"I don't want to look for that stupid treasure," CJ said, and Harriet reminded herself that it would be annoying to have to hang her little sister. CJ could be incredibly nasty, sometimes even nastier than Harry was.

They were sitting in Harriet's study in The Red Tempest, and she was trying to make the youngest Hook see reason; but CJ was always selfish and spoiled, as well as stubborn, so the job was practically turning out to be a failure. Harriet had a temper to fear, but she did not have Uma's negotiation skills.

"I already told you, CJ. We must do it. It is the only inheritance of our family, the only way we can save ourselves." A lump formed in her throat and she forced herself to swallow. The unspoken words suddenly felt stuck in her mouth, heavier than she would have liked.

CJ snorted, rolling her eyes in derision.

"Our family? I don't know what you're talking about, Harriet. You, Harry and I may be related because, unfortunately, we are the work of the same parents. But we are not a family. That exists in Auradon, not here. Here we are all alone, broken, and no one cares enough about someone else to try to help." She screwed up her face in contempt. "What do you mean by saving us, anyway?"

Harriet smirked. She may not have Uma's skills to negotiate, but she had her own strengths, such as knowing how to direct conversations where she wanted to. Her younger sister rose from the chair she had been sitting in, taking long, heavy strides across the room. She was frowning and her arms crossed. Of the three siblings, CJ was the one who most physically looked like her mother, but inside her everything was like James Hook: cruel, vindictive, selfish. If there was a bit of her mother's goodness in her, Harriet still hadn't found it.

"You know I talked with father this morning," she began, picking up the dagger that had been placed on her desk. She stroked the edge of it with her fingers, softly fitting the tip of it onto her finger, a drop of blood spurted out and Harriet wiped it with her mouth. CJ looked like she was about to die of boredom, but Harriet knew she had her right where she wanted her. "Actually; he knows the curse very well, but, with Harry and Uma there, it was important that he reveal only what was strictly necessary. He has been watching them for years, she knew that Uma was not going to resist an adventure like this, and that Harry would follow her without hesitation. Really, CJ, you have to stop doing that."

Calista dropped the compass she had been playing with in the wood of Harriet's old desk with an exasperated sigh. Just like the one her father and Harry did when they felt they weren't being allowed to have fun. Harriet wondered for the first time if she, too, shared the gesture.

"Let's see. Harry and Uma are in danger, father said the curse would reach them and a whole host of other things about sinking, dying, and being enchanted by Maleficent. And the truth is that this is all a mess. Explain it, and do it quickly, because I have a few pockets to steal before the day is out."

Harriet was feeling the beginning of a headache. However, she understood that CJ didn't have much interest in that, so her best move would be to blurt it out all at once.

"Fine. Bottom line: Maleficent was beyond mad and crazy at love for defeating her, so she cast a spell on the Isle. If someone falls in love here, the Isle is literally going to sink. Can you imagine it? Hundreds of people trying to flee, desperate to escape impending death, only to find that the barrier will not allow them to escape. The curse can sweep away everything in its path, CJ: houses, buildings, ships. But guess what else? Villains can't die. When the Beast King revived them to lock them up here, he gave them a sentence: to live a lifetime without magic. And they can't kill themselves, do you think our father would still be here if that were possible?" The captain of The Red Tempest ran a hand through her hair, agitated. "So, we who end up screwed are the descendants, dead at best, drowning forever at worst. Unless… unless we find the treasure that Mom hid and that way the spell is broken."

CJ snorted, looking out the ship window. She had previously thought that there was no fate more screwed up than being born on the Isle of the Lost, but it was incredible to discover that, in fact, there was. It was like a joke.

"What I don't understand is how the treasure that mom hid can break the fucking spell."

This was the hardest part to explain. Her father's voice didn't tremble one bit when he told her, holding out the dagger so that she could get a good look at it. And Harriet found it hard to believe that her mother would have known that, and she would still have been able to see Uma in her eyes during the years that the girl frequented the Jolly Roger while she was still alive.

"Mom understood that magic always takes a price," her voice was barely a whisper, but CJ heard her perfectly. "To break the curse, one of the two lovers has to offer the Isle the blood of the other. On the Isle of the Lost there is no place for love."

CJ swallowed hard, not knowing why her hands were suddenly shaking slightly.

"So… does father think Harry and Uma are… you know, that?"

Harriet laughed.

"Oh, come on, CJ. It's more than obvious, don't you think? The problem here, dear sister, and why it is imperative that we go on that quest, is that Harry must survive. Mother wanted him to live, and you and I have to make sure of that."

So, he must kill Uma.

"He will never hurt her," CJ assured, unperturbed, as if she had understood that destiny was already written and immovable. Harriet knew it too.

"I know", said Harriet, "but maybe we can find a way to make it happen."

