Author's Note: Buckle in for some serious angst. Lana Del Rey - Dark Paradise was pretty much on repeat for me - the level of overly-dramatic angst in that song was the perfect backdrop for writing this. Haha.

Thank you all for your comments, they are very much appreciated!

Harry's scales were the exact same hue as those of the Neverland mermaids at the cove – a vibrant sea green. Barbed pelvic fins ran from his hips down his sides to his long, steeply curved tail. And unlike Melody's, his tail flukes weren't smooth, but deeply ridged like a sailfish's fin. Overall, he cut a jagged profile with all of the sharpened edges of the Neverland fin variation. He looked Mer, only… dangerous.

As Melody studied him, somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought this moment could have been so different. Seeing Harry take his Mer form for the first time could have been… special. Instead, she felt carved out. Empty. And she couldn't look at him any longer.

Because where those warm feelings should have dwelled, a toxic cocktail of hurt and panic was now seeping in, like a black oil spill across her heart. Hurt from his manipulation, panic from the thunder now crackling outside Skull Rock. And with that sound, she knew Sparrow was beginning to unleash the magic of his two sapphires.

That meant there was no time for feelings or emotions right now.

Not if they were going to survive.

Melody unsheathed her sword and slashed through the rope binding Harry's hands. Once free, he slipped the necklace back into her grip, tore off his gag, and took one long draught of air before diving under. She clasped her locket around her neck and swam at a frantic pace beside him, tail fin thrashing furiously until she'd taken the lead, diving deep enough that there would be no risk that the crew of the Black Pearl could catch them,no matter how ghostly and unnatural they were.

A menacing golden glow stirred the surface of the water above and Melody realized, just because the crew couldn't reach them, that didn't mean Sparrow couldn't. A swift current began to ripple between she and Harry, and he was being pulled away. Sparrow was controlling the sea, which meant he definitely knew how to use the trident.

"Melody!"

Harry's panicked voice carried easily through the water thanks to his Mer form and it was clear that he'd made the connection about Sparrow, too.

Surging bubbles and rushing water sucked at her scales, tugging at her hair and her fins, and she was forced back toward the ship. A school of herring swirled nearby, propelled by the sweeping pressure of the current. Their cries of alarm were a frenzied chorus of terror ringing in her ears, joining the deafening whoosh of the sea in motion around her. The current intensified, changing direction again and the school shifted. Hundreds of wriggling bodies pelted her in an underwater hailstorm of silver scales and fins.

She closed her eyes to focus her mind away from the chaos. Melody had dealt with currents before. She'd studied them for seas sake. And she knew the best way to free yourself from its grasp was to use it.

"Don't fight it!" she said, raising her voice for Harry who was struggling to reach her. She knew he understood currents, too, but he must be overwhelmed. All the new sights and sounds he could now sense in Mer form would be a shock on their own, let alone what Sparrow was adding on. "Use the current and propel yourself toward the bottom."

She kicked down hard, pushing every muscle she had until she ached from the effort, battling for purchase, lower and lower. Harry followed her path, seeming awkward at first, as if he couldn't quite get his brain to wrap around the fact that he had different muscles to control now. And Melody couldn't go as fast as she wanted to, but soon, Harry began to find his rhythm and they dove lower until their bellies finally skimmed the sea floor and the current eased a bit.

Tail still pumping, she propelled herself through the rocky maze along the sea bottom where Skull Rock bay opened up into the cooler waters of the open ocean.

They'd just crossed under the skull façade and out into the open sea when a shockwave behind her was followed by a crushing pressure and the whole ocean shifted around them.

She recognized the golden light of that energy discharge.

Every bone in her body shuddered with the impact of the second blast, and the third. And judging by the furious assault of magic he was unleashing behind them, she figured that Sparrow had discovered the locket was a fake.

Melody shot forward faster, leading Harry around the edge of the island. If they could get far enough away, she still had her pixie dust, and they could fly back to Auradon. If they could find a happy thought, that is. Unfortunately, it wasn't like they had a better option at the moment.

Harry kept pace with her as she swam and swam and swam.

Eventually Melody dared to surface. The skies overhead had cleared, and the vast net of stars spread above them. The roar of the Trident's power faded into the soft sounds of the sea lapping against the shore, and still, she swam.

When she was sure they'd put miles between them and the Black Pearl, she finally allowed herself to slow a bit, catching another glimpse of Harry from the corner of her eye.

Her brain was still having a hard time resolving the disconnect that existed between the distinct knowledge and memories she had of Harry Hook and very separate space inhabited by her Mer ancestry. These two separate entities occupied a considerable space in her mind and her emotions, but they'd never overlapped before. Now her senses were trying to tell her that Harry and her Mer life were connected, they were one and the same. And even though it was staring her right in the face, she was struggling with wrapping her mind around it.

