Jay lay back on his bed, humming the lullaby to himself as the image of Quinn, when she'd sung it in her room, played in his head. He felt himself slip off into slumber when the door burst open, causing him to jump up. Mal entered the room, slamming the wooden barrier shut behind her again before she set about pacing back and forth so fast Jay wondered if she was actively trying to wear the carpet down to shreds. "What's up?"
"I don't know if I can do this," Mal stated, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly, "I never have any free time, there's so much to prepare for the cotillion and Evie's on my back about the dress all the time." She didn't notice Jay's befuddled look, moving to walk in circles around Jay and Carlos' table. "I'm so tired, but I don't want to let anyone down and I just…"
Jay held his hands up, stopping her. "What are you talking about?" He was so genuinely confused, unable to connect the dots in his sleepy, Quinn-filled mind. Mal growled in frustration and resumed walking around the table. "Mal," he interrupted, frowning at her, "What is it you think you can't do?"
"This!" The blonde gestured around them, at herself and at the 3D-printer on the table. "All of it, from the pretty dresses to the press conferences to the freaking breakfast in the morning!" She was aware that she wasn't making any sense, but she was so sick of being the perfect Auradon girl. Her magic was flaring from lack of use, the spellbook in her bag mocking her whenever she laid eyes on it and she just wanted some kind of outlet or escape. "I don't belong here," Mal continued, not giving Jay a chance to reply, "Sometimes I miss just screaming at people and making them cower in fear!"
Jay's eyes widened. "Hold on," he said, walking up to grasp her shoulders, "We both know that you love being here." Mal nodded, though reluctantly, which was enough for him. "It's a lot to get used to," he added, "but Auradon is home, more so than the Isle ever was, and you'll get used to it eventually." He was lying to her face, but he couldn't be bothered with acknowledging that fact at that time. Later, while tucked into bed trying to sleep, he would revisit those words, but as it was, he was busy keeping Mal from doing something stupid. "It gets better, even if it's a change of pace that we're not fully accustomed to." Mal nodded, hugging him before leaving the room. Jay slumped down on his bed, suddenly even more exhausted than before.
For the next few days, he was certain that his words had resonated with Mal. That bubble burst when Evie announced that Mal had left for the Isle. So, once again, the VKs found themselves on the Isle. Only, Ben was with them. King Ben, son of Belle and the Beast, who had no clue how to conduct himself on a place like the Isle. Jay rolled his eyes as Evie and Carlos did their best to instruct him on how to behave, silently noting that Quinn, who was probably the least evil person on the Isle, would laugh in Ben's face if she saw him. The former thief showed the way along the paths of the Isle, wincing as Gil, son of Gaston, suddenly ran right into Ben. It only got worse as the pirate announced that Uma would freak when he told her that they were there before running off. Figuring that Mal would be at Bargain Castle, the four Auradonians rushed off before anyone else realized who Ben was. At first, Jay was reluctant to let Ben talk to Mal alone, as the whole reason Mal had snapped had to do with the king, but seeing an opportunity to sneak away, he agreed to let Ben go first.
He snuck down the streets of the Isle, leaving Evie and Carlos outside Bargain Castle. In almost no time, he stopped outside Quinn's shop. The sign read 'open', but Quinn wasn't there, the red hair replaced by the blonde curls of CJ Hook, Harry's sister. Jay didn't know much about the girl, only that she was one of three kids fathered by Captain Hook and that she preferred wooden beads over glass ones. Disappointed, he turned back and returned to his friends. Ben was walking down the stairs just as he arrived back at Bargain Castle, shaking his head sadly. When Evie asked where Mal was, they were all surprised to hear that she had thrown Ben out, telling him that she wasn't coming back to Auradon. Evie tried fruitlessly to reason with Mal, Jay telling her quietly to give their friend some time to cool off. As if the night wasn't bad enough already, Carlos suddenly called their attention to him, asking where Ben was. None of them had seen him walk away. A shadow approached and they let out a breath of relief, only for Jay's heart to stop in his chest. Harry Hook stood in front of them. "What did you do with Ben?" Silently, Jay congratulated himself for sounding more fierce than he felt. Harry was Quinn's closest friend and ally, he didn't doubt that the pirate was out for his blood.
"Ooh, uh, we nicked 'im," Harry told them gleefully, turning to gesture vaguely down the path he'd come from, "Mm-hmm." He faced the three former islanders, barely concealing the dangerous glint in his eyes. "Yeah," he continued, "and if ye want te see 'im again, 'ave Mal come to the Chip Shoppe tonight." He paused briefly for effect, his inner drama-queen itching to get out even as his arms itched with the urge to shove his hook into Jay's abdomen. "Alone," he spoke, purposely making his voice just a little ominous, "Uma wants a little visit." Done with the business side of things, Harry turned his gaze to Jay. There were many things he could do to the thief, for he would always be a thief in the pirate's eyes, but he had to ensure that Jay struck first. If he didn't, Quinn would be mad at him instead of Jay. "Aw, Jay," he cooed, adopting a pouty face, "Seems like ye've lost yer touch." It worked like charm, or one of Quinn's darling little bags of herbs against headaches, the long-haired man launching towards the pirate before Evie could stop him. Harry anticipated the move, using Jay's momentum against him as he shoved the only slightly shorter guy into a wooden pillar, hook placed against his pulse-point. "You're not the only one," he whispered darkly, pressing the tip of the hook hard enough into Jay's skin to make him wince, "She got reckless after ye left, taking more risks, and got caught." Harry felt Jay's breath hitch at his words, dragging the sharp metal down his throat, a bright red line in its wake. "Her mother keeps 'er locked away now, unable to ever leave the tower, all because of ye." Slowly, he trailed the tip of the hook from Jay's throat to his collarbone, where the pirate pressed hard enough to draw blood. A hiss escaped the other man's throat as Harry traced a thin line, red liquid spilling forth. "I won't stop," he vowed lowly, his words for Jay's ears only, "until ye bleed as much as Quinn's heart did." Satisfied with his work for the moment, Harry let Jay go before sauntering away, whistling a merry little tune. He had accomplished what he wanted, after all, striking fear into the heart of the man who had broken his best friend's heart.
