OMG, I'm so sorry!

Yesterday we were in such a writing zone I completely forgot to post this!

I guess you could say yesterday was...

Overwhelming?

/laughs at own joke

Moving on without further ado,

Lots of Love,

-Dark-

Deez grins as she tucks herself between a couple of crates in the hold which, weirdly, had become her sanctuary. None of the other crew came in here, so she was still able to be herself, but she was able to find the alone time she sometimes needed when the cabin got to be too much.

Like now. After Harry and T's animated retelling of the video call to Auradon, she had a lot on her mind.

She'd been happy and excited to hear them talk about meeting Ben and Jay's lord of feels counselor, happy to hear the Rottens were doing good in Auradon. But hearing about the library and seeing the pictures. It was all overwhelming, and she had no idea how to explain what she was feeling.

She appreciated the way Gil smiled encouragingly when she whispered she needed some time to think.

She curls around the pictures in her lap, taking her time as she shifts through them, drinking in every detail she could as she stares at their smiling, or in Mal's case in one picture scowling, faces.

She blinks back tears when the pictures become blurry on her fourth pass.

They were okay. A tightness she hadn't even acknowledged in her chest loosens.

She smiles as she hugs the pictures to her chest. They were okay!

More than okay, they looked happy. Like the real kind of happiness that reached their eyes, pushing the haunted look to the side, even if it was just for a moment. Just for the picture.

But it was more than she'd ever seen in their eyes before.

It was more than stolen moments of happiness they scraped together here. More than picnics and sword lessons at a drained pool. More than fashion shows in secret.

They were allowed to be happy there.

Mal was tucked under Ben's arm as if she'd always belonged there; like she was comfortable there. Like she found where she belonged, just like she'd found with her sea family. It was wonderful to see someone she admired so much look comfortable with herself. She chuckles as she flips back to the picture of her scowling; comfortable being herself and finding acceptance.

And Jay side hugging the man named David? Her chest felt warm and full, like her heart could burst. She'd always told him he was too hard on himself, that he seemed to understand the way others were feeling pretty well. She'd always found him to be comforting when she was upset. But to see him smiling and carefree while hugging someone he'd only known for a couple of months at most made her so unbelievably happy.

The picture of Carlos and his friend Dude set free the tears she'd been holding back. After all the mean things Curella told him about dogs- and seriously, who were they to question something they had no experience with back then? But after all that, he'd made a friend with a dog. With Ben's help, apparently.

And Evie. She couldn't wait to show Dizzy the picture. Evie looked so happy. Her smile actually reached her eyes. Eyes that were brighter than she'd ever seen. She looked so happy it brought out the spark she knew was there. It was just hiding under all the shit her mother forced on her. All the self-hatred she had for not being the perfect princess her mother wanted her to be. But she looked amazing now. Vibrant. Like anything was possible.

And it was. They were free.

Free and doing wonderful things with their freedom.

She bites her lip, fighting the selfish wish that she was there so she could record their stories.

She wipes her tears away with her shoulders, unwilling to release her hold on the pictures. They'd changed so much and she'd missed it.

She shuffles to the next picture.

This was the picture that made her lose her breath. Made her need time and space. The library Ben housed all her letters in. She had no idea she'd sent so many. He must have gotten all of them over the years. She couldn't imagine there being others out there with the size of his collection.

She looks back through until she finds the picture of Prince Ben and Mal. Her eyes study the smile on his face. It felt so… Strange? Weird. Without knowing it, she'd been working with this guy. A prince. No, the prince. Sending him letters he found fascinating. T was convinced the only reason any of them had been taken off the isle was because of her letters. Had she made a difference?

She presses a hand to her chest. Why did it feel hard to breathe? But at the same time, she was unimaginably happy. Like dizzy with it. Her heart was beating so fast! Like she was excited, or scared…

What was this? And why was it so intense? It felt overwhelming, but also kind of nice. Like the first time she'd made Gil laugh when he was obviously still scared. She bites her lip. Whatever this feeling was, she was pretty sure she liked it.

Her eyes drop back to the picture. Prince Ben. Without them ever meeting they'd worked together on a mutual dream. One he'd started making a reality. Did that make them friends? She smiles at the thought. She thought it did. It felt nice to have a friend who believed as she did. Who wanted to see others freed from the isle.

She pulls her bag to her, fishing through it until she finds the newest notebook T brought back for her. She really liked the idea of sending the Prince pictures of the VKs in their everyday life. After all, Mother Gothel constantly quoted that a picture was worth a thousand words.

Her eyes narrow, so what would a picture and a story be worth?

She smiles before she crawls out of her thinking spot. She wanted to find T to see if he'd even be willing to take her out with him. Then she'd worry about talking permission with Uma. No need to stress her out if T wasn't going to be okay with the idea.

