By the time Harry, Uma, CJ, Harriet entered the lower deck, the storm had raged, and it was much worse than the day before. The ship was rocking with such force that it seemed, with each creak of the wood, that it would break at any moment.

The shouts of Captain Hook's crew could be heard from the upper deck, but the man was unmoved. He advanced, with a grace he normally did not possess when he was drunk, into the dining room. Apparently, Smee had returned and was preparing dinner.

Uma was very aware of Harry's hand, warm, still on her waist. She knew that he was most likely trying to keep her balanced, since the ship was practically going back and forth, but she couldn't help but have… certain curious sensations. It reminded her of how her heart leaped the first day they set sail on the Lost Revenge, when he balanced her after Uma went up to drop all the sails. Something about that touch had felt different from the others, different from all their years of friendship.

If she had to be honest with herself, she couldn't help thinking about all that. For the past few months, there were thoughts and emotions inside her that disturbed her mind: moments shared with Harry that suddenly meant more. Closeness had never been a problem, or anything different. When Uma tried to imagine her life without Harry, there seemed to be a huge hole that couldn't be filled with anything. They all yearned for freedom, and probably anyone would run off the Isle without looking back if the barrier opened again, even for a second, but would she really do it? Would she leave Harry behind, if it meant her freedom?

Not.

She could not. They were a team, a package. It was simply unthinkable. It was like trying to imagine the sea without waves.

Harry was her best friend, right?

And would he leave her behind if it meant his freedom?

The thought of that took her breath away for a second. Harry noticed, because he looked at her questioningly, the blue of his eyes colliding with Uma's chocolate glare.

And suddenly Uma was sure of one thing: he wouldn't leave her behind.

Because they loved each other.

There was no other logical explanation. There was no other name Uma could use for that thing between them, even when everything in herself screamed at her that it was so wrong. All that Uma knew was that she felt dizzy, suffocated, wanting to run and dive into the sea again. She wanted to scream all her rage; she felt her heart leap out of her chest. Harry saw her crazed gaze and took her by both shoulders.

"It's fine," he whispered, low enough that no one else would hear, "don't worry. He's just bragging, we'll get out of here soon."

Where were they? Were they still on Captain Hook's ship? Uma forced herself to keep all her thoughts deep. She had never been so afraid of something, but she would not allow her emotions to surface and give her away. She forced herself to pretend that she hadn't been thinking any of those things, because she just couldn't break down like that. Not there. If Captain Hook detected any degree of weakness in her, no matter how small it was ...

That couldn't happen.

"Uma?" Harry asked, frowning, "what's wrong?"

"Later," she promised.

It seemed incredible that all this had happened in a fraction of a minute. Harriet and CJ were sitting at the table, and Harry and Uma followed them. Captain Hook sat at the head of the table, on a chair that once must have been very beautiful and was now old and limp. Still, there was something about him that seemed threatening. Uma wondered what it would have been like to meet him when he was a villain.

"How nice, a family dinner," CJ muttered bitterly, and she took a hit from Harriet. Smee set plates in front of each one. Dinner was canned sardines, which smelled so bad Uma was sure they were at least a month old, and dried potato. The glasses were filled with homemade wine. By island standards, a delicacy.

"Well," said Harriet, "what do you want, father?"

Captain Hook took a long drink from his glass, so Uma was sure that his sobriety was not going to last beyond that afternoon.

"My map," Hook replied bluntly. "I know you have it, Captain Uma."

Uma tried to think fast. She didn't want to give it to him, the old man would surely lose it once he was drunk enough. Harry's father seemed to know what she was thinking, because he smiled, not cruelly, but a smile like the ones he used to have, very occasionally, when Harry's mother was alive. If all four of them were already puzzled, this was far worse.

"I almost forgot how things work on this place," he laughed, "it seems I have to give you something in exchange for what is mine, right?"

"I took it, so now it's mine," Uma snapped.

The man's smile widened.

"Just like you did with my son, right?"

"That's right," Uma replied haughtily, undaunted. This game was a measurement of strength and she was not going to let him beat her.

CJ bit back a laugh. Harry didn't seem bothered by the comment. He was quiet, just looking at everything, calculating... again, all calm and contained storm. Harriet chose that moment to intervene.

"Father," she said, putting all the authority that was prudent in her voice. "Just make your offer."

Captain Hook sighed dramatically, like Harry did when he said that Uma wouldn't let him have fun. The resemblance between the two was undeniable; and yet there were so many differences. Even in the similarities, Captain Hook's eyes were melancholy, but they also seemed haunting, as if clouded by secrets. Instead, Harry's gaze was transparent, wide as the sky, and a little mischievous.

"How impatient you are, dear Harriet." The ship rocked and the wood creaked, as if it were angry, and thunder rumbled, causing the ship's windows to vibrate. Captain Hook didn't flinch, he twirled his glass between his fingers and took another sip. "But I guess I'm feeling complacent tonight, and I think you're right. What I offer is information. In fact, I will be more than generous, and let you keep the map and the information, Captain Uma, if you sing for me."

"What?" Harry asked helplessly, snapping his hook onto the table. An offer like that was so unheard of on the isle that the four guys couldn't help but stare at Captain Hook as if he had definitely lost his mind. Uma, for the first time in her life, seemed speechless. Harriet's mouth was slightly ajar and CJ, who had been playing flip the chair back and balancing it on two legs, fell backward and then had to get up.

"Believe it or not, boy, I know more about what is happening on the isle right now than you might think. The treasure everyone is looking for is real, and that is the map that leads to it. Your mother hid it many years ago, when we were locked in this dead-end Island, and she always knew that the day would come when it would be found. So, what I demand now in exchange for the information I have is simple: she must sing, or there is no deal."

