Chapter warning: Violence


Jay knew he had to handle fast as he watched how Gil slowly walked up to his dad. He grabbed his phone and called the first person he could find in his contact list. He already made his way over there and didn't care anymore if anyone could see or hear him. They were all too busy with the situation that happened in front of them anyway. Gaston was blinded by rage, while the two twin brothers seemed to be in conflict. The two henchmen had taken a few steps back. They had seen how Gaston hit his own son and they didn't want to be next. Besides, they knew what would happen to the youngest son.

"You better have a very good reason to call me this early," a grumpy Carlos finally said on the other end of the line.

"Carlos, I need reinforcement," Jay said immediately.

"What?" Carlos said, still half asleep.

"Gaston is causing trouble at the bridge. We need help and fast!"

"Wait Jay. What's going on?"

Jay didn't hear any more than that, since he threw his phone away and sprinted towards his boyfriend. He noticed how Gaston had his fist ready to strike. Jay had seen what Junior had to endure by just speaking out of line. Jay didn't even want to imagine what Gil had coming for him if he wasn't in time. The henchmen started to notice him, but Gaston was still fixed on his son.

Gil took a deep breath, knowing he was almost in his dad's reach, when suddenly he felt a hand pushing him backwards again. A shadow suddenly appeared between him and his dad. Gaston tried to comprehend what was happening, but the shadow was too athletic and fast. He easily dodged the fist that flew towards him, like he had been dodging the Dragon Fire on the tourney field for a year now.

Jay hit Gaston back and managed to hit him straight in his face. He saw both the twin brothers react, but Jay already jumped backwards before either of them could reach him. He quickly retreated, pushing Gil with him when he did so. The two boys stared at each other for a moment. Gil's eyes wide with shock, fear and disbelief. Jay actually smiled, glad he had been in time. He could feel his hand pound from the blown it had to endure, but the pain was nothing compared to the relief he felt for having Gil back in his arms. Jay had to quickly turn back towards the danger, seeing how Gaston had recovered from his little surprise attack.

"You just hit my dad in the face," Gil said still in shock. His high pitched voice made Jay chuckle nervously.

"And I will do it again if he tries to get near you," Jay said, while he was massaging his own hand. He still stood in front of Gil. He meant what he said. But Gil already shook his head, trying to get a grip of the situation again.

"You already betrayed us to the Auradon bunch!" Gaston grunted to them.

"No!" Gil immediately answered. "No, I swear. He doesn't know anything."

"Bro, you should've told me," Jay said back to Gil. Gil eyes flashed to his dad back to Jay and back to his dad again. He then pushed Jay further away from the fight.

"Go!" he simply said, adding even more force when he noticed Jay wasn't planning to budge even one step.

"I am not leaving you here," Jay said back to him.

"Yes, you are! Leave now!"

"No!" Jay was just as determined as Gil.

The twin brothers looked at each other again, unsure what to think when they saw how Jay lay his hand on their little brother's cheek. Gil was getting out of his mind, but it was clear to see how the slight touch calmed him down immediately. His breathing got a little more steady and the muscles in his shoulders seemed to relax.

"I'm not leaving you here," Jay said again. "I took on your brothers before. We can take them."

Gil still didn't agree, but there wasn't any time left to argue. Gil saw how his dad already made his way towards them, closely followed by his two twin brothers and the two henchmen. There was no way they could take them, but it was also pointless to try to flee.

It was then when suddenly a smoke bomb exploded in front of Gaston's feet, making the five men stop in their track. One figure suddenly stood in the middle of the field, his hook tight in his hand, ready to attack. He looked around for a moment, feeling a wave of relief when he saw both Gil and Jay unharmed.

"Harry?" Jay said excited. Unlike Gil he was quickly recovered from the surprise. "This is actually the first time I'm happy to see you." A smirk appeared on Harry's face as he quickly made his way towards them.

"You're lying to me again, Jay," Harry said back when he reached them.

