Author's Note: Thank you all for your wonderful comments, I appreciate every one :) We are nearing the end of this story, with 36 chapters planned total. An epilogue or extra fun one-shot chapters are not out of the question, but I guess it depends on whether anyone is interested. For now, enjoy! Hope you all are having a great summer so far :)


Melody shifted, now standing back-to-back with Harry on the Revenge, to block a strike from one of Sparrow's undead crewman. Harry did the same as the pirates who'd transferred to the Jolly Roger began to pour back onto Uma's ship now that the protective barrier surrounding it had been destroyed.

Uma, Gil, Jay, Carlos, and the rest of Uma's pirates were now doing their best to stay alive against three times their numbers, but Melody knew they couldn't keep doing this all day.

Unfortunately Zach Sparrow could. He'd already raised all of his dead once since the battle began and she saw crewman that she knew had been killed already, now holding weapons and coming back for another round.

There had to be something they could do. Some magic they had that could get them out of this.

"Uma!" Melody yelled over the wail of ringing swords. "Tell me you have a miracle!"

"None of my magic would hold up to those trident blasts," she said, backing up to where she and Harry stood. "We could put up another barrier."

"So Sparrow can take it down in two shots?" Harry said, grunting as he pushed back hard with his new hooked dagger against someone who looked very familiar. She was sure this guy's guts had been dragging on the deck a few minutes ago. "We need that sword or else the undead will just keep coming. Let me go across," Harry said, "and I'll try to take him by surprise. It's the only way."

Let Harry go across…

He could take him by surprise…

What if…

"Uma, your necklace can project your voice…" Melody said. "Could it project someone else's?"

"Yes…" Uma said, sounding strained as she pushed back against her opponent, who looked a whole lot like Limpy.

Ugh. How many times were they going to have to kill this guy?

"If I channel the voice through the necklace I can do it," Uma said. "And my mother taught me a chant to project a voice through multiple people, I even used it once on Mal."

"Okay, so we have a siren who – Ugh!" she was interrupted by the breath being knocked from her chest. Her arm had already begun to tire and her opponent, a stringy looking older pirate had kicked at her, causing her to stumble.

Harry was there to catch her, lending his sword for a quick swipe to help her push back again.

Melody caught her breath and tried to continue. "Can you somehow capture Harry's siren song and project it onto Sparrow's crew, you know, make some of them sing it too?" she said. "That way it would be heard from everywhere, there'd be no way to block it out?"

Uma's eyes widened as she processed the idea, then she lunged toward Limpy and slashed hard into his side. The undead pirate lost his balance and fell hard, for the second time this afternoon.

"Besides, I think Sparrow has forgotten about Harry with everything else going on, or he doesn't think he's a threat. It might take him by surprise," Melody said. "And with your necklace to magnify the song, I'm hoping even Sparrow wouldn't be able to resist Harry's charm." She paused long enough to send a few eyebrow raises to Harry.

"Yeh want me to use me siren song to make Zach Sparrow fall for me, eh?" Harry's eyes were narrowed in thought. "Get him to offer up the sword?"

"I think it could work," Uma said.

"Sparrow had earplugs before," Melody said. "I'm sure I saw him stuff them in his ears when he was talking to you at Skull Rock. That's how he resisted when the rest of his crew couldn't. But he won't expect this, he's distracted."

Uma darted glances to Sparrow, then back at Harry. "I'll be right back," and Uma was running down the into the lower levels of the ship.

"Jay, Carlos, Gil!" Melody called, "Keep these guys away from us for thirty seconds. We've got a plan!"

They nodded and as one, her friends and the rest of Uma's crew changed tactics from winning their fights, to pushing the crewman back.

She and Harry dealt with their opponents first, making sure they wouldn't go running off to share their plan with their Captain. By the time the undead lay scattered at their feet, Uma was already back, dragging Harry clear of the fighting.

"I use these to help me sleep when the crew gets too loud." She shoved a pair of earplugs into her ears and handed several more sets to Melody. "Take a pair and give the rest to the others. I don't need all of our friends throwing themselves at my first mate when they hear this song."

Harry gave Melody a worried glance. "I promised you I wou'dnae…"

"I'm plugging my ears," she said, stuffing the earplugs in. "Besides, you said you'd only use your song to protect me. Well," Melody pulled close to squeeze his arm. "Protect me."