Melody tried to ignore what seeing Harry in his Mer form did to those conflicting emotions. But now that she wasn't standing directly at death's door, she found that she was failing at the ignoring. Failing hard.

The muscles below Harry's scales rippled and rolled as his tail fin pushed him forward beside her. Those barbed finlets along his sides glinted like the blades of a dozen daggers in the moonlight. The wispy ends of his tail fluke trailed behind him with each stroke in tantalizing ribbons designed to catch the eye.

His body was streamlined, yet hard. Sleek, but brutally cut. Each line of muscle and fin an absolute wonder of nature.

He was a beautiful weapon designed to attract and destroy.

She forced herself to look away, because the thought of what he'd done to her, the lies, the manipulation, froze any warm feelings of awe and wonder she'd had, leaving her as cold and empty as ever.

But it didn't seem to matter if she wasn't looking at him, because just being close like this was becoming increasingly painful. A thousand unspoken words tugged tight between them and the crushing weight of all of it, heavy as the ocean itself, was becoming too much to bear. Her body ached to unleash the storm of accusations she'd been holding inside. She wanted to scream and yell, then swim away and not look back.

Harry had used his siren song to make her fall for him.

Their whole relationship had been based on a lie.

Her chest still felt hollow, but now all of these thoughts had rubbed the hole raw again. She was getting tired of the pain, tired of feeling anything at all, and she wanted it to stop. But the strain of those tears behind her eyes never abated, even after swimming as long and hard as she ever had, she was still so close to the edge.

Finally, satisfied they were far enough away that even a ghost powered ship couldn't catch them anytime soon, Melody made for the nearest Neverland beach.

Silvery moonlight reflected glints of minerals in the sand, like glitter strewn across the shore. And it would have been a beautiful place with its backdrop of lightly swaying palms and the gentle froth of the waves as they licked the shore.

Only tonight, it taunted her with its isolation.

Harry's expression was twisted with grief as he pulled himself from the sea to sit halfway submerged on the beach. He buried his face in his hands as she dragged herself to sit beside him. But something hard and frozen had begun to form in that empty, raw place in her chest.

"Melody, I'm so sorry." His voice was a strangled sob. "I tried to tell yeh, I wanted to. So many times, I – "

He stopped, as though the words had lodged in his throat and might actually choke him.

Melody found that she didn't have the room in her heart left to care. Because the icy knot in her chest had swelled, creating a pressure so unbearable, it left no room for anything else and she found she had nothing to say to Harry Hook.

She stared down at her right hand and silently pulled his ring off her finger.

Harry's eyes, those magnetic siren's eyes, glistened with tears, as Melody pressed his mother's ring into his palm.

Hot rivulets streamed down her own cheeks as she opened her locket and felt her legs return. She passed the necklace to him and stood with sodden boots in the surf to retrieve the pixie dust in her coat pocket.

A whoosh of glowing blue magic brought Harry's legs back and without a word, she dusted the golden powder over her head and shoulders before trading him the last sprinkle of pixie dust in the vial for her locket.

She dragged herself up to the dry sand farther up the shore, just to put some space between the two of them. And she stood for a long time as she tried to gather a happy thought. Anything to use to get back to Auradon.

But nothing would come. Flashes of her time with Harry crashed into her over and over again and she felt like she would collapse under the weight of it all. Memories they'd shared that she thought were special, holding his hand under the stars after hearing him sing – now mutated into a tainted fantasy. It wasn't real, those feelings weren't real.

Their first kiss, the way he'd opened up to her about his father, his smile, the way he nuzzled her neck in greeting no matter who else was around.

His eyes.

All of it, now made a sickening kind of sense that she didn't want to think about anymore.

She looked up to the bright Neverland moon overhead, and what had seemed only hours ago to be a symbol of hope and happiness had also changed into something altogether different. Now the moon shone cold and harsh, a too-bright vacant orb, pointing its spotlight down on her ruined heart.

The thoughts battered her emotions again and again until she felt herself sinking, like a ship with a broken hull, taken by a storm.

Finally, she stood empty, unable to conjure up any more images of him and her attention meandered enough to settle on her friends. Gil, Carlos, Uma, Jane… Jane who had been her first real friend in college, who always knew just what to say. Maybe if she could get back to Jane, the fairy could sneak a little magic to help her bury all of this pain. And with the image of her friends in her mind, she flew back to Auradon without uttering a single word to the pirate.

She didn't care how long it took him to find his happy thought. Harry Hook could stew on the beach for days for all she cared.