Uma recovered, but now it was Harry's turn to be speechless. What was his father referring to? His mother… he had never spoken of her again. They were never a happy family, but they were a family; and yet, Harry's mother was the one who always cared the most about them. Harriet and CJ had the same look of dismay.

"What do you want me to sing?" Uma asked impatiently.

"You know that well, Captain."

Uma got up from the chair, too restless to be able to continue sitting. She held onto her mother's necklace with one hand, assessing her possibilities, and as she did so, she walked over to one of the windows overlooking the shoreline. The sea was rough, the waves wild; the lightning struck the sky, the air sang restlessly... it was a ridiculous price, a song for such valuable information. So, what would Captain Hook's true intentions be? As much as she thought about it, she didn't find an answer.

Her heart was pounding, and she didn't know if it was because of the unexpected offer or because of her recent discoveries about her feelings. She wanted to get off the ship as soon as possible to think clearly, but she didn't want to leave empty-handed. She made a decision.

Without turning around, still staring at the storm, she began to sing again.

Harry held his breath as Uma began to sing. He knew that her mother had put absurd ideas in her head, telling her that her voice was terrible and that she should never, ever, sing in public, so he had never heard her. In Lost Revenge everyone sang while doing the heavy lifting, which was generally more like yelling pirate songs at the top of their lungs, but she never joined them. If she had, Harry was sure, the entire pier would have stopped just to listen to her.

"What the heck?" CJ muttered.

Harry's father looked definitely pleased, but Harry could also see something else in his expression that he couldn't make out. Uma was almost halfway through the song when the storm seemed to diminish it's strength, and Harry wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew, somehow, that the storm was leaning toward her song, as if it were bowing just to listen.

And his father's eyes glowed crimson.

"The sea is calming down," Harriet mused, stunned. Harry wasn't crazy. It was true.

The moment she finished singing, Uma turned to Harry, scared and delighted at the same time. He was next to her in a minute, watching through the window the waves collide with the coast, calmly, appeased, the water shining while reflecting the light of the moon, where before there was a thick sky...

"Did you do it, darling?" Harry asked, his breath brushing her neck, bristling her skin in a second, and Uma was so sure everyone would notice.

"There is no magic on the Isle," Uma said, looking at Captain Hook suspiciously. The man did not seem disturbed like her and his children. He was leaning back in the chair, drinking more from his glass of wine.

He looked at her, evaluating how long she could hold his gaze. She did not lower her eyes, practically did not blink, until the old captain laughed.

"There is no evil magic," he agreed. "But there are different types of magic, of course; not everything are curses and kisses of true love. There's still some magic left here, Captain, but it wouldn't do you anything for Maleficent or Madame Mim. Not even the Fairy Godmother is powerful enough to rule the seas."

"So, what you're trying to say is… my magic works here because I'm not trying anything evil?" Uma asked, shaking with excitement. "But, my mother..."

"She knows that very well," Hook said bluntly. "But she made a choice, she scorned her own power and believed that she could only rule the seven seas with her brother's trident, big mistake."

Harry shook his head, denying.

"Here's something I don't understand," he said. "What does our mother have to do with all this? What do the song, the map, the treasure have to do with it?"

"You are no longer kids," said his father, and his voice had lost all mockery and had become serious. "It is time for you to know what happened at the beginning of the Isle, when the barrier was raised. The Fairy Godmother's magic sometimes failed and the barrier broke, just a few moments, but it was enough to send the Island into chaos. The villains were angry, and the angriest of all was Maleficent. Absolutely furious with Auradon, with the Beast King, and most of all, with love. Love beat almost all of them. Maleficent, after a couple of years, managed to cast a curse. But her magic was very weak, so she needed a piece from each of us, who were resentful and had a very powerful aura of hatred, to complete the spell." His eyes turned blue again. "The night Maleficent came to the Jolly Roger, it was similar to this night. It was raining like if the sky could feel what was going to happen. Harriet was no more than two years old, and Harry was only a few months about to be born."

None of the four dared to speak. Captain Hook seemed lost in memories, his voice sounded like silk when he told stories, a skill Harry had inherited as well.

"I, like all villains, gave Maleficent the piece. And it was the last one that she needed. We all gathered to watch her cast the spell. And we all believed that the magic would fall on Auradon, on the king, the queen, and their annoying Fairy Godmother, who had locked us here, with no possibility of escape. But Maleficent had already understood that there wasn't much we could do against our captors, and instead of cursing them, she put a spell on the Isle. She cursed us all and she proclaimed herself queen. Of course, there were protests, none of us liked to submit to anyone. Now, your mother, my children, she did not have a drop of evil in her soul. She chose this fate, because it was going to be my fate, and she paid dearly for it. The blood of Neverland ran through her veins, and she understood long before we did that there were different kinds of magic. She had a certain kind of special magic that hadn't quite faded yet, and it was enough to accomplish her task. That night, Maleficent began terrorizing the Island with her goons and her alliances with Jafar, The Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil. So, while we all tried to seize power, your mother ran out of this ship and managed to get to the other side of the Isle, when she hid a treasure that would free the Island when the time came. I didn't find her when I came back that night, and I didn't find her in many nights. With Harriet being so young, and being pregnant with Harry, she didn't want to risk Maleficent finding out, so she hided until it was safe to come back.

CJ snorted. She seemed fascinated by the story, eager to hear more, but she kept her tough facade and pretended that she was just mocking.

"And why should it matter to us? We have always known that this place is cursed. We are all cursed, unable to get out of here. There is no difference between the magic of Maleficent and the magic of the Fairy Godmother."

Then Captain Hook smiled, rose from his chair gracefully, his bearing elegant, and looked directly at Harry and Uma.

"Because these two are in danger. I'm afraid the curse is about to reach them, and when it does, we will all sink."