Harry looked down at her, set his jaw and nodded.

"Alright loverboy, let's hear what you've got," Uma said, holding her necklace in her palm. "Well, let them hear what you've got anyway."

And Melody was up, dashing across the deck to deliver earplugs and quick instructions on the plan to Gil, Carlos and Uma's pirates. But before she could reach Jay at the rear of the ship, she felt something changing in the tide of battle.

Carlos' opponent stopped what he was doing and Melody noticed a glowing orb where the pirate's voice box was. Uma's magic. It shone white, the same shade as the magic in the nautilus necklace. Then, Melody turned to scan the rest of the ship.

Two undead crewmen on each ship were now projecting a glowing light, mouthing words to amplify Harry's song. Slowly, sword arms loosened and stances shifted as the other undead stopped fighting. Every blank, ghostly eye was scanning, searching, until they found the source of that song.

Harry Hook stood tall at the center of the Revenge. Melody could see the words of the song on his lips, and she watched every gaze on each of the three ships raise from their fights and come to rest on those siren's eyes. Those who could get closer, inched toward Harry, drawn inexorably toward his voice. He was like a whirlpool, sucking in the helpless crew all around and they were drowning in that need to come closer. A need she knew all too well, having experienced it herself.

Melody ran to the edge of the ship, closest to the Pearl to see how it was working over there.

Two crewmen on board were singing, voice boxes glowing a bright white as Uma magnified Harry's siren song. And next to those crewmen… Zach Sparrow.

The captain had stopped what he was doing and realizing what was happening, was trying to plug his ears.

But with one of the affected crewmen so close, it seemed he was having a hard time resisting. He was staring at Harry, hands raised over his ears, tense, fighting some unseen internal battle.

Harry needed to get closer. If the song was louder, if Harry was closer, this could really work.

She ran to Harry then, uncorking her vial of pixie dust and sprinkling it over him. "Get closer to Sparrow, he can't hear you well enough. He's still resisting."

Harry sang louder, and before Melody realized what was happening, the words and familiar tune pierced through her earplugs. This close to him, the haunting refrain was already winding its way into her mind, filling her with an overwhelming need to draw nearer as the song that had started everything lured her in until she was clinging to him.

"Whenever I was frightened or ever felt alone
I turned to the night sky at a star I call my own
Somewhere I could run to, just across the Milky Way
If you like, I could take you
It's just a lightyear and a day"

Yes. Yes! He could take her there. What had she been doing before? She wasn't quite sure anymore. But she would go with him wherever he wanted…

Uma's face was pinched, hands pressing down hard over her ears as she put herself between she and Harry. Why was she doing that? Why was she covering her ears? Didn't she want to hear what was quite possibly the most exquisite sound she'd ever heard? Because Melody did, and she was now ripping out her earplugs, throwing them onto the deck to hear him better.

"Mel, come on," Uma was saying, grabbing her hand to tear her away from Harry.

She felt the heat of a sudden, overwhelming anger course through her at the thought of being ripped away from Harry's song. "No, stop touching me!"

Harry spoke gently, his voice a soothing balm to her fury. "It's okay Uma, it's too late. She can come with me."

Of course, she could. Nothing would stop her.

"Let's fly to the Pearl, love," he said and yes, oh yes she would do exactly what he said, if only he would keep singing, if only he would keep looking at her like that, with eyes made of the sea itself. He took the vial from her hands and sprinkled some onto her.

He lifted off the deck, and she did the same by making his song her happy thought. She felt their fingers intertwine and his skin on hers was quite possibly the most heavenly sensation she'd ever felt, he was warm and strong and…

And he was singing again, louder than before and she felt his words wrap around her heart, cinching tight until she was sure she would burst with the need to feel both of his hands on her, his lips, oh she wanted to feel him everywhere.

"We can sail away tonight on a sea of pure moonlight
We can navigate the stars to bring us back home…

They drifted higher and Melody could see the eyes of every crew member lift to follow Harry. Some on the Revenge were now leaning over the railings, trying to figure out how to follow him as he floated across the narrow span of sea to the Pearl.

Zach Sparrow was at war with himself, wincing as Harry got closer. And Harry's voice floated strong and seductive, smothering any rational thoughts Melody had left until Harry was the only thing she saw.

