Chapter 44

When they got back to the Lost Revenge they were happy to see Uma pacing nervously across the deck waiting for them to return. When she saw the truck pull up she ran down the planks and onto the dock. Before they could regale her with their story they had to get Camilla inside where it was safe, they still had to worry about Cruella coming after her and Harry but while Cruella might be powerful and have allies but without magic none of the people Cruella could recruit would be able to fight against a ship armed with cannons. They brought Camilla inside and Diego checked to make sure she was okay before he gave her a hug and left saying he better get the truck back to Jace and Harold before their father's knew it was gone. The Facilier girls left too having both a shop and the Voodoo Arcade to look after and wanting to get back to the 'hustle'. They spoke briefly to Harriet about coming to collect later and she gave them a smirk which Harry thought looked like the start of a wicked partnership if the way Harriet looked at Freddie was any indicator.

Uma helped him bring Camilla into his room while she put Gil in charge out on the decks telling him if he saw anything or anyone suspicious get close to the ship he was to get her immediately. He climbed into the rigging to keep lookout as they tended to Camilla. Like him she was refusing to go to sleep and get some rest and as Uma convinced her to at least sit down while her body recovered his sisters approached him to make sure he was handling his own turmoil well.

"You should be resting too." Harriet scolded in her older sister way.

"I'm fine." He told her.

"You're stubborn." CJ said with a smirk and crossing her arms.

"Takes one ta know one runt." He said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a partial smile as he looked at her.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Harriet asked still worried and he nodded at her. She bit her lip then turned to CJ, "We should get back to the Jolly Roger, who knows how well Smee has been doing on his own."

"Yeah." CJ agreed, "And I can't believe I'm saying it but I actually miss the twins a bit."

They finished saying their goodbyes before the girls left and Harry turned his attention back to Camilla. She was sitting by the window at the back of his room looking out at the ocean, Uma was sitting next to her with her hand resting on Camilla's knee. He took a moment to think about how far both of them had come, when he'd first told Uma Camilla wanted to turn pirate the sea witch had scoffed like it was impossible the two would ever be friends and yet here they were, Uma looking out for Camilla and taking care of her not just because she was part of her crew but because she was part of her family. Then she got up and walked across the room leaving Camilla at the window looking out at the ocean, thankfully their view from this side of the Isle was free from Auradon on their horizon. Uma paused when she got to him.

"You've got it from here?" she asked and he nodded.

"I'll make sure she's alright." He assured his captain.

"Make sure to take time to take care of yourself too Harry." Uma reminded him before leaving them alone. He joined Camilla over by the window and sat next to her wrapping his arm over her shoulders.

"Yeh look like yer thinking hard about something." He said softly trying to get her to come out of her shell so her mind wouldn't plague her with all the bad things she'd been through these past few days.

"I just. . . don't know who I am anymore." She admitted leaning back into his hold. "I idolized my mother for so long and now. . . " she trailed off but she didn't have to say it, he knew what she meant.

"I know who yeh are." He said kissing her shoulder as she turned to him, "Yer Camilla De Vil, yer the gal I love, the gal I'd die for. Yer loyal to ya own and defend the few who've earned yer trust with a fierceness no pirate can copy. Yeh think without yer ma yeh've got nothing, but Camilla, ya turned pirate on yer own accord, not becuase yer ma said to or because of how she raised ya but because yeh wanted to. Yer the only one who was strong enough not to let Auradon change them and be tempted by all their fancy shiny things. Yer strong and that's not cause of yer ma, that's you. That strength is yer own, that cunning mind yeh have is yer's, who yeh are has nothing to do with yer ma because today yer the person who won not her. Yer on the winning side and she's the one who's lost. And knowing from plenty of experiences - too many for my likin' – losing you is the worst thing in the world, worse than an eternity on this rock and worse than any curse."

