Hello my lovelies! I hope this chapter finds you well! Again I will try and keep the updates coming so that all of you who are self-quarantining can feel some sort of reward for your efforts! Keep it up! I know it can be hard to resist finding a reason to go out but do your best to be responsible.

Author's note: I am posting this raw; edits for grammar etc will probably be caught in a day or two. In the meantime (no one has ever taken me up on this but) feel free to point out any grammar/wording errors so I might correct them quicker.

Without any further ado...


Chapter 17: Yer a chancer

There was a time and a place for the feelings that were welling up inside of her; sweat dripping from her brow, knife hilt-deep in another human's gut was admittedly not the time for it. Maddy couldn't help the quiver of excitement she felt though. The shocked fluttering of their brown pupils reminded her of Cassie. Maddy jerked her weapon out, reveling in the satisfying squelching noise that the action made and the even more satiating sound as they gasped a bubbly, bloody gasp before falling to their knees.

"Mmmm." Maddy hummed as she smiled down at her handiwork. Tomorrow night would be the night she would see her little pussy cat again.

Maddy began humming her grandmother's favorite tune as she sauntered down the alley-way back towards the entrance where the other four of the Fearsome Five were keeping guard.

"You know," Ginny began, falling into line behind her as Maddy passed them, "Killing him was a little overkill." It was obvious from her tone that she actually didn't care. Ginny Gothel rarely cared. She certainly didn't care whether or not Maddy killed a pirate or two, except she considered it all a waste of time and unlike Maddy preferred more clean ways of killing. Ginny brushed her fizzy black hair over her shoulder.

Maddy's tune paused and her four companions stiffened visibly but their feet carried on like normal, acting as if an invisible wire hadn't just been plucked.

"So?" Maddy asked with a flippant tone, "Keeping him alive would have only caused us trouble. I'd prefer not to warn the enemy beforehand." That was the first peek into Maddy's plans any of the four had gotten since this pirate hunt had began.

"What about our brother?" Gaston Jr spoke up, a deep scowl creasing his forehead, "He's one of them."

"Your brother should keep better company." Maddy hissed, "If you so much as breath a word of warning to him and his friends you'll meet the same fate as our friend back there." Her tone was icy and left no room for argument.

Gaston Jr and Gaston the third shared concerned looks but zipped their lips. Maddy was not one for idle threats. That they were even getting a warning was a luxury from her. All they could do was hope that Cassie stayed away from their brother.

In two days time Maddy would either be meeting Cassie on the little cat's terms—or Maddy would be making arrangements to meet her on her terms.

Maddy was also not one to leave anything to chance.

~...~...~

The little cat looked down at the wharf with expectation. If she had a tail it would be twitching back and forth in anticipation. She could see Harry, clear as day under the light of the waxing gibbous. The moon was big and near-round, surrounded by milky blackness and dark gray blurs that Cassie knew were the clouds that perpetually hung over the isle. Hook stood leaning against the lip of the alley. He was sporting his usual colors of red and black, though she noticed it was a tad less red and more black than usual. The curve of his signature hook was tapping impatiently against his thigh, otherwise he was completely still, though she noted the occasional turn of the head to check his surroundings. He was obviously puzzling whether or not she was showing or if he had just beaten her there.

'Well, I should put the poor boy out of his misery.' Cassie thought with amusement.

Her feet fell on the cobblestone alley with a gentle, dull clap a few yards away—apparently enough to draw the pirate's attention.

"I was beginnin' to wonder if ye were showin' Kitty." Harry's grin was nothing less than the most breath-taking, sigh-producing thing Cassie had seen to date.

'Oh he's good,' she thought ruefully as she recovered from the momentary daze.

"Girl's gotta eat." Cassie deadpanned in response, offering back her most challenging smirk, "And it's not like I could keep you away."

Now it was Harry's turn to smirk, a seductive little tilt of his lip that made his blue eyes glisten from within the thin lines of kohl, "Aye, quite right."

Cassie blamed the ensuing shiver on the cool night air.

"Come on." Cassie pushed a duffle bag into his chest, pointedly ignoring the fluttering of her heart.

Hook grabbed the bag and gave an askance look at the heavy-duty material in his hand before looking up at the little kitty, "Care to explain love?"

"You're here aren't you? I figure you might at well help." Cassie stared into those blue gemstones with open defiance, daring him to argue. Her defiance was moot of course, she knew he would help just like she knew he would be waiting for her.

Of course that didn't mean that he had expected to be a part of tonight's activities. That much was obvious from the slightly surprised look on his face, "Yer askin' me to help ye steal from the goblins?"

The corner of Cassie's lips pulled up in a cat's grin as she purred with a mirrored accent, "'Aye.'" Cassie quickly dropped the mock-accent as she teased playfully, "Isn't that what pirates do? Plunder ships."

Harry scoffed at that, "The isle ain't exactly ripe with opportunities."

Cassie paused, her mind wrapping around what his words suggested. It never occurred to her before that the bubble around the isle prevented the pirates from doing what made them pirates. It was with genuine curiosity that she asked her next question; "What about the shipments?"

"Ah," Harry cooed like she had just asked the right question, "The original villains, Da included, tried that. Ol' King Beast dinnae like that though. Made a show o' power an' all shipments stopped for a month or more. Da tol' me an' my sisters that was a particularly dark period on the isle." Harry gave a nonchalant shrug, "Since then no one touches the ships."

That meant Hook had never actually robbed or plundered on the sea. Cassie was practically purring with this realization and couldn't resist the temptation to tease the other teen.