As she walks out of the hold she pauses at a strange sound coming from T's room. Cool, at least she didn't have to look hard. But why was T practicing picking locks in his room? That's the only thing she could imagine that sound was.

Oh no… That didn't sound like T's confident movements. That also didn't sound like T's breathing.

She bites her lip and bounces on her feet when a deep, rumbling voice on the other side of the door confirms her suspicions.

Gil was the one trying to pick the lock.

Scrambling to pick the lock. Trying to not take deep breaths.

It seemed like T was helping the rest of the family overcome their fears. Not that they'd given him many options.

Well, that wasn't completely true. She was pretty sure Uma never technically asked for T's help. A soft smile plays on her lips. T probably hadn't even thought that one through, jumping off the cliff like he had.

She was pretty sure T was the only one who was willing to do what it took to get them over their fears. Like him holding her head underwater.

She'd bet her writing skills that no one in the rest of her family would be willing to do that to her. To ignore her screams of panic. Ignore the hurt in her eyes, the fear that constantly glared back at him whenever she broke the surface.

She'd be lying if she didn't admit it had put a strain on their relationship. Even though she'd been the one to ask.

She'd had no idea how ruthless T could be when someone asked for help. She shouldn't have been surprised though. T, more than anyone or anything else, was always so vigilant about survival.

She sighs and turns to lean against the door before she slides down to sit with her back against it, wincing when she hears Gil plead with T to just let him out.

Yep. She lets her head fall back against the door. Just listening to it made her stomach twist and her heartache. She sits on her hands, afraid if it went on for much longer she'd burst into T's room to get Gil out of his own personal hell. She understood how overwhelming it could be.

She bites her lip as she hears the sound of a lock being fumbled with. She wanted to help, but she also knew this was Gil's choice. Gil chose to go to T and work on this. And if she ever wanted her family to respect her choice to do the same, she had to respect them.

She swallows as she hears Gil let out a heartbreaking whimper, the notes pulling at her heartstrings.

What exactly was T doing to him? She frowns as she brings her thumb up to her lips.

Nothing more than she was willing to have T do to her she promises herself. She went to T because she knew he'd help her no matter what. She had to believe Gil did the same.

As desperate as Gil was to get out, she was just as desperate to get in. Maybe waiting outside the door with how sensitive her hearing was had been a mistake. She'd only come to tell him about her idea to put the pictures into a notebook with a story about them and see what he thought.

She should have left when she first realized what was happening. This was painful. But now she felt like she had to see this through. To continue her silent cheers for Gil from this side of the lock.

She frowns when she hears T let out a heavy sigh before she hears the light creaking of the floorboards.

"Gil." T sighs before he goes silent. "I know you can do this, you just have to breathe. Remember the candle? It's still flickering. We're okay. You're okay." His tone held a surprising amount of softness.

That was new. Either that or T was giving Gil special treatment, which she highly doubted.

Or maybe that was Faustina? But she doubted that too.

"Breathe big guy, I know you can do this." T coaxes.

"T?" Gil asks in surprise.

"Is it- Is it helping?" T asks, sounding more unsure than she'd ever heard him.

Silence.

"Yeah," Gil sighs, sounding relieved.

"Heard."

She blinks, staring at the wall. What exactly was T doing? She wanted to know so badly.

The sound of the lock being fumbled with soon became the only noise she could hear. Except this time the fumbling didn't seem quite as- She narrows her eyes, rushed or shaky. A sigh of relief leaves her in a whoosh now that the pleading had stopped.

Seriously, it was killing her not to know what T was doing.

Though after several heartbeats she could hear Gil's breathing becoming heavy again.

"Here," T sighs, "before you break another set." It goes silent. "I need to finish making you and Deez the stronger set. These just aren't cutting it."

She breathes in relief when she hears a lock spring open, it was short-lived when her world suddenly tumbles. Her back knocks into something solid before she finds herself tangled with Gil's legs, obviously catching him by surprise as he steps back just to trip over something.

"Umph." T lets out in a whoosh of breath.

She blinks as she finds herself on top of a dogpile with Gil's arms wrapped around her protectively. "Oops?" She grins awkwardly down at him and T, "Sorry." She tries to twist to stand, wanting to give T room to breath, or at least get him out from under Gil.

Gil lets go of her almost instantly. "It's okay."

"Speak for yourself." T breathes out. "Cruella's car weighs less."

Deez snorts as she holds her hand out to help Gil up. "I didn't mean to cause a pile."

Gil chuckles as he takes her hand, "No worries Deez," he smiles down at her once he's on his feet.

T takes a deep breath before he twists and pushes himself up. "No problem." He breathes out as he rubs his back.

Deez frowns as she watches T. It didn't sound like it wasn't a problem. "Are you okay?" She eyes him critically.

T takes another deep breath as he drops his hands and shoves them in his pocket. "Yep." He turns to her, "Sup with-"

She squeaks in surprise when she and T are pressed together in a vice grip before Gil starts running. "Gil?"

No response. She shifts slightly in his hold until she can press a hand to his chest. The beat of his heart pounds against her hand. She frowns. What had happened?

She turns to T, hoping for an answer only to find his head bowed. Apparently he was resigned to being a momentary rag doll.

Once they get to the deck, Gil gasps as he takes in a deep breath, shifting them so he was holding them with one arm as he ran to open the cabin door.

"Sweet Boy, what's-" Uma's eyes widen at their sudden entrance as she turns to face them.

"The room ran out of air." Gil breathes out as he kicks the door shut behind him.

"The air?" Deez blinks as she looks up at him.

"The candle." Gil breathes in deeply, clinging to them tighter.

Harry lifts a brow as he abandons his pen and walks over, "What be ah happenin' with the candle?" He asks, resting a hand on Gil's shoulder.

"It went out." Gil breathes out. "An' I didn't want any of us to suffocate." He squeezes them tighter.

T gasps as his spine cracks loudly. "Not a god." He breathes out tightly.

"You should probably let T go," Deez pets his chest awkwardly with what little room she had to move, "we already squished him once today."

"Right." Gil frowns as he lets both of them go before he picks her up again. The vice grip returns tenfold.

Deez frowns as she wraps her arms around his neck, "You're okay. You even picked the lock before the candle went out." She reminds him gently as she rubs his back.

Gil shifts her in his arms so she was straddling his hip. "Barely."

"Okay, the candle went out because we were in there for like two hours Gil. It was an old candle. But-" His chuckle, sounded slightly wheezy, "Nice reaction time."

"Oh." Gil rubs the back of his head sheepishly, as a blush spreads across his cheeks."I didn't think about the candle running out of wax."

"At least now we know for next time." T sighs before he walks over and perches on the back of a chair next to Harry.

Uma tilts her head to the side before she takes Gil by the arm and forces him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Breath Sweet Boy." She orders, "You're safe."

Gil nods as he follows her instructions, taking another gulping breath. "Yeah," He nods. "We're safe."

Harry chuckles, "Least we know the Sweet Boy be ah grabbin' the valuables when he be in ah tight spot."

Uma snickers, "Aye," She runs a hand through Gil's hair, "That's my Sweet Boy, always thinking of the important things."

Gil holds her tighter as he wraps an arm around Uma's waist and pulls her closer to lay his forehead against her chest.

She snuggles against his side as his shaking slowly still, feeling Uma's arm snake around Gil's neck. She always felt like this after facing her fears with T too. Apparently the candle going out hadn't helped. She wanted to tell him she was proud of him, wanted to praise him for getting the lock open, but now that she understood what was happening, she wasn't sure Uma and Harry were aware that Gil had asked for help. They hadn't said anything yet, and she didn't want to push that.

"That was brave." She admits after a moment.

"Yeah?" Gil's tone chock-full of confusion.

She nods as she pulls back enough to look into his turbulent brown eyes, "You were scared, but you made sure you got us out of danger before you ran." Her eyes drop for a moment at a memory of seaweed wrapping around her ankle, "You could have just left us, or even freaked out, but you didn't."

"Yeah." T agrees as she hears another ripple of cracks coming from his direction. "I didn't even realize what the fuck was happening, 'til I did." He chuckles.

"Huh." Gil exhales again. "Don't feel brave."

"Doesn't mean you're not."

"Can ya be ah sittin' right?" Harry grumbles, "the fuck ya be ah doin'?"

Deez blinks before she turns in time to see T pout. It takes her a second to realize T was bent backward over the back of the chair he'd perched on. She tilts her head, was that why she kept hearing pops?

"Stretching? You should try it sometime."

"I do be ah stretchin', that don'nah be ah lookin' like stretchin' though. That be ah lookin' like darin' the gods ta be breakin' the chair on ya."

T huffs before he pulls himself up to sit up straight.

She chuckles before she turns back to Gil and takes one of his big hands in both of hers, "It's not everyone's absent reaction to save the people around them when they think there's danger."

"Well, I couldn't just leave you two to suffocate." Gil pouts.

"And I really admire that about you." She smiles before she reaches up to touch her fingers to the pout.

"Aye." Uma kisses the top of Gil's head, "That be our Sweet Boy for ya." She runs her fingers through his hair again. "Chivalrous to a fault." She chuckles as she nuzzles her head against him.