For a long moment after he was done speaking Camilla did nothing but look at him with a mix of emotions. It looked like she was touched but also surprised and he knew it was because in all twenty years of this Isle's existence there has never been a villain to express as much deep profound emotion and caring as he just had but honestly he didn't care, he'd come close to losing her one too many times and wanted her to know how much respect and admiration he had for her. Instead of replying she only leaned into him more and kissed his bare shoulder while they looked out the window at the ocean together. It wasn't long before he looked down and saw she'd fallen asleep, good, he thought, she needed the rest. He did too but he'd rather wait until his exhaustion overcame him, that way there was less of a chance he'd dream, or have nightmares of that blasted curse. While Camilla slept Uma stopped by and told him softly that she'd sent out a group of deckhands to check up on Hell Hall and see if Cruella knew he and Camilla had been rescued. What they reported back was the strangest thing, Hell Hall was abandoned and it looked like Cruella's car was parked in front of the Castle Across the Way. He asked if she'd gone back to her friend Grimhilde to plot revenge but Uma shook her head saying all the castle's windows were boarded up and the doors locked, the vultures weren't even circling in the sky, the queen must have called them in to roost. It was confusing and none too reassuring, if there was something scaring the greatest villains of all time then what did that mean for the kids of the Isle? Harry thanked Uma for the report and she told him she was heading back to the chip shop for the afternoon and evening and he told her he'd catch up with her later for a bite to eat.

It was at least an hour after Uma had left that Camilla started to squirm in her sleep. Harry looked down and saw her face scrunched up and he started to shake her awake worried she was having a nightmare. When she opened her eyes it took her a moment to realize whatever had been haunting her was just in her head and she was safe on the ship in his arms.

"It's alright. Just take it easy. Don't push yerself." He said gently bringing his hands to her shoulders and rubbing her arms comfortingly.

"My mother. . . " she said trailing off and taking deep breaths.

"She can't hurt ya now." He assured her and she looked at him with worry.

"What happened back there? Is she. . . "

"Dead? No." he said a bit sourly, "Though it's what she deserves for what she did to ya."

"She'll retaliate when she finds out we're both okay."

"I doubt that." He said and saw confusion cross her face. "Something's changin' Camilla. Uma sent some spies out to scope things out and there's something. . . yeh can feel it in the air. Nearly every villain has locked themselves away, yer own mother went to Castle Across the Way to wait this out with the Evil Queen. Safety in numbers and all that."

"What's coming?" she asked sitting up worried.

"No one knows, but the Isle feels. . . colder. Whatever's coming, it's scaring even the worst of us."

- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -

When Camilla had finished resting and had her strength back she and Harry both went to Ursula's to get some food. Harry had offered to go himself and bring something back if she wanted to rest longer but in her usual fashion Camilla smirked at him.

"Don't think I'm taking my eyes off you for a second."

He chuckled, "I would despair if ye did." He replied before they'd headed off on their way. Uma was there behind the counter tapping her fingers along the wood. Camilla couldn't figure out the reason for the strange look on her face but when she saw them enter it vanished and her eyes lit up clearly happy seeing both her and Harry were okay.

"Cook!" she shouted over her shoulder to the kitchen window, "The best of whatever we've got, cook it up for my first mate and his girl. They've been through hell and could use a good meal."

"Aye aye." Cook replied and got to work cooking the freshest thing they had.

Camilla and Harry each sat on a bar stool on the opposite side of the table as Uma looking at the TV behind her, it was playing some dull Auradon news that basically circulated around who had worn what to whatever fancy event had been happening. They ate and joked around and had their usual wicked fun until their platters were clear of even the crumbs and Uma pulled Camilla to her room in the back to change. She hated leaving Harry alone but he said he had to go collect from their usual stores and had to call in a favor to someone who owed him.

Camilla's jaw almost dropped when she entered Uma's room, the whole place looked like an undersea cave and part of the floor looked like a pool that led right into the Isle's part of the ocean if the girl ever wanted to go for a swim. Everything was encased in a teal light that shimmered like the bottom of the sea floor and the sea witch sat Camilla down at her clam vanity before pulling out an old backpack and dumping it onto her bed.