Hoping to avoid questions, Jay climbed up the side of Bargain Castle to tell Mal about Ben's kidnapping, Carlos and Evie following him. Mal left to see Uma, alone as requested, leaving her friends to impatiently wait for her to come back. While Carlos busied himself with making a point by sitting down, Evie turned to Jay, eyes bright with unshed tears and questions. "Quinn's trapped in her tower," he whispered to her, telling her what Harry had told him, "and he vowed to make me bleed for hurting her." Evie's gasp was soft as she placed a hand over her mouth, but Jay waved her off, gesturing to Carlos. They could talk more when they were alone.
Carlos was more perceptive than he was ever given credit for though. When Mal returned and told them that Uma demanded the magic wand in exchange for Ben. They hatched a plan and while the girls headed off to Lady Tremaine's Curl Up and Dye, the guys went back to the limo and went back to Auradon to make a fake wand with the 3D-printer. "What did Harry say to you," he asked, startling Jay, "when he pushed you against that pillar?" He'd found the interaction strange, unable to pin-point a moment when Harry had expressed hatred against Jay before. They didn't even know each other, as far as Carlos was aware. Jay heaved a heavy sigh from the driver's seat, something weighing on his mind.
"I dated his best friend before we left for Auradon," Jay finally admitted, seeing Carlos' jaw drop in the corner of his eye, "I made her a promise to come back and when I didn't, well, I guess I broke her heart." Carlos still didn't pick his jaw back up and Jay resisted the urge to tease him for his, for once, speechless state. "Harry and I were friends before I left, but now he's vowed to pretty much kill me for hurting her."
"You dated Uma?"
Jay choked on his breath at Carlos' incredulous words, turning his wide gaze to his friend. "No," he said seriously, shaking his head so fast it hurt, "Quinn." The name alone sent tingles down his spine, the image of blood-red tresses and sparkling blue eyes flitting through his mind. He shook his head stubbornly, refusing to let himself be pulled down that rabbit hole. "I think she was on Uma's side for a while, though," he revealed, seeing Carlos' eyes widen, "But I'm not sure if that's still true." Jay sighed as Carlos sent him a confused glance. He wasn't sure how to explain it in a way that didn't reveal just how deeply his feelings for Quinn ran. He didn't feel ready to confront that just yet. "Harry Hook's her best friend," he explained, smiling slightly as Carlos listened with rapt attention, "he's far more loyal to her than to Uma but Evie told me that the pirates were blocking all paths to Quinn the last time we were on the Isle, which makes me think that maybe Uma and Quinn had some kind of agreement that made Uma let Harry use her pirates to keep watch over Quinn." He paused, waiting for Carlos to absorb the information. The black-and-white-haired boy nodded for him to continue and Jay took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I snuck off to see her earlier but there were no pirates around this time, which makes sense if either one of them ended the alliance." The rest of the drive was filled with a contemplative silence as they both recovered from the revelations. Jay couldn't believe that he had finally told someone else about Quinn, someone who had no prior relationship with her.
Getting a replica of Fairy Godmother's wand was easier than getting rid of Lonnie. She had snuck up on them when they prepared to leave and adamantly refused to leave. So with a hopeless wish that Harry wouldn't misconstrue his relationship with Mulan's daughter, Jay let her come along. They met up with Evie and Mal outside the entrance to the Goblin Wharf, Quinn's shop dimly lit but occupied by Harriet Hook. With a final, heavy sigh, Jay followed his friends to get Ben.
Harry grinned maliciously as he leaned Ben over the water at a perilous angle. He could see the trepidation in Jay's eyes and savored it, letting the king fall forward just a little farther. Uma's command for him to bring over Ben had Harry rolling his eyes as he just barely avoided reminding her that he wasn't doing it for her. He liked Uma well enough and she was a decent captain, but his priority, first and foremost, was and always would be Quinn. The trade was smooth, but he knew something was fishy. When they realized that the wand was fake, he felt his fury ignite all over again. How dare the low-life street-rat trick him? The resulting sword fight had him fuming. He hadn't even managed to make the smallest of cuts on Jay, no matter how hard he tried. Harry glowered over Uma's shoulder as the Auradonians fled and Mal kicked the gangplank away from the Goblin Wharf entrance. They were stuck, for the moment. The only comfort he had was the memory of the look on Jay's face when he'd told the thief about Quinn willingly surrendering the Isle to Uma and, because he couldn't resist twisting the knife deeper, that Quinn had stopped caring about anyone or anything. Only the part about the surrender was true but, as far as Harry was concerned, Jay didn't need to know that.