In a place so far away
We'll be young, that's how we'll stay
And with your hand in my hand
I am closer now to finding Neverland"

She heard his voice amplified by the two crewmen standing behind Sparrow, their voice-boxes glowing and their bodies under the spell of that melody. It was so loud, so all-encompassing that she had no choice but to let it overtake her, like a wave crashing over her until she was drowning happily in Harry's perfect song.

And when she had the sense to look around again, she realized she'd pressed herself against Harry so close, she was clutching his waist, nestled into the space at his side.

And Zach Sparrow was no longer at war. His dark eyes were wide and he was walking toward Harry. The other crewman were closing in on Harry, too.

Harry touched down on deck just in front of Sparrow and offered a seductive smile. "Give me Triton's Sword."

His words gripped her, flooding her body with warmth and desire, and Melody launched herself at Sparrow to follow Harry's command.

Harry grabbed her by shoulder and tucked her back into her spot at his side. "Not you, Melody."

"Sparrow," Harry said, turning those sea-blue eyes to the pirate standing before them. "Give me the sword."

Blinding, anger flashed across her vision as Melody realized he wasn't talking to her. She didn't like him talking to Sparrow, didn't like the way Sparrow was looking at him. She was clenching her fists so hard now, her palms hurt from where her nails were digging into them. It wasn't right. Harry was hers.

Sparrow's muscles loosened at the command, as though his arms and legs no longer belonged to him and he pulled Triton's sword from its sheath.

Sparrow inched closer, transfixed, as though Harry was the rarest treasure in the sea and he couldn't believe he'd just been the one to find him.

A growl issued from somewhere low Melody's throat and Harry pulled her back to his side again. She hadn't even realized she'd moved.

"Stay put, love." His whisper was a summer breeze lulling her into complacency.

She raised her head to gaze at him dreamily, and when those eyes glanced to hers briefly, she could swear she forgot who she was, where she was, what she had even been thinking in that moment and all she could do was obey. Keeping her feet planted, she stayed still, oh so still, hoping it pleased him. Maybe then, he would gift her with another longer, deeper gaze.

Sparrow took one more step and turned the sword, holding onto the blade and placing the hilt into Harry's outstretched hand.

Then, Harry offered the other pirate a wide, heart-stopping smile. A smile that should have been hers. But since Harry told her to stay put she didn't attack Sparrow. Though, that didn't stop her blood from boiling as she looked on.

She watched Harry focus on the sword in his hand and he whispered a few words under his breath.

Silence blanketed the deck and nothing happened right away. Sparrow shifted a bit on his feet and Harry began to hum. Melody felt herself being drawn back in, finding it difficult to focus on anything but Harry as he wrapped that mesmerizing song around her mind again.

Her hands tightened around his jacket, fisting the soft fabric to tow herself closer. Harry's free hand wrapped around her waist and she was keenly aware of that touch, every part of her body now screaming for more of him.

"Come on," Harry whispered. But he wasn't talking to her, he was looking back and forth between the sword in his hand and the undead crew surrounding him. "Come on, come on."

The two crewmen standing behind Sparrow straightened. The saggy skin on the taller man's forehead wrinkled in question, and he leaned in to speak with Harry. "You wield the sword, now?"

Harry nodded. "Aye. I do."

"Then we take our orders from you," the crewman growled. "Captain."

Harry's body drooped, the tension draining from him as he released a sigh.

As one, the metallic hiss of swords being sheathed filled the air as the undead on every ship put away their weapons.

The excited lift of Harry's dark brows had Melody clutching his arm. He was pleased. She liked that. She reached out to him, wanting to touch his face, to feel his skin underneath her fingers, but he caught her hand in his warm grip, bringing her fingers to his lips.

Her stomach flipped like she'd been spun on a carnival ride and her chest bubbled with warmth as his soft mouth brushed against her knuckles. But why wasn't he looking at her? He was still watching that other pirate.

"Sparrow," Harry said, his voice sounding like smooth water over river stones. "Give me the Trident."

Harry dropped her hand to reach for the trident, and Zach Sparrow placed the golden shaft of the trident gently in his grip.

"Take off the sheath around your waist, then turn around," Harry said, gesturing with the trident to Sparrow.

