The desire to go home had been deep even before Uma showed up at the cotillion with a cursed Ben, Jay could admit that. He regretted accepting Lonnie's invitation to attend with her, even more so when Evie pulled him aside and told him that the girl had a crush on him. He didn't want to encourage her, not when he had feelings for someone else. So when the night finally came to an end, he pulled Lonnie aside. "Look," he said seriously, "I had a great time with you tonight." She beamed at him, reaching for his face. He intercepted the movement, pushing her hand away gently as her smile dimmed. "I had a great time with you tonight but," he continued, feeling nauseous at the disappointed frown marring Lonnie's features, "I have feelings for someone else and I don't want any misunderstanding between us."

"Who is she?"

It was a dangerous question, one that he couldn't answer without revealing more than he wanted to. He couldn't say that Lonnie didn't know her as the girl knew most, if not all, girls at Auradon Prep and it was out of the question to straight up tell her that he liked a girl from the Isle. He didn't want his motives to be questioned, not again. But he needed to say something. "It doesn't matter," he finally said, wincing at how much it sounded like an excuse, "What matters is that I only like you as a friend." Tears rose in Lonnie's eyes, but Jay did nothing to comfort her. He didn't want to give her false hope.

Evie walked over to Jay when she saw Lonnie hurriedly walking away from him. "You're really serious about Quinn, aren't you?" She envied him in that aspect, as she herself still wrestled with her feelings for Harry even though she was in a happy relationship with Doug. She liked her boyfriend, she really did. But it wasn't the same overwhelmingly warm, blushing affection that she felt for Harry. She wished that she was as sure of her feelings for either Harry or Doug as Jay was about his feelings for Quinn. "I guess we'll see if she is one of the people Ben brings over next."

"She won't be and you know that," Jay grumbled, dropping his face into his hands, "She's as likely to be invited to Auradon as Harry." Evie deflated slightly and he felt bad for bringing up the pirate, wrapping her into his arms in a hug. "But yeah, I'm serious about her." The blue-haired fashion designer nodded against his chest, squeezing him tighter in response. "Someday," he vowed once again, "Somehow."

Hope flickered in his heart as he and his friends went through the applications from the Isle. When Evie told him that the villain kids would be given a chance to apply to go to Auradon, rather than just having Ben pick them out, Jay knew that there was a realistic chance that Quinn would apply. His hope only grew when Evie continued by telling him that the original four VKs would choose the applicants. But after an hour of sifting through applications, Quinn's name had yet to pop up. He made it a point to read through them all thoroughly, even after Evie shook her head to tell him that she hadn't seen it. Reaching the bottom of the pile, Jay resigned himself to the fact that Quinn hadn't applied. He left the room, ignoring the feeling of Evie's pitying gaze on his back.

Quinn glared at Harry. "You are so unbelievable selfless, did you know that?" It was an insult, no matter how half-hearted it was, and Harry growled in frustration. She was irritated too, but that didn't mean the discussion would end. They'd been borderline arguing for several days. Harry kept insisting that he would stay on the Isle to protect her while Quinn, in turn, insisted that he had to go to the Isle and find happiness.

"And ye're out of yer mind if ye think I'm leavin' ye 'ere alone," he retorted, crossing his arms, "Yer mum's gotten worse and ye're in danger." He refused to be swayed on the matter. Queen of Hearts had started talking to herself shortly after the announcement that the next four villain kids would be brought to Auradon and Harry was worried that the thought of Quinn leaving would drive the queen to do something rash. "Either we go or we stay, Quinn," he continued, tilting her head gently so he could meet her eyes, "I'm not leavin' ye with yer mum."

Tears rose in Quinn's eyes at his words. "Harry, please," she whispered desperately, "I don't want to hold you back." Harry reared back to argue but she silenced him by pulling him into a hug. They rarely indulged in physical displays of affection, it wouldn't do either of them any favors if they got caught, but in the few moments that they gave in to the temptation, they truly felt like brother and sister. And as his sister, she needed to let him go. Or, in Quinn's case, convince him to go. "Listen to me," she murmured, tears running down her cheeks, "I am so grateful for everything you've done for me, ever since we were kids." Harry kissed her head and her lips turned up in a watery smile even as she was pained to say goodbye. "But it's my turn to do something for you," Quinn pulled away from him, seeing his eyes glisten in the dim light of her bedroom, "You have a chance to get out and I want you to take it." Harry looked hesitant but she could tell that his resolve was crumbling. She took off her favorite ring, a gold band set with a solitaire sapphire, giving it to him. He looked at her, frowning. "Take this and make it your goal to give it back," Quinn said, closing his fingers around it, "If you get out you can give it back when you come to get me and if you don't get out you can give it back when you come to figure out a new plan."

The pirate looked from the ring to her face and back before nodding resolutely. He didn't have to say what he was thinking, she already knew him well enough to understand. Harry would succeed where Jay failed. He kissed her forehead and gave her another quick hug before leaving. He had to find Gil so they could plan their escape.

Evie watched Ben propose to Mal with a bittersweet weight in her chest. She was so happy for Mal, so proud of her friend for finding love and kindness after growing up to believe that neither of those things really existed. But as Doug hugged her to his side, a wide grin on his face, Evie found herself questioning whether or not she could ever have that future with him. Her feelings for him were uncertain, they always had been. She knew she liked him but, with Harry lingering in the back of her mind even when Doug kissed her, she doubted that a potential marriage with her boyfriend would be happy. He deserved someone who was into him. Only him.