"Aye." Harry chuckles as he joins them on the bed, kneeling behind them before he wraps his arms around them. Clearly not wanting to be left out.

She smiles at the way her family came together to support a single member when they were feeling low. Well, almost the entire family. She shifts slightly until she can pin T with a stern look.

T holds both of his hands out to his sides, silently asking 'What?'

She tilts her head towards Gil. Didn't he want to encourage him too?

T hangs his head back before he sighs and rolls off the chair to land on his feet. He sighs again before he pads over and, staying as far away from them as humanly possible, reaches out to squeeze Gil's upper arm on the opposite side of her. "You never give yourself enough credit, man. You did fuckin' awesome today."

Gil looks up in surprise as he smiles up at T before he looks around at the rest of them. "Thank you but," He hugs her and Uma to him tighter. "It's only cause I have such good role models."

Harry nudges the back of Gil's head, "If ya be usin' me as a model, ya would be ah takin' ah compliment."

Uma chuckles, "Aye, ain't no one takin' a compliment like our Pretty Boy." She slides one of her hands away from Gil's neck to stroke Harry's face tenderly.

Her chuckle turns to full laughter as she buries her face against Gil's chest. She was glad someone said it, because she didn't feel like she had any room to point it out herself.

Harry joins her as he uses his leverage to pull them to the bed.

And they lost T.

Deez sighs. She didn't even have to look.

Though she was surprised to not hear the door open.

Sup?

Hopefully you guys are all doing well, we were so thrilled that all of you seemed to enjoy What a Rip so much, it made us both squee when we saw our email packed with your reviews, so thank you to all of you who commented. You're the best readers two writers could ask for.

That being said, onto the questions…

Isn't it cute how Deez turned the hold into her own little sanctuary?

What did you guys think about Deez's thoughts on the video chat? Any idea what emotion she was experiencing?

Do you think T will be down with taking her out on the isle?

Speaking of T, what do you think he was doing to poor Gil?

Wasn't it just the fucking cutest when he scooped up Deez and T? What did you think bout Harry and Uma's reactions?

Did the ending make you squee?

Let us know!

Much love and appreciation,

Twisted

Side Note:

Hey, just wanted a moment to give a shoutout to those who reviewed What a Rip;

Quint Brit! We were so glad to see you again we were worried about you. Thank you so much for your review. We're glad that you enjoyed the chapter! That one specifically took a lot of work. We're glad that we've gotten T to the point where people can guess how he's going to react. As his creator that meant a lot to me, so thank you! :)

DS Rider! We're so sorry. We know you were expecting one of them to be preggers by that point, LoLz. But the reason we don't really put it into consideration is because these kids are so mal-nourished that even if they were to get pregnant there's no way they'd be able to keep it more than a month. That's why their periods are so irregular as well so, yeah, sorry to disappoint :/ . As for your review on this chapter, thank you. We very much agree with you. If they ever get to meet Ben would very much be an honorary older bro to D. We're so happy that you're so passionate about the two. As writers, that's exactly what we want to see. :)

Devinnocole! Our beautiful beta, thank you for everything you do for us! It was nice of you to review. We always appreciate every review. We know our first book probably overwhelms readers from wanting to touch it, so the more we get hopefully the more people will want to read it. Glad you love this chapter. We, and you, put a fuck ton of work into it. And LoLz, Harry and Jay give us the fuzzy wuzzies too. :)

Dobby! You are amazing in every aspect of the word! Not only did you read our first version of our story, you continued on and read this version as well. It really means so much to us to have such a dedicated reader! I mean even the times you've warned us you might not be able to review due to your ridiculously busy life? It's nothing short of humbling. We love hearing your opinions between this version and the first. And the fact you're so dedicated, you're willing to use what little wifi you have while backpacking to continue to review us means everything! Hope you're enjoying your trip! Your presence on Ise side chats has been missed and we look forward to you joining us again :)

Fandom! Gods what to say... Firstly, we're so glad to have you back and are so blessed we didn't lose you to this plague. You're an absolute delight! The ways you always flatter us and support us is just- There aren't words. Thank you so much for your in-depth reviews, especially when it's so hard for you to get a signal. Your dedication is both noted and very much appreciated. And the fact that despite not being to review for so long you were willing to go back over and add them? You're seriously one of the sweetest souls, so thank you. We loved your insight to this chapter. You got so much on point and even pointed out shit to us we never even considered. And Aww you made us blush with that last bit, it was very kind of you to compliment us like that. We'd love to have you join us on isle side chats, so hopefully when things settle we'll see you. :)

Book Worm Princess! We're not sure where you disappeared to, but our thoughts are with you and we really hope you are well. Your absence has definitely been noticed.