And the pirate obeyed. He unbuckled the belt from which the sheath hung and let it drop to the deck. Then he turned to face away from Harry, staring out over the lagoon at the shoreline of Neverland.

"Melody, can you please bring me two lengths of rope."

Tripping over her feet trying to be fast enough for him, she dashed to a coil of rope hanging against the foremast and cut a few lengths off with her sword.

When she delivered the rope to him, she looked up expectantly. He finished buckling Sparrow's belt around his own waist and slid Triton's sword into the sheath.

"Thank yeh," he said, winking.

Her insides were now a puddle of goo and she couldn't help but creep close to him again, wrapping her hands around his arm, not making his job easier as he tried to tie Sparrow's hands together, but she couldn't seem to control herself.

The tantalizing smirk he was wearing had her heart thudding in her chest as he led Sparrow to the foremast and tied him down in a sitting position. Harry finished by binding his legs, testing all of his knots until he was sure the other pirate was secure.

And then he turned, gazing down at Melody, giving her his full, undivided attention and she felt her knees wobble a bit.

"We did it." His voice was magnetic and it gripped her by the chest, somehow pulling her closer without the need for his hands at all.

She sighed into him, relaxing against his sturdy chest and reaching up to rake her fingers through his hair, raising to her tiptoes to kiss along the line of his jaw, slowly up toward the corner of his lip.

"I kind o' like yeh all clingy like this," he said, his mouth moving against her lips as he spoke.

And oh, he smelled so good. Sweat and the sea and that tantalizing taste of his, all right there on his lips for the taking. Her heart thudded, beating a rhythm that was all for him.

A loud slam of wood against the deck had them turning their heads suddenly to locate the source of the sound. Melody saw the gangplank now spanning between the Lost Revenge and the Black Pearl.

Uma had a wicked smile curling her lip as she crossed over to them. The silver accents scattered across the fabric of her dress caught the afternoon light, making it look like she was charged with electricity.

When Uma caught sight of them all wrapped up in each other, she cocked her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "You just don't learn, do you Harry? Didn't Melody already dump you once for taking advantage of her with your siren song?"

Harry released his grip on Melody's waist and took a step back.

Melody whined at the loss of contact as Harry tried to stutter out some explanation. "I – "

"I'm just teasing you, Harry," Uma said, "It was Melody's plan to begin with, and she did agree to it, knowing the risks," she quirked her lip with that last word. "So I'd say you're safe from her wrath this time."

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at all," Melody cooed, turning to him and smiling.

"Of course you're not, Mel. Your head's all fogged up with that siren song of his," Uma said, sliding in close to Harry and elbowing him in the side.

"Looks like the song is starting to wear off most of the crewmen back there, though," Uma said. "So if you want to take advantage of her, you better do it quick before hers wears off, too."

"We winnae have to worry about the crew, now that I have the sword, they'll answer to me," Harry said. "And I think I can keep this one under me spell without any more magic. Though I cannae say why she decided to have me back." Harry smiled and leaned in to press his forehead against Melody's.

Uma looked down at Zach Sparrow sitting at the base of the mast. She toed him with her boot and he looked away from Harry grudgingly, eyes glazed and far away. Uma scowled and ripped a piece of fabric from the frayed hem of her gown and wrapped it around his mouth to gag him.

"I don't really want to hear what he has to say when he snaps out of it," Uma said.

And Melody realized Uma was right about the magic wearing off. She'd already noticed she could think about other things besides Harry's touch on her now. She could focus on other voices besides just his.

The clunk of heavy boots approached and Melody noticed Jay had crossed the gangplank. His tuxedo was torn and blood-spattered and he was wearing an open-mouthed, gaping expression as he stumbled toward Harry.

"Harry," Jay breathed. "What – what was that, that song?"

"What do yeh mean, Jay?" Harry asked, unable to suppress the smug quirk of his lip.

"You, uh…" Jay cleared his throat and stole closer to Harry. Melody remembered then, she hadn't been fast enough with the earplugs for Jay. He'd listened to Harry's entire song and it seemed he was ensnared, just as she had been. "Have your eyes always been that blue?"

Those very eyes glinted with mischief and Harry edged himself closer to Jay. "Yeh want to come closer and see, mate?"

Melody backed up a bit, amused, wanting to see how this would play out.

