondering because I don't want to give spoilers~ I will say however: you have good thoughts.

Heaven's Mistake: Oh no, good frustration or bad frustration? Thank you for your comment though! I'm glad you still enjoyed it even though you got frustrated~

SmallstheMouse: Hello! I'm glad you're hooked! (P.S. puns are always welcome and appreciated).

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