"How very law abiding." Cassie cooed teasingly, her hand patted his shoulder in mock-sympathy. The little cat was wearing a Cheshire's grin as she took a smooth step towards the Goblin's Wharf, her hand ghosting from his shoulder over his chest before fluidly falling back to her side, "And you call yourself a pirate?"

An unexpected chuckle erupted out of the pirate, "Yer a chancer, Cassie." Every time Hook thought he understood a part of her she had to go and surprise him again. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like it.

Cassie didn't know what that meant, but from the approving grin and humor in his voice she ventured a guess that it was good. Excitement hummed in her chest, "Let's go."

To Cassie's surprise Harry seemed to have a certain intuition about where they were headed as he followed her. It really shouldn't have been surprising, it made sense considering how much of his life he must have spent on ships.

The pair managed to silently slip below deck and down the familiar hall. It felt like it had been forever since she had last been under its low-ceiling and inside its pungent smell of grimy wood and sea salt. With the same care that she always took to be silent, Cassie slowly opened the door she knew held her goal and just as carefully closed it behind them both.

With a waxing gibbous offering its light through the small port window, Cassie's eyes quickly adjusted to the scant light and began to examine the goods. She gave an intentional look at the other teen beside her as she reached for and lifted the container lid, purposefully showing how carefully he should grab items so that it was not obvious anything had been taken before replacing the lid exactly as it had been. Harry deftly nodded and began to fill his own duffle bag.

Cassie allowed her mind to wander innocently as she shifted through stacks of stale bread. It was amazing how he had just fit into this part of her life with such ease. She had expected to have to direct him more, but it was with satisfaction that she noted that he was doing as fine a job as she would, carefully leaving no evidence of his pilfering.

Before she knew it they both had full bags and were just as silently ghosting their way back above deck and toward the cover of the alleyway. Cassie could feel that familiar electric excitement she got whenever she successfully got in and out without a hitch. That same electricity was coursing through Hook, she could sense it and it only served to amplify her own excitement. Cassie could feel a hearty laugh building in her heart before it finally burst out, making her have to bend over to catch her breath.

To her surprise Hook was laughing beside her, a more suppressed chuckle than a roar but it was still there and he was right beside her trying to catch his breath between his own laughter. Cassie would never admit it out loud but she loved how their laughter sounded together and the feeling she got watching him laugh—for once in her adult life she didn't feel lonely. Their eyes locked in that moment and slowly their laughter simmered down, though it was replaced by a heated crackling in the air between them.

Just then an idea struck her, making her smile wickedly before she even got it out, "You're—a pirate finally."

"Aye." Hooks voice was soft but his eyes were dark and unwaveringly locked with hers, "Cassie."

The shift in mood was not lost on her. The intensity was enough to make her nervous though.

"I—I better get these back." She lifted her own bag up to signify what she meant, "It was really great—"

"Cassie." Harry interrupted her nervous squirming. Once again she found herself a breaths width from the pirate. Vacantly she could hear the gentle echoing thuds of his feat stepping closer, but all she could comprehend at that moment was the smoldering intensity in his eyes as he approached her. The little cat found herself freezing in place even as her heart was thumping against her chest like it was trying to break out.

"What are you..." Cassie's question drifted off as she felt his breath on her lips. Her eyes flashed to his blue gemstones, looking for any hint of what he was thinking or planning. Hook's eyes were gentle, understanding even.

"You don' need to run off every time Kitty." His voice was husky and sent thrills down her spine.

"I don't—" It was a futile lie. She bit her lip in shame before restarting, honestly this time, "You're...intimidating."

"I tol' ye: I won' hurt ye Cassie. Ye don' need ta be scared of me." Cassie could feel heat rising up her neck and into her cheeks at his words. She knew that now. Whatever Harry was, he was no threat to her. He was so close, only an inch or two separating them. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body now, it was so inviting. That familiar scent of sea salt and sandalwood was intoxicating.

"I don't mean it like that." it took every ounce of concentration she had left to keep the quiver out of her voice, "I mean, you—this—it's intimidating." She watched as understanding slowly crept into his face. It was with crushing disappointment that she felt his heat and scent pull away.

Harry Hook had taken a step back, yet his eyes were still burning into her. She wondered with embarrassment if she had looked disappointed when he pulled away.

Cassie used the newfound distance to clear her head and to focus her thoughts. There was something she had wanted, "I want to get to know you first."

A pirate's grin was her answer, "I'd like that."


Today's addition of "What did Harry Hook just say?":

"Yer a chancer" (the title of this chapter) can mean a couple things: it's a British term for someone who takes advantage of situations and manipulates them to his own benefit OR a chancer is someone who quite boldly 'chances their luck' by taking risks and asking unreasonable requests.

"Dinnae" means: Don't. As in: 'Dinnae forget to pack an umbrella'.

Review Recognition:

shadowcat106: I'm glad you're feeling the romance, I'm really trying to build it slowly and not rush it. I hope this helps alleviate that boredom for at least a little while!

Lady of Trolls: I'm glad you like it! Poor kitty lol! But in terms of the Cheshire Cat's soulmate: I can't (or rather won't) give spoilers but I will admit that it does have a role in the hate between the two of them.

Heaven's Mistake: Growing pains indeed! Well all the same I have enjoyed reading your (and other readers') guesses/predictions of where this story is going. I'm also a bookworm myself, I actually model my writing after some of my favorite author's style.

Lottielue1: Thank you so much for that! I think someone else said they didn't get notified about chapters being posted before too. I wonder what is up with that? As you can see Cassie definitely did show up. As for Gil, we'll have to wait and see how he makes it out of the trip wire's I've written around him. Poor boy. Also: I really hope that this whole thing doesn't take 3 to 6 months to blow over.

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