It took every ounce of concentration to keep her mind on her friends to keep her airborne. But by the time she reached her dorm and laid her head down on her pillow, she couldn't hold back any longer and the floodgates broke. Melody cried what felt like enough bitter, salty tears to fill the entire ocean until she was completely wrung out and she had nothing left inside of her at all.

The next day was one, giant, fuzzy migraine.

She was in a fog of pain.

She'd explained what had happened at Skull Rock to Jane first, who wrapped her arms around Melody and just listened. Jane walked her to every class and picked her up from every class, sliding her arm around her and leading her through the worst of the haze.

By evening time, all of their friends knew about their trip to Neverland. They'd heard about Zach Sparrow and agreed that it would take The Black Pearl at least three days to get back to Auradon from Neverland, so that gave them a few days respite to plan their next move. They'd also heard about what had happened with Harry.

Uma had sent her seventeen texts beginning that morning, and by the afternoon, Melody could no longer put off talking to her.

Jane walked with Melody most of the way, telling her to message if she needed anything.

And now Melody stood alone, staring at Uma's door. She knocked, a weak pathetic tap was all she could gather from arms that still didn't want to work.

"Mel." Uma's face softened as her gaze drifted over her, probably noting her puffy, re-rimmed eyes and dark circles. She placed a hand on Melody's back, leading her gently inside. Maps and diagrams were pinned on every free wall space and strewn around on the bed, reminding her of Harry's room. Another stab of emotion she didn't want to feel as Uma cleared a space, and Melody sat down with a loud sigh.

"Uma, I –"

"Harry told me," Uma said. "He made it back this morning."

A part of her was relieved that he was okay, but the relief was buried by the weight of everything else crushing down on her.

"He also told me how you saved his life. Again. Even after everything," she said.

"I – "

Seas, why was her throat locked down so tight?

Uma sank down on the bed next to her and gathered her into a hug. "I didn't know either," Uma said. "About what he was. He didn't tell anyone."

And Melody wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.

But Uma's warm arms around her had begun to melt the ball of ice in her chest. And as that frozen mass slowly thawed, her words unstuck and started spilling out.

"Uma," she gasped. "I feel so stupid. Why didn't he tell me?"

"You have no reason to feel stupid."

"Yes I do. I thought we had something real. I thought I felt something real. I was starting to feel like I – " She stopped herself. She would not let herself put a word to name that feeling she'd been guarding deep inside of herself. The feeling that made all of this so much more painful.

"But it was real, Melody." Her brown eyes grew soft and pleading. "A siren's song only lasts for a few minutes. He made a mistake, he softened you up a bit at the beach that first night. But everything after that was real."

She pulled back to shoot her friend a glare. "Softened me up?"

"I didn't say it was the right thing to do," she said. "I didn't say you shouldn't be upset. I'm just saying that I know what I see between you. And those feelings are more real than any I've ever seen between two people."

"Then why didn't he tell me?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me either and I've known him since we were kids." Uma's muscles loosened, her shoulders slumping. "I know his father wouldn't allow anyone to speak his mother's name, so maybe it has to do with that."

Uma dipped her head to catch Melody's eyes. "You'll have to ask him to know for sure."

Melody didn't respond to that. She was most definitely not ready to have that discussion, or any discussion with Harry for that matter.

"But I know how a siren song works," Uma said, holding up her mother's nautilus necklace. Ursula was certainly an expert on voices and their power. "The song is temporary, Mel. I know you're hurting and if the truth was a shock to me, I can't imagine what it was like for you to find out that way from Sparrow. But I know Harry and he's never felt like this about anyone."

Melody followed Uma's gaze as she stared off for a bit at her roommate's side of the dorm. Pink chiffon draperies and ruffled throw pillows never seemed so frivolous.

"It makes so much sense now," Uma said, almost to herself. "It explains why we gravitated towards each other on the Isle. It explains how he could get his way with just a look." A sad little chuckle escaped her tightly drawn lips. "It explains why he always earned ten times the tips anyone else ever did."

And it really did make sense, which was another reason Melody felt so stupid. That she didn't figure it out sooner.

"I'm not ready to talk to him, yet." And she was sure of that. But she was also sure of something else, something that had brought her here to talk to Uma to begin with.

She unclasped the locket from her neck and held it out to Uma. "Here. Take it. I'm not going with you, but you'll have your best chance with my locket and your necklace together."

Uma's eyes flashed hurt. "You're not coming?"

Her friend's wounded look had Melody suddenly feigning interest in the hand-drawn map of Belle's Harbor tacked to the wall. "You have the locket and you'll have a half-mer who can use it." Melody said. "You'll have your fleet and your crew. You don't need me."