With a small, accepting smile on her lips, Quinn watched from her tower as the reformed villain kids left with the new recruits for Auradon. While she wanted to get away from her mother, she had no desire to go to Auradon as a charity project. No, the only way she was ever leaving the Isle was if the terms were fair, with the barrier down and the children free. Her heart skipped a beat as Hades suddenly burst from the crowd and launched himself toward the closing dome, getting stuck in it. A quick battle of strength between him and Mal had the purple-haired queen-to-be sending Hades back behind the invisible wall. Disappointed, Quinn retired to her room. She had far more important things to deal with.

The theft of the crown and Maleficent's scepter was shocking but for Evie, it was far more shocking to hear that there were discussions about closing the barrier for good after Hades' attempt to escape. Her eyes watered as she thought of Harry, Diego, and Quinn who, among so many others, deserved a second chance. When Quinn's name passed through her list of people who deserved freedom, Evie's head snapped up. Jay. Dread formed like a heavy knot in her stomach as she wondered how he would react to the news. Ever since coming to Auradon he'd spent most of his time wondering how to make things right with Quinn, how to get her away from her imprisonment in House of Cards. If the barrier closed for good… he would be devastated. But Evie was confident in Mal's ability to speak up for the kids on the Isle.

Jay had absolutely no idea what had led up to him finding Mal outside Evie's house with Audrey. Well, it wasn't so much the fact that he found her outside Evie's house. It was the 'with Audrey' part that confused him, that and the fact that she was an old hag, reminiscent of pictures he'd seen painted of Evil Queen when she was disguised to trick Snow White. Dizzy screamed when she laid eyes on the formerly purple-haired girl and well, Jay didn't blame her. Mal revealed that they needed to get Hades' ember and he was reluctant to go back. As far as he knew, Harry was still on the warpath and an angry Harry Hook was a dangerous one. He rushed to get his things with Carlos, who commented that not only was Audrey aiming to be the queen she was apparently aiming to be Queen of Mean. Jay laughed. "There is only one Queen of Mean and it ain't Audrey," he quipped, but Carlos only looked confused, "Never mind."

Once on the Isle, the VKs parked their scooters outside Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Arcade. Evie looked around the space, smiling when she watched Celia interact with her father. The kids seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves and she hoped that one day she'd see the smiles on their faces again when they stepped into Auradon. Suddenly, Carlos called them over. He was watching a news report on a tv, where the reporter was talking about a sleeping spell. Apparently, Audrey was reportedly responsible for the curse, though the reporter didn't seem to believe it. "Maybe we should go to Quinn's Quid Pro Quo," she suggested carefully, "There are all sorts of cures and reversal spells there." As expected, her words weren't taken kindly.

"Absolutely not," Mal protested, "We can't trust her and she'll ask for something we can't give her in return." Carlos nodded in agreement.

Jay knew that Mal was right, but he also knew she had no idea just how right she was. If Quinn found out they were asking for her help, she wasn't even very likely to let them through the door. "Mal's right," he commented, "besides, Quinn's a known associate of Harry Hook and after last time I really don't think we need to increase the risk of running into him." Evie looked disappointed but nodded. Doctor Facilier raised an interested eyebrow.

"Quinn, you say?" He shook his head sadly, hands on his heart. "No one's seen her in a long time," he told them, hugging Celia to him as if to protect her from harm, "Rumor has it that her mother finally lost the few marbles she had left since Hook's kids run her store these days." He saw the horrified looks on the kids' faces and smiled. "Not to worry though," he added, "As far as I know she hasn't passed to the other side."

The urge to check on Quinn was overwhelming Jay as they left the arcade. The bad luck that seemed to permeate the day continued as they saw Harry, Gil and some other pirates drive off with their scooters. Jay followed after them with Evie and Carlos on his heels.

Mal stopped Celia from following their friends. "They got this," she stated confidently, "You and me gotta go find the ember." The voodoo-girl nodded, stating matter-of-factly that it was Hades' nap time. Mal followed her over the Isle, into a dark, hidden corner. The metal gate was decorated with boards and tires, forming a skull and above it were more boards forming the words 'get lost'. There was also a sign warning visitors about the dog.

Celia saw Mal looking at the sign. "You'll see," she said ominously, "Stay quiet in here, it echoes like crazy." She led Mal deeper into the cavernous tunnels, urging her along when the barking started. As they got onto the bike-like transportation that would take them to Hades' lair, Celia made quiet conversation. "The only other visitor that ever comes here is his daughter," she said quietly, pedaling along, "I've never met her though, so I think she has another way to get in."

Mal was stunned. Because she had never been to visit her father. Which meant that, unless Celia had gotten something wrong, she had a sibling somewhere on the Isle. A sister she never knew about, a sister that her father had bothered to be there for. Celia gestured that it was time to get off the weird bike they'd taken and they quietly snuck deeper into Hades' lair. Mal saw her father asleep on a makeshift armchair. The dog started barking again and she jumped. Celia chuckled and pointed to a gramophone, where a record of Cerberus barