Hey Descendants,

So… That last chapter right? You guys finally got to see what creepy and evil things Frollo was doing to our Shadow.

In the mood for some family talk and a happy Kraken?

We hope you enjoy,

-Dark-

Uma blinks after listening to her cousin explain the new layer of complication that was T.

Split personalities? That was a whole new world of confusion. But it did explain a few things. Like why she'd never questioned his sex. Why she couldn't picture T in the clothes she'd found. How sometimes he could sit still when usually he was so go go go. At least she was pretty sure the last one was because of the other personality. Maybe anyways. She still wasn't a hundred percent sure.

She grins as she gently washes Deez, slowly ridding her of her many layers of grime she'd accumulated during her time on the run. Every pass of the soapy rag over her skin helped ease an ache she hadn't fully been aware of until the moment her cousin had yelped happily at the offer to get a bath.

Honestly, she was happy for the distraction. Happy she could take care of at least one of them.

She couldn't even be sure how long they'd slept. She felt much better, at least physically. And Deez certainly looked better. The dark circles under her eyes had all but vanished. And the tint of her skin was returning to her usual pristine white. It was a small relief, but a relief none the less.

Still, she'd feel better once they had T under their care too. Now that they knew for a fact T was somewhere on the isle and hadn't shown up or been the one to find Deez… She was worried. Where the fuck could he be?

"That don'nah be soundin' like nothin' we can'nah be ah handlin'." Harry nods solemnly as he passes a bucket of water to Uma.

Uma smiles tightly at him, "Thanks." Could they though? It had been hard enough handling one T. It was a strange concept, but T, as she had unfortunately found out, lived a strange life. Was the girl part of him, his other personality? She wanted to ask so badly. But she couldn't. Not right now at least. Not with Gil walking in and out of the room with buckets of water.

Deez tightens her grip around her legs as she looks away and rests her chin on her knees, "I don't think you have to worry about them both being like T. I think the other one is, quieter."

Uma sighs in relief, much to her embarrassment. She turns back to her task at hand. She takes a cup and pours the clean water over Deez, after a quick warning.

"I be ah callin' dibs on washin' her hair," Harry demands firmly as he walks over to his small trove of beauty tonics.

Uma rolls her eyes but scoots over, picking up the scrap of towel she was using as a washcloth before she starts washing the girl's other arm.

"Are we going to go look for him?" Deez asks quietly as she shifts to give her better access to her whole arm.

"Of course we are." Gil shuts the door behind him, two more buckets of steaming water sloshing at his sides.

"Aye, I be ah going out after we be gettin' ya back ta ah standard o' recognizin' ya again." Harry nods as he takes a seat and starts mixing different bottles into a bowl.

"We were hopin' ya could actually help us out Baby Girl." Uma gives her a small smile. "Any places we should know about? Or someplace you think we should check? Our method was kinda..."

"Bad." Gil finishes as he places the buckets by his family. "But it was the best we had at the time."

"The church," Deez whispers as she absently plays with the swirls of soap bubbles in the water.

Uma sighs, "That's a no go."

Gil's eyes narrow as he turns to Uma, "You went-" He closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath, "And didn't find him?"

Deez narrows her eyes as she looks up at Uma, "You actually went back there?"

"Back?" Harry growls as he narrows his eyes, his fingers curling against her scalp as he watches the two girls intently.

Uma rolls her eyes, "When we were little we wanted to know why Frollo hated us so much, and what was in the huge building."

"So we went to check it out. But then he scared us and literally threw us down the stairs. Calling us all different types of names we'd never heard before. Blasphemers, abominations, and heretics. We agreed to avoid him and that place after that."

"We made that promise when we were kids Deez. Gil and Harry were busy looking for you. And I couldn't find T on the roofs." She looks away. "So I went to the most obvious place I could think of… It's not like I wanted to go in." She lathers the chunk of soap in the scrap of fabric before she gently starts washing her face.

"I know he went to face his father. So wherever Frollo is, T will be there too. Until he can attack."

That's what Uma had been afraid of. Because as far as she knew, the church had been empty. It was comforting to hear someone have so much confidence in T… But if what she'd seen in his room was any indication, and if he did have a girl half of his personality… She wasn't so sure T was going to get through this one unscathed. She remembered how bad it had been for Harry to overcome his abuse. Hell. He still avoided parts of the docks and the red lantern district. She chews her lip.

They all did. What the fuck had T been thinking?

"I'm with Deez. If anyone is taking out their OV, it's T." Gil agrees as he sits on the bed.

"It's not like we had the right to tell him not to." Deez sighs, "But I did tell him to come back and we'd figure out whatever changes."

"Well, if nothing else he'll stay alive out of guilt…" Uma mumbles. It was sad how true that statement was. If nothing else T would hold out till they could find him. Right?

"I was willing to take whatever I could get to make him come back." Deez chuckles weakly as she rubs her thumb against her lips. She frowns and unwraps them before dropping the wet scraps outside the tub.

Uma lifts her brow noticing how short her Baby Girl's nail was with a frown. She'd been curious about the bandages since she'd arrived. But per usual, whatever the girl had done to herself was well past healed.

"And we all be appreciatin' ya for that Princess." Harry gently massages his fingers into her scalp.

They laugh as Deez leans into Harry's hands, purring in content at his treatment.

"Where did you leave your old clothes, Deez?" Gil asks curiously as he points to the pile of dirty clothes at Uma's feet.

"I just have what I was wearing under the hoodie and sweatpants." Deez sinks lower in the tub until the water covered her chin, "I didn't know my last time at the hideout would be my last time."

"Ah." Uma frowns, "Gil, check the hold. I'm sure T ferreted away some extra clothes somewhere down there. I'm sure he won't mind us borrowing them for Deez, and I think she should stay in dark clothes 'til we're sure this shit with the stupid fairy is handled." She hated asking him to go to the hold like that, but there was so much they needed to talk about without her Sweet Boy present. She swallows a sigh.

Gil takes a deep breath before he nods, "On it," he stands and grabs a flashlight.

"Thank you, Sweet Boy." Uma smiles at him.

Gil lets out another long sigh before he nods his head, "Of course Captain." He smiles shakily before he heads out the door.

Deez frowns up at Uma before she laces their fingers together, their mocha brown and pure white skin contrasting beautifully. "It's going to be okay."

Uma smiles as she lifts her girl's hand and kisses her knuckles. "I know it is," She assures her. Liar. "Because I'll kill him if it isn't." That was better.

Harry lightens the mood by dumping a whole bucket of water over Deez, smiling at her gasp and small noises of displeasure, "There we ah go, Princess. Ya be clean again." He grabs the towel and holds it out, "Now be ah comin' here Baby Girl."

Uma stands to help Deez out of the tub so she wouldn't trip. "You're so tiny," She observes as their towel engulfs her. She watches with a small smile as Harry pulls her to his chest and gently buffs her dry.

"I'm not tiny." She pouts.

Harry snorts, but neither of them argues.

"So…" Uma licks her suddenly dry lips as her eyes dart to the door before landing back on Deez. "T's other personality wouldn't be a girl would it?"

She blinks up at them from under the corner of the towel Harry was using on her hair, "Uh… Why? Is that important?"

Harry rolls his eyes before he pulls her into his lap and starts working a comb through her hair again, "Aye, it be ah mite important Deez."

Uma nods, "We don't care if that's what you're thinking… We just need to know… Is T actually a girl? We wouldn't ask, but it's kinda important."

T had seemed so uncertain if he'd survive the encounter. Was it because of her? His other half? Certainly, the girl part of him wouldn't stop him, would she? She bites her lip. Damn it.

Deez bites her lip, "I suspected it for a long time, and then I talked to Yensid about the whole two people thing…" She sighs before she squeezes her eyes shut, "But it was actually my father who confirmed it. He knew T was a girl. I just never thought it was important. I mean it doesn't change anything, and if I didn't care why would the rest of you?"

Uma blinks before she blanks, "How could uncle figure it out before us?'

"He sees souls when he looks into people's eyes." She frowns, "He explained it to me when I was… um... not doing well, back when T first started disappearing into Atilla's territory."

"Well, that be ah good ta be knowin'." Harry rubs Deez's arms as he looks to Uma in desperation before he silently offers her the comb.

Deez tilts her head at the comb in front of her face.

Uma takes it from him with a sigh. Speculation was one thing. But confirmation? She felt ill. "Here Baby Girl," She sits on the bed, "Let me finish."

"Why did that upset both of you?" Deez frowns as she looks from Uma to Harry, her hand wrapping around the shell resting just above the frayed hem of the towel.

Uma shrugs, "Don't worry your pretty little head about it," Uma assures her as Harry gets up with Deez in his arms. "We're just concerned is all. It's not like T to dip out like this, especially with all the change. I mean come on Deez, do you really think he wouldn't have looked for you first thing after the Rotten's were shipped off?"

"I was worried about it, I am worried about it, but why does T being a girl make it worse for you both?" Deez frowns as she looks between them.

She looks from her to Harry, "It's just… we're worried about how T was acting before he disappeared is all… He didn't seem too confident things would go well… And now we're worried that she might be the reason why is all."

Deez was still so innocent. She couldn't bring herself to ruin that. To tarnish something so pure. She was the only one among them that had retained it, and she was still so young it didn't seem right to explain the extent of what they were worried about. And honestly, she just couldn't bring herself to shatter that by informing her about the darker sides of the isle that their Baby Girl had been able to avoid thanks to her abilities.

Deez bites her lip, watching her for a long, uncomfortable moment before she drops her eyes, her hand tightening around her necklace.

"Now pretty wee lass." Harry chuckles tightly before he presses his lips to Deez's temple, "It ain'nah nothin' for ya ta be ah thinkin' about. That be our jobs, aye?" He places her into Uma's lap before he bends in front of her, his icy blue eyes stern as he shakes his finger. "An' yer job be ta be behavin' an' mindin' Uma an' Gil." He cups her chin in his hand before he leans down and kisses her forehead; then Uma's, "I'll be headin' out now."

Uma sighs as Harry walks out. "He's just worried about T. Like we all are."

"Shouldn't we all be looking for T?" Deez whispers as she looks back over her shoulder.

"We're gonna, but you can't go naked," Uma explains with a small smile.

Deez looks down at the towel wrapped around her, "Right, for a moment it felt like my old toga again."

Uma lets out a tight chuckle, "I can see that." She agrees easily as she starts working the knots out of her cousin's hair, trying to be as gentle as Harry usually was with her.

Deez turns around after a moment and grabs Uma's hand again, "You know I wouldn't have stayed away forever right Uma? I'd have figured something out. I wasn't trying to punish myself or you guys."

Uma leans forward and kisses her cheek, "I know that Baby Girl, I'm just sorry we didn't find you sooner. You must have been so scared stuck like that. I'm so sorry."

Deez frowns, "It was fun trying to think like T at first. And Irk told me to move during the day because they knew I tended to move at night before."

"Whose Irk?" Uma asks in confusion. What the fuck kind of name was Irk? Irk had to be a boy's name. She'd have to thank him in some way for his service in protecting her cousin.

"One of Maleficent's goblins." She explains, "He's been taking care of getting my letters to the humans on the barge outside the barrier. Don't worry, I paid him for his help with my colored glass collection."

Uma lets out a genuine chuckle before she peppers Deez's hair with little kisses. "I'm glad you make friends with everyone." She hugs her to her chest so tightly it hurt, "Fuck, I missed you."

"I missed you too," Deez admits as she presses her lips to Uma's jaw.

Uma grins, twisting as she falls back and tackles Deez to the bed with the strength of her hug, nuzzling into the silky strands. "Please don't leave us again." She tries to sound playful, but it comes off pleading.

Deez blinks as her eyes water, making little drops cling to her lashes, "I won't. I'm not afraid of feeling loved anymore." She wraps her fingers around the small shell laying against her chest.

Afraid of being loved? Is that what it was? The thought broke her heart. Uma swallows as she curls around Deez protectively. "Good." She sighs in relief. "It's nothing to be afraid of." She peppers kisses on to her temple.

"It is when you don't understand it." Deez frowns.

"Pain and Panic love you." She reminds the small girl as she tilts her head to the side. As annoying as the two imps could be, she never doubted their love and devotion to Deez.

"Yes, but they pay for it all the time." She sighs, "And I was afraid of that too, but I'm willing to work on belonging with you-"

"It's impossible to have it both ways. Hurt and love kind of come hand and hand. I know I've hurt you, hurt Harry and Gil. And you're being ridiculous. There's nothing for you to work on. You belong with us. Belong with me. You always have. I love you so much it hurts."

"I've always wanted to belong here," Deez admits as she reaches up to touch the tears running down Uma's face.

"You always have. You're our Baby Girl. My Baby Girl. Before anyone else there was you. You encouraged me. Taught me that taking care of others was one of the most fulfilling feelings in the world. There wouldn't be an us without you."

"Really?" She blinks as she presses her fisted hand to her chest.

Uma nods. "Gil and Harry… After everything… I need to take care of others. It's a part of me. And I only learned that because of you."

Deez wraps her arms around Uma and hugs her tightly, "I love you." She states firmly.

"Will you…" She rolls her eyes at her insecurity, "Will you really join us then? For real. Be a member of our family? Our crew?" She asks, telling herself she was ready for the sting of rejection. "Let us love you properly, the way you deserve."

"I thought you'd never ask." Deez smiles as she drops her necklace and wraps her arms around her neck before pressing their lips together, "I'm still scared of the water, but I'll figure that out, like, eventually."

"No." Uma grins as she kisses Deez back, passionately expressing what she lacked in words, hoping Deez would understand how much her acceptance meant to her. "We'll figure it out, as a family." She kisses her cousin's temple. "Because that's what families do."

Aww, wasn't that a refreshing balm after the last chapter? Sorry, not sorry about Salt n' Burn, T can't always get away with his recklessness. It was inevitable the other boot would fall.

We know this one's another short one, but things are happening so rapidly right now it's the best way not to lose the pivotal moments of these scenes.

We know you guys earned them. We spent all of WWTM building up to this, Deez finally seeing and accepting where she belonged.

We didn't want what's going on with T to overshadow the fact that Deez is finally accepting being part of the family, that wouldn't be fair to either character… Besides, we're kinda sadistic as I'm sure you guys have figured out by now, and your passion fuels us.

That being said…

How did you guys like this chapter?

Was it fluffy enough?

Did Uma's thoughts about T's personality disorder fit her character?

Were you happy we did it from her POV?

Do you guys get why Uma and Harry didn't want to explain the truth to Deez about why T being a girl made things more stressful?

Let us know!

Much love and appreciation!

-Twisted