And Jay seemed stuck between the cotton stuffed in his brain and his logic telling him this was not making any sense. But he slid closer to Harry, wide eyes following his every move.

Harry tapped a finger to his cheek and leaned into Jay, asking for a kiss.

By this time, Jane, Carlos, Gil, and the others had crossed the gangplank and had crowded around just in time to see Jay plant a kiss on Harry's cheek.

Laughter erupted from the deck and Jay looked as if they'd thrown a bucket of cold water on him. He blinked, gaze flitting to each of his friends' faces as he realized where he was and what he'd done. Jay's eyes narrowed when they settled on Harry, whose wide grin could rival that of the Cheshire Cat himself.

Jay seemed suddenly, very unimpressed. "I'm going to kill you, Harry Hook," he said.

"Awww come on Jay," Harry teased. "Don't play hard to get."

And Harry acted as if he was going to chase Jay, before he threw his head back to laugh. A beautiful sound, and maybe there was still a little magic stuffed in her ears, but when she looked at Harry then, it was with eyes full of love.

"Wow, that song was, uh… effective," Melody managed. Feeling herself emerge completely from the fog now, she stamped down the embarrassment of throwing herself at Harry as everyone had watched. "I'm really sorry about that. I, uh… you had me a little out of my mind."

"Oh good, she's back," Uma said, smirking.

"It was a good idea, Mel," Gil said. "Magnifying Harry's song made it impossible to ignore."

Harry twirled his new dagger around his finger, then offered Melody a coy eyebrow raise. "I think yeh might have been a wee bit soft on me to begin with, seems to make the effect of the song a lot more intense, eh?"

She gave him a playful eye roll, not wanting to give him any more reason to become cockier than he already was.

Just then, Jane approached, tentatively, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes, studying Melody, making sure she still wasn't under any spells, no doubt.

"I still can't believe you managed to get us out of that. How did you steal back Uma's necklace from Sparrow?" Jane said.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a teasing scowl. "Aye Melody, tell 'em all how yeh did it."

"Like I said, I learned from the best," she said, raising a brow in Harry's direction. "Sparrow kissed me and I used the distraction to pickpocket him."

"Let me get this straight," Uma said, hands on her hips. "You kissed another man minutes before professing your love to Harry?"

"Sounds about right considering she punched Harry the same day they held hands for the first time. Tell me you all haven't forgotten that?" Jane said.

They all laughed and Melody couldn't help but join in. "We also have Wesley to thank," she said. "He came to warn me before Sparrow's crew could capture me, too. And he brought me a vial of pixie dust, so I used that to float onto the Revenge."

"Wesley came to warn you?" Uma asked, a tiny hint of a smile tugging at her lip.

Melody didn't miss that look. "He did, and he also told me you two won the dance competition." She gave a few eyebrow raises in hopes of hearing more.

She was obviously biting back a smile and Harry nudged Uma in the side. "The two of yeh don't stand a chance against us next year though. Yeh cannae count this one, it wisnae a fair contest."

"Don't be a sore loser, Harry," Gil said. "Uma and Wesley would dance circles around you." He put his hand on Melody's shoulder. "No offense, Mel."

She shrugged. "It's only the truth."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Nae me fault, I had other things on me mind."

Uma strode to the center of their group of friends and leveled a stare at Harry. She wore her captain's expression now, the look that demanded obedience. "Well? Are we going to stand up here and talk all day or are you going to go check out your ship?"

"Wait!" Gil's ponytail bobbed erratically as he bolted, crossing the gangplank again toward the Revenge and calling over his shoulder. "You can't go yet!"

Everyone looked at each other, confused and a minute later, Gil was running back toward them, calling for Harry and waving a hat in his hand. "You can't go without this!" He trotted over, out of breath and settled Harry's black tricorn hat on his head, giving his friend a satisfied grin. "Much better. It's your spare from down in the first mate's cabin, but I thought you might need it."

Harry wrapped one arm around Gil and the other around Uma. The trio pressed their foreheads together in a gesture she guessed they'd done since they were kids. They shared some private words before standing tall again, all three beaming with smiles that rivaled the afternoon sun with their brightness.

Then, Uma gestured with an outstretched hand at the Jolly Roger and let her next words hang in the air. "Well, Captain?" she said to Harry. "Time to go inspect your ship."