She made to stand, having done what she came to do, but Uma pressed a hand against her shoulder to keep her sitting.

"My mother showed me some spells we can use together and with your help, I think we have a chance to take Sparrow down." Uma was leaning in, her hand resting on hers. "Besides… all that stuff, the locket, the fleet, the crew, all of that does not replace you, Melody. We need you."

Melody was so tired. So tired of feeling and fighting. Couldn't her friend just understand she didn't want to do this anymore?

"Thank you, Uma," she said, and she really did mean it. She knew when her heart stopped aching for Harry she would be glad to still have Uma's friendship. "But I just can't. It hurts. It just hurts so damn much right now, I – "

And that glimpse of honesty, that hint of vulnerability had Uma squeezing her tight again. "I know. It's because he hurt you. And if those feelings you had weren't real, it wouldn't hurt so much."

All of this talk about… feelings. And coming from Uma of all people, had Melody emotionally exhausted. She stood, squeezing her friend's hand once before she headed toward the door.

"Mel," Uma said, stopping her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Take the locket back, please. If you still feel this way on Saturday morning, then bring it to the dock on Saturday at sunrise. I won't argue anymore. But please, don't make your decision yet."

Melody looked down at the locket in Uma's hand then back up at her friend's hopeful expression. She couldn't stand to hurt her, she knew how hard it was for any of her friends from the Isle to talk about feelings. And Uma was trying, really trying to be there for her.

A heavy sigh escaped her dry throat, knowing the pain of disappointing her friend with everything else weighing on her might be too much to bear. So, she pinched the locket from Uma's open hand. "Saturday morning, then."

Uma's words echoed in Melody's mind for the rest of the day.

He's never felt this way about anyone.

If those feelings weren't real, it wouldn't hurt so much.

We need you.

She spent all day locked up in her own four walls, only emerging for food once, before hiding herself away again.

Harry didn't try to talk to her and she figured Uma had probably warned him to stay away.

But when night fell there was a knock at the door.

An unfamiliar voice announced a delivery from Cinderella's Closet and just like that, that raw spot in her chest ached all over again as if someone had just shoved her own dagger between her ribs, this time twisting it mercilessly until her eyes burned with fresh tears.

She signed for the dress, because what else could she do, and hung it on her curtain rod as a sickening, beautiful reminder of how perfectly screwed up everything was. Time stretched and drifted, mingling with her pain and her throbbing headache as she stared at that damned dress.

Melody had known the gown would be perfect as soon as the seamstress showed her the pattern in the shop, but now that she could see the finished product, it was only a matter of time before her swollen eyes were spilling tears again with no sign of stopping.

The fabric was the color of her tail, a vibrant orangey pink. It had thin straps and a tightly fitted lowcut bodice, flowing from a mermaid cut over the hips to a pool of layered tulle and cascading fabric at the hem. It was exquisite, and two nights from now, when she was supposed to be dancing in it at the masquerade, she realized she'd probably be sitting here alone.

Staring at it just like this.

And she didn't know why she did it. But there was something inside of her telling her just to get it over with, to let herself wallow in her misery now so she could get to the healing part faster. It was like when her mom would convince her that she should rip the bandaid off all at once, to get the pain over with all at one time.

That mindset had her shuffling heavy legs to her bottom desk drawer, where she'd stowed something else for Friday night.

Harry's gift.

She pulled out the package from Diablo's Dirks and Daggers, tugging at the silken red bow until it fell away from the black box and she opened the lid.

The specialty hooked dagger, shined to perfection, rested deadly in its velvet-lined case.

Diablo, the weapon crafter and owner of the shop, had asked dozens of questions about Harry's combat style to help fabricate the most functional off hand weapon for him. Melody had deferred to Uma to answer many of his questions and after her friend described the way Harry used his hook, Diablo had recommended a hand guard larger than that of a typical dagger. He seemed to think Harry relied on the guard as a type of shield to block sword attacks from his weak side.

Melody had more of a say in the artistry of the piece, requesting the dagger's golden hilt be embossed with scales similar in style to Harry's ring. The effect was striking on the dagger's handle. But the highlight of the weapon was the long, hooked blade that gleamed wickedly in the low light of her room like the talon of some great sea dragon.

She could only imagine what the dagger would have looked like gripped tight in Harry's practiced hand. A weapon that would feel both new and familiar. Something that wasn't tainted by his father's legacy, something that would be his own. It was beautiful and the sight of it had her sinking into a boneless puddle on the floor.

That was where Jane found her later that night. Her friend put on some soft music and tucked her into bed while Melody drifted into fitful dreams.