Uma woke up on Harry's chest. What had happened and why did she not remember how she had ended up in her cabin? She remembered trying to do magic, but she didn't know if she had managed to repair the ship, her vision blurred before that. Uma took a deep breath and tried to get up.

The big problem was that Harry had one of his arms around her waist. He was asleep and Uma would have scolded him for not doing his job if he weren't her exception to the rules. She assumed he had brought her there and then fell asleep. She had to admit it, her closeness to him was more than pleasant, it made Uma want to tighten more in his embrace even though she almost never allowed anyone to touch her.

She moved to settle closer to him, not caring that her mind was warning her to stop, telling her that she shouldn't cross the invisible line of safety she had put in place long ago. However, her mind contradicted her heart, because she felt safe there, with her first mate. Her Harry.

He was always Uma's, and that was a truth impossible to deny.

Harry opened his eyes and shifted on the bed, still sleepy, and Uma found herself staring straight up into the clear sky of his gaze. She thought that she might drown in blue. And she saw so many things there. Things that she already knew, others that were unavoidable, things that should have scared her, however… they seemed a reflection of her own feelings. Was it normal the way they could never hide anything from each other? One glance at each other's gaze, and they were completely disarmed.

"Uma, darling." Harry muttered, stifling a yawn; still sleepy, he managed to make her name sound like a holy chant on his lips. The very cheeky didn't even pretend that he hadn't fallen asleep in his captain's bed. He also did not remove his arm from her waist.

"Did it work?" She asked. Her voice trembled slightly. Since when did she get nervous around Harry?

He smirked petulantly. Of course, he had to notice it. Uma let it go this time. Just because, at that moment, her barriers were totally down.

"Aye, Captain. Your ship is ready to sail." Then his expression turned serious. "Uma, you pushed yourself too much, right? That's why you passed out. Promise me you'll be more careful."

She could hear the genuine concern in his words. He wasn't commanding her; he was begging her to be wiser with her magic. And Uma had to admit that it was a reasonable request. She didn't know much about magic yet, she didn't know if there was a limit, or what would happen if she just went one step beyond the safe perimeter. This time she had passed out and all she did was glue together a couple of boards and a mast. Who knew what could happen if she just let all that magic jerk off? But she couldn't help but snort, because barriers down or whatever, she was still Uma.

"Force me."

But Harry also knew what was behind her bravado, so he didn't say more about it.

"I'll go see if Gil got anything for dinner," he sat on the bed, and Uma immediately missed the warmth of him. Gods, she had to sort out her feelings. Uma tried to get up behind him, but everything started to spin. "Rest, captain. I'll be right back."

She was still sleepy, and her mind wandered to places where she would not have allowed her to enter if she had been wide awake. Her mind was full of Harry, and she suddenly had the urge to go find him, just to be close to her first mate. Being in love with him was natural and strange at the same time. For one thing, Uma was terrified. More than she had ever been in her life. But she wasn't terrified of loving Harry, she always knew that if there was one person she would give her life for, it was him. What frightened her was that unpronounceable word that she only knew how to say with a dry throat and a voice full of revenge. Love. And the way her heart wanted to jump out of her every time she thought about it.

But Uma was not a coward. She saw the same doubts and feelings in Harry's eyes, so she decided there was no point in avoiding the subject anymore. She would have to take a drink of something strong and grit her teeth and deal with all of that. Just like when getting stitches was inevitable, right? They weren't hiding things from each other, it wasn't in their nature to do so.

A short time later, Harry returned to Uma's cabin, carrying a bowl of soup (Uma didn't really want to ask what it was from, nor did he tell her) and some rum. She ate in silence while Harry ran his hook between her braids absently. Uma took a long sip of the rum, closed the bottle, and set it, along with the plate, on her desk. Eating was a good idea, because she instantly felt better. She returned to her bed and her eyes fell on the nonchalant way Harry was half lying, half sitting, staring at her.

"We have to talk," Uma said, and the words were out of her mouth before she could really process them.

"Aye," Harry agreed. He sat straighter, giving her his undivided attention. He looked incredibly handsome, with his hair tousled and playing with his hook. He was calm. "No secrets between us, right, Captain? I have your back and you have mine, that's how we work."

Uma nodded. He was right, they knew everything about each other, even each other's darkest places.

"I know." She sat across from him. She did not want to keep mulling over the matter, it was not her style. Little patient, as always. "I'm in love with you."

Harry couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face, but it wasn't a smile full of madness, revenge, or any of those things, it was soft and simple. Calm, like the ones he was used to giving only to her. He stroked her braids with his fingers, then his hand traveled to her face and Uma gave him the silent permission to touch her, unable to help but surrender to the sparkle in his eyes. A soft, hopeful glow that had no place on the Isle, but that Uma wished never would leave his gaze.