Gil opened his mouth to say something, but somehow he wasn't able to speak anymore. He had tried anything he could, so nothing would happen to anyone else. Suddenly the two he cared about the most were standing beside him.

"Not be worried," Harry said to both of them. They watched how the five men continued their way towards them. "The other pirates can be here any moment now. We just have to hold them off for a few minutes."

"Guys, we really should not fight my dad," Gil finally managed to say.

"It's a little late for that," Jay said, referring to the five men storming towards them. "Harry, you take on the two henchmen. Gil, you get your brothers. I will take on Gaston." Harry sighed frustrated, showing he didn't agree with his opponents. He rather took on Gaston or one of the twin brothers, still having a score to settle with them.

"Alright," Harry said, realizing they didn't had the time to argue. He and Jay quickly glanced at each other, giving each other a meaningful nod. They disagreed on many things, but they stood united when it came to Gil.

"I'm serious, we really should not…"

"On my sign we attack," Harry said, ignoring Gil's pleading completely. Harry waited for another small moment, so Jay could prepare himself. "Now! Attack!" Harry and Jay immediately sprinted towards the threat, leaving Gil in uncertainty.

"Shit!" Gil cursed out loud, just before he followed them into battle.

He did what he was told, immediately attacking his oldest brother Gaston Junior. It had been a while since Gil actually fought his brothers. He couldn't really remember. He only knew it never ended well for him. But Gil did remember that his brothers always aimed for the face. So Gil ducked when he saw his brother's fist coming nearer. In full speed Gil smashed himself into his brother and tackled him onto the ground. Before Junior could comprehend what had happened, Gil made sure his fist was raining down on him. He too had learned to aim for the face.

Gil saw his other brother coming towards him in the corner of his eye. He quickly jumped off Junior, dodging Trip's first attack. Gil noticed how Trip tried to step over their other brother, already having a bad balance while doing so. Gil quickly kicked against his leg, making him fall over Junior. Gil kicked him again, this time aiming for the head once more. Gil looked down in surprise when he watched both his brothers lying in front of his feet. However, they weren't defeated, both already trying to get back on their feet. Gil quickly glanced around, seeing Jay was actually doing fine against his dad. Jay was mostly just dodging him, making Gaston angrier and angrier in the process. Harry on the other hand lost more ground to his two opponents. Gil quickly made his way towards him, leaving his two brothers on the ground.

Harry got several blows and blood was dripping down his lip, but he still stood his ground. One of the men hit him in the stomach, while Harry was busy blocking the other. Gil quickly grabbed the arm that tried to harm Harry again and pushed it backwards. The man to which it was attached to was forced to follow the movement of his arm, in order to not get it broken. He found himself falling on his stomach on the ground, while Gil still held his arm tightly. With just one firm kick to the elbow, Gil broke the arm and dropped it on the ground.

The screaming of the man made everyone look up for a moment. He suddenly couldn't move his arm anymore and could only scream to deal with the unspeakable pain he felt. The second guy quickly backed off, craving to escape the fate his friend got. Even Junior and Trip stopped in their trace for a moment. Gaston ignored the loud screaming, finally able to grab the irritating kid in front of him. Gil saw how Jay got thrown to the ground, trying to dodge Gaston while laying on the ground. Gil cursed himself as he wasn't able to come to his aid. Both his brothers were at him again, pushing the last standing henchman back into the fight.

Just like Harry, Gil was unable to dodge two men attacking him. He felt how Trip hit him in the face as he blocked Junior's blow. Harry quickly stood between them, giving Trip a nasty cut on his arm with his hook. Gil and Harry stood back to back, watching the three men closing in to them. Gil could see how Jay got thrown through the air again, rolling on the grass as he tried to break the fall. Gil tried to concentrate on his own opponents, as another scream filled the air.

"Pirates attack!"

Harry and Gil send each other a slight smile, when they both recognized her voice. "Uma!"

Jonas was the first one who entered the battle field, screaming loudly and his sword high up in the air. The rest of the crew followed closely behind. The second henchman took a few steps backwards immediately, seeing if he could flee without the twins noticing it. Trip already grabbed his collar and pushed him towards the group of yelling pirates.

"They're just a bunch of kids. We can take them," Junior said, ready for the attack.

Gil finally made his way towards Jay, since Harry got some back up from the pirates. He quickly pushed his dad away from Jay, who still laid defeated on the ground. He had lost count on how many times Gaston had made him flying. Gil quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back on his feet. Jay grunted from the pain he felt, but was glad be back on his feet again. Gil stood in front of his dad, knowing he had to fight him in order to protect Jay. He still hesitated. He wasn't able to hit his dad like he had done to Gaston Junior a few minutes earlier. He stood there in front of Jay, blocking his dad's attack with his own arms as a shield.

Harry tried hard to defeat the twin brothers. Somehow one of the pirates managed to lose his sword to them, making that Junior suddenly had a weapon in his hands. His brother had his back, trying to keep the swords away from them. The henchman already kneeled on the ground with a sword on his throat, being held captured by Bonny; the crazy, little pirate girl.

Jonas tried to get through Junior's defence, but could feel the sharp edge of the sword on the skin of his arm instead. Fortunately Gonzo had his back as always, blocking Junior's sword before he could strike again. Harry noticed how the twin brothers were having a hard time against so many 'kids', even though Trip threw one of the pirates through the air and finally managed to get a sword as well. Harry quickly attacked him, not willing to risk any injuries on one of his crew members. He tried to find Uma in all the madness that was happening. He found her running towards Gaston, throwing one of her swords to Gil. Together they closed in Gil's dad, his eyes still filled with anger and disgust. It didn't seem like he would be giving up soon, but he slowly realized he was not at the winning hand anymore.

A loud roar made everyone look up again. A giant shadow in the air blocked out the sun, but then lighted up the sky with her fire breath. The dragon flew over the field, trying to comprehend what was actually happening. The twin brothers gave each other one last glance, before they broke through the pirates that stood in their way. They didn't leave, but ran towards their dad, hoping he would give them permission to retreat. It was getting pointless, he had to see that. Gaston gave both his sons an angry glare, he grunted as he turned around and ran towards the bridge back to the Isle. The two twin brothers quickly followed, leaving the two henchmen to the mercy of the pirates.

The giant dragon still followed them closely, while Jay and the pirates finally caught their breaths. Gil looked around at the people standing around him. Jay was entirely covered in mud and grass and he held one arm wrapped over his chest. It was hard to breath, but Jay didn't think he had broken anything. Harry whipped the blood from his lip, while he blinked with his left eye that was already swollen a little bit. Gonzo already ripped of a strip from his clothes to bandage the cut on Jonas's arm. Gil then stared at Uma, who was at least unharmed. Gil then stared at the unknown man who was still screaming on the ground, tears in his eyes. He tried to get away from the pirates, but there was nothing he could do with his broken arm. Gil looked away in shame. This wasn't how he intended it to be.

"What happened?" Uma asked Gil, who didn't even dare to look back up to her.

"We'll just call it another misunderstanding between him and his dad," Harry joked, as he wrapped one arm around Gil's shoulder.

Jay frowned up in response, but decided not to answer. He didn't feel like joking for the moment. He was glad the fight was over, but he still had a million questions rolling through his mind. However, he didn't want to ask any of them as long as Uma and Harry were there to twist Gil's words.

"Next time we're going to lock you in a room," Uma said in a more serious tone towards Gil. "Making sure you're not able to do anything stupid." Gil silently nodded as he dared to look up a bit. He still was lost for words as he glanced over to Jay. Gil was relieved to see he already seemed to recover a little.

The giant dragon turned around in the sky, roaring once more before the purple smoke appeared. The smoke slowly disappeared and revealed Mal standing in her pajamas in the middle of the field. Mal noticed the grin that appeared on Uma's face, but she wasn't pleased at all.

"Can someone please explain what happened here?" Mal yelled at the group of people standing around her.

"What are you wearing?" Harry laughed, as he let his eyes slide over the ugly yellow pajamas with the little white flowers printed on it.