"When I sent out my spies I also had them grab some stuff from your house." She explained as Camilla recognized her clothes falling out of the backpack. "Hope you don't mind but I figured you probably won't be back there again."

"Yeah probably not." Camilla replied and Uma seemed to pick up the touch of sadness there was in her voice.

"Hey." She said softly capturing Camilla's attention, "Who needs 'em." She shrugged and Camilla smiled thankfully at her captain and her friend. They both had been put under a great deal of pressure from their mothers and knew what it was like when you were seen as not good enough and a disappointment. But even with that against them Uma still became a captain of her own ship and Camilla did technically still rule Mal's old side of the Isle. Uma got to work distracting her as they went through her clothes and picked out a new look for her. She noticed her old pirate-y half Dalmatian print half black vest she'd worn when Mal had last been to the Isle and had dueled Uma. Instead of throwing it on she kept rifling through the other fabrics and chose a plain black long sleeved top and some black skinny jeans. There were some patches in the pants where the fabric was missing that she'd filled in with white scraps of fabric with Dalmatian spots. Then she added a pair of boots that went to her mid-calf, they were black like her pants but had red soles and no laces instead they folded over at the top and revealed the red lining inside, she loved how they made her feel more like a pirate. She also put on an old pair of red fingerless leather gloves, on her right hand they were missing the finger holes for her pointer and middle finger while the glove on her left hand was missing holes for her ring finger and pinkie. They also had these snap buckles around her wrists she thought seemed very fit for a pirate.

A VK's style was an extremely important thing on the Isle – after all it was one of the only positive things they had that they could brag about. They couldn't one up each other with who had the newest phone or the longest limo but they could raise their status by having the best look – and evilest schemes but that went without saying. Your style also showed who you associated with, Carlos and Camilla had always worn spots, Evie had hearts with little crowns and Mal always had dragon scales in some way. By dressing as a pirate Camilla had already shown the Isle that her alliances had shifted while keeping her spots showing her ongoing loyalty to her mother. But now the amount of spots she wore had dwindled she realized as she looked from the half spotted vest on the bed to the pants she was wearing. She'd never abandon her spots entirely, they still showed her connection to Diego after all, but she was no longer the same girl that had been summoned to Auradon with the others so long ago.

When she was finished getting dressed Uma plopped her in front of her shell vanity again and started doing her hair, it had grown out since she cut it and was back to being an inch below her shoulders. Uma took her time brushing it out and Camilla wondered for a moment if this is what it would have felt like if she had a sister.

"Uma. . . " she began timidly knowing she was about to ask something bizarrely out of character, "Do you ever wish you had a real mother? A loving one like the kids on Auradon have?" she asked remembering Lonnie when she'd caught them making cookies and went on and on about how when she was sad her mom would make cookies and bring them to her with a glass of milk and make her feel better. Uma paused her brushing and for a moment Camilla worried she might have angered her captain but then Uma let out a long breath and Camilla knew she was the only one who could understand what she was going through right now.

"Parents can be. . . difficult." She began, "Trust me, I know."

"It's just. . . she was half of the only family I had left. Now its just Diego." She said sadly.

"No." Uma said stopping her brushing and turning Camilla's chair, "You have a new family now. Me, Gil, Harry and all the crew. We're your family now and we've got your back through everything."

Then Camilla did something no villain had ever done. She got up and hugged Uma and even more surprising – Uma hugged back.

When she pulled away she smirked at Camilla, "Now are you going to let me finish or not?"

Uma parted her hair so the black covered the white making it almost unseen. Then on the black and white side she started braiding her hair leaving her grown out bangs loose to frame her face along with some fringe that fell from her temples, past her ears to her jaw. She did a simple braid that went around her skull then tied it off at the base of her neck on the other side of her head leaving the rest to fall in a long ponytail over Camilla's shoulder. Then there was a knock and they turned to see Harry in the doorway.

"Uma you should come –" he paused when he saw Camilla and part of her questioned why since her outfit was so plain but Harry still looked at her like he was stunned. Then he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"What do you need Harry?" Uma asked with a smirk enjoying his odd behavior.