"So that's what really shook you the other day on the Jolly Roger, right?" Harry asked, and his tone was not teasing but curious. His fingers traced the shape of her chin, then her lips, and Uma stifled a gasp. What a curious thing this touch was, so light and significant at the same time, she knew what he wanted to say before Harry spoke. He brought her forehead to hers. "I am also in love with you, Uma. I think it was inevitable."

"I'm scared, Harry." Uma confessed; the word fear tasted bitter in her mouth. "I don't know how to do this. There is no place for feelings in this place, but I just can't help it. I'm not sure I want to avoid it."

He nodded.

"What did you decide to do with that?" (What did you decide to do with me?) Harry got up, suddenly serious, and knelt on the floor, so that Uma was sitting on the edge of the bed and he looked up at her. It was not a romantic gesture, like those they saw on television in those boring Auradon shows; rather it was filled with some kind of madness, something much more akin to veneration. "I'll take what you want to give me."

At times, Harry's devotion took her breath away. He said it so calmly, as if he had already accepted that fate and was completely in peace with it.

"Kiss me."

It was an impulsive request, motivated by a sudden need that was growing inside her. Uma didn't really know what to expect, maybe some prudish and chaste kiss, but it was totally different. Harry ran one hand behind her neck, his grip soft and reverent, and the other placed on her cheek, so that he could caress Uma's cheekbone with his finger and moved closer until his lips barely brushed hers. A touch so soft and unfamiliar it sent shivers down her spine, and the hunger in her body roared. This was better than good, better than any stun rum could provide. She didn't think there was anything more satisfying than that tense moment that hurt her and pleased her in equal measure.

Then Harry caught her lips in a kiss that Uma loved. Encouraged by her longing, she kissed him back, biting him, tasting him, marking him. Her mind clouded and all she knew was that she could do without air, but she could never do without this, him. She climbed onto his lap, tangling her fingers in his hair, and Harry groaned at the touch; his lips soon took other places, drawing on the skin of her neck, tattooing her with words that made her shudder. Uma heard so much need in his voice and felt that he wanted to leave himself forever in her… she couldn't help but wonder if that's what all kisses were like, or if it was just this way because Harry was always hers.

That was all Uma needed to make up her mind. The Isle of the Lost had taken everything from her: the freedom, the hopes, the dreams, and the innocence; but she decided that she wasn't going to let this be taken from her as well. Because now, suddenly, she wasn't willing to let it go.

"I want everything from you," she sighed against his lips. She felt Harry smile against her mouth.

"Aye, captain."

It was late when Gil and Harry gathered the crew on the lower deck, around the long wooden table in the ship's galley. Despite the hour, the crew members were just finishing their daily tasks, and they were starving. The good news was that Gil had cooked some soup; the bad news was that this was egg. Desiree and Bonny moaned when they smelled it but ate it anyway. Gil seemed pleased with his masterpiece.

Although the table was full of noise and laughter, the crew fell silent as soon as they saw Uma get in the room. Harry loved to see her entering a place, to notice how people held their breath when Uma moved her braids to throw them over her shoulder, with that haughty gesture of hers, like the one of a Queen. And the crew gasped silently when they saw her, something so imperceptible that Harry was sure they didn't even notice it, and yet there it was. After seeing her repairing the ship, Harry noticed that the crew seemed even more willing to follow her.

"Captain," Desiree greeted, with a smile. "Are you okay? We were worried about what happened up there."

There were murmurs of agreement.

"Thanks for your concern, Desiree, but I'm fine. And I want to give everyone a notice." Uma walked to the head of the table, and she stood while everyone else was seated. Harry approached her from the left, keeping his distance, and leaned against one of the wooden cabinets in the small kitchen. The crew was silent, waiting for the captain to speak. "You all know that everyone on the Isle is looking for treasure right now. Now, if we want to be the best crew of this place, which would guarantee us total control of the docks, we must find it. And we have an advantage that no one else has. Harry and I have a map, so we've already planned when we're going to set sail. I want you to prepare everything to leave the dock in two days."

The crew didn't hesitate for a second, screams and laughter went up and they seemed so happy, celebrating their next adventure. They even ate Gil's soup in good spirits. Harry loved seeing how they respected Uma, he liked to notice that the shame in her eyes, which had been permanent for the couple of years after the incident with Mal, was becoming less frequent.

"It's Wednesday in two days, it's a good day to set sail," Harry muttered, stepping closer to Uma, who would have smiled at the revelry the kitchen had become if it weren't for the fact that she had a reputation to uphold.

"I know," she replied. She hugged his waist, a gesture that was not so uncommon, knowing it was the only thing she could have for the moment. Uma nodded at Gil, who looked hurt from being left out, and she reminded herself that she had to talk to him later. She hadn't had a chance lately to ask him how things were with his family, and she was worried that he might be having a hard time. Gil approached and Uma hugged him too. This crew was hers. The ship was hers. And Harry was more hers than ever. Uma couldn't help but feel something that she had denied herself for a long, long time. The slightest hint of hope.