"I got called on this forsaken hour telling me there was an emergency at the bridge," Mal screamed back him. "Of course I should've known it were the pirates messing it up again. That were just three men!"

"Five men," Harry corrected her. It was then that Mal finally noticed Jay limping over to her. Her eyes grew big from confusion. "What happened to you?" Mal screamed over to Jay. "Where is Carlos?"

"I'm alright. Carlos is not here," Jay answered her questions. He was unsure about what else he could tell her. He still had many questions himself. He finally reached up to her and tried to hide the pain. "Let's just get you back to the castle, okay." He spoke softly, hoping he would calm her down a bit.

"No, first I want to know what happened here," Mal said, fixing her eyes back to Uma.

Uma just nonchalantly shrugged. "Look, we just had a few problems with Gaston. But it seems like he's already gone now."

"What kind of problems?" Mal continued asking. Uma took a deep breath before she answered, not noticing Gil finally found his voice back.

"My dad wants to take over Auradon," Gil answered Mal's question. Suddenly all eyes were fixed on Gil. Harry quickly grabbed Gil's arm.

"Now is not the time," he hissed to him.

Gil didn't even listen, he only stared at Jay, who was staring back at him. Gil could finally tell him everything. "My brothers came to me a few weeks ago. I had to gather information for our dad, so I did."

"You knew about this attack for weeks?" Mal asked, looking back at Uma again. Uma sighed frustrated, trying to think of an answer that would ease the situation.

"This wasn't the attack," Gil answered instead. "I just had to…"

"You really need to shut up!" Uma said while turning to him. Gil also noticed the angry glare he got from Harry. Mal crossed her arms in front of her chest, still looking straight at Uma.

"You just gave Gaston the information?" Mal asked her.

Uma sighed frustrated and shrugged again. "You know what, I don't know," she answered Mal's question. "I also just got here after Harry started to raise panic."

"I was right, wasn't I," Harry said back to her. "I'm not to blame for the escalation."

"You should not have come!" Gil interrupted the conversation loudly. Harry had enough of it and turned towards him. A little movement of his eyebrows told Gil this was his last warning. Gil softly nodded and walked towards the rest of the pirate crew, all impatiently waiting for what was going to happen. Jay followed Gil's movements, but quickly looked away when Gil looked back at him.

"Listen," Mal said. "I don't care one bit about your intern pirate problems. I can't believe you stabbed me in the back after all that I've done for you. Well actually, I can believe it. That might be the worst part."

"Mal," Jay said softly. He laid a hand on Mal's arm, getting her attention. "I've been here the entire time and I can tell you they didn't say anything useful to Gaston."

"You've been in this too?" Mal asked to Jay, suddenly her eyes filled with hurt. She couldn't believe one of her oldest friends would betray her.

"No, of course not," Jay immediately answered, calming her down a little. "Believe me, I didn't know about all this until this morning. All I know is they didn't give Gaston anything useful and they actually tried to fight him of from the beginning."

"Yes, but one of his sons is still here," Mal said, glaring back at Gil for a moment. Jay looked at him for a moment as well, but then quickly focused on Mal again.

"Let's just go back to castle and think this through," Jay said to her.

"Fine," Mal answered and stared back to Uma. "But we will be back."

"Of course you will," Uma said back, even though she said it more to Harry than Mal.

The pirate crew let them through. Gil could see how Jay gave him once last glare, before he continued his way, staying close to Mal's side. Gil wanted to follow him. He took a step towards him and called out his name, but then a firm hand grabbed his arm. It was Jonas, who smirked back at him.

"Absolutely not," Uma said to Gil as she walked towards him. "You're coming with us. You have a lot to explain to us too, you know."

Jay didn't even look back as Gil watched him walking away. He remembered what Jay said, such a long time ago. It felt like it came from another lifetime, before they started to know each other. Before they made plans to explore the world together.

"We can always go back to hating each other when this is over."

Gil felt a sting in his heart when he questioned if that moment had finally arrived.