"Oh, uh, Auradon's playin' somethin' on the news yeh probably want to see." Uma's smile fell knowing anything from Auradon probably involved Mal in some way but she went anyway leaving Harry and Camilla alone. She noticed Harry had changed too, he was wearing a new white shirt with black spray paint that left the impression of a skull on his chest. On top of that he had on a new black jacket with a high collar framing the back of his head, when she looked closer the jacket looked like it might actually be a very dark shade of red instead of black. He'd gotten rid of his hat long ago but now was doing his hair differently so it hung in his face in a dashing sort of way. He had another piece of fabric draped in the crook of his elbow that Camilla noticed and she raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?" she asked and Harry looked thrown off for a moment.

"Oh, uh. . . I thought yeh might like it." He stuttered and she'd never seen him so nervous before. He took the fabric from his arm and held it out for her, she unfolded it to see a vest a lot like the one Harry had on. Actually, it was almost exactly the same except it didn't have coattails or a hook on the back and the collar had been removed and the sleeveless jacket looked like a darker maroon, though still several shades lighter then Harry's.

"Where did you get this?" she asked knowing with Evie gone she didn't know of anyone else who made clothes on the Isle.

"The old butler, the one who tried to steal those cats. Edward? Edmund? –"

"Edgar?"

"Yeah, that buffoon. I went to him lookin' fer a favor, he asked to be paid in treasure but I, eh, convinced him ta do it fer free." He said twirling his hook and she knew he'd threatened him. She took it and looked at it in her hands, like she'd said a villain's style was a big part of who they were here and Harry giving her a coat so similar to his was the equivalent of Ben giving Mal his ring in Auradon. It would show the whole Isle that she and Harry were in a serious relationship which was a big step for villains who were raised to never let their emotions make such a decision.

"I thought we were going to keep it between us and the crew."

"I'm tired of hiding it Camilla. I want them all ta know yer mine." He said bringing his hand to her face and brushing her cheek with the back of his knuckles, "And that I be yers. I love ye Camilla."

She felt her heart swell at his words as she looked into his charcoal lined eyes. She knew how much villains and love didn't mix but if the disaster with Cruella had proved anything it was that she was not her mother and Harry was not his father. Maybe Mal had been right at the coronation, they weren't their parents – they were stronger. Their love had made them capable of thwarting Cruella's scheme and well laid plans, made them capable of beating one the most feared villains in history. And with that kind of strength they could rise up and make it off this accursed place. Camilla smiled – a real smile without an ounce of malice or superiority, she brought her hand up to take his fingers away from her face but she didn't let go, instead she intertwined their fingers.

"I love you too Harry Hook."

The smile that grew on his face rivaled her own and shown with just as much joy. Then she put on his gift looking at her reflection in Uma's mirror thinking that something was still missing. She looked through the pile of clothes on Uma's bed again and pulled out a long red scarf which she tied around her waist like a belt, then she buttoned the vest shut before turning to Harry.

"How do I look?" she asked as his eyes looked her up and down and he rested his foot on the end of Uma's bedframe leaning forward to rest his arms on his knee.

"You my little piratess are. . . ravishing." He said with a small wicked smirk as she blushed.

Camilla's Descendants 3 outfit: plain black long sleeved top with maroon vest Harry gives her (buttoned up different from how Harry wears it). Black skinny jeans with some patches where the fabric was missing filled in with white scraps of fabric with Dalmatian spots. A pair of boots that go to her mid-calf, black like her pants but had red soles and no laces instead they folded over at the top and revealed the red lining inside, an old pair of red fingerless leather gloves, on her right hand they were missing the finger holes for her pointer and middle finger while the glove on her left hand was missing holes for her ring finger and pinkie. They also had snap buckles around her wrists. Red scarf/sash/belt/ Hair: mostly black showing now, braid starting on black and white side of her head wrapping around to the bottom of her neck on the opposite side, tied off rest as a ponytail, the strands a bit wavy making the black and white mix. Her bangs are left out, little pieces of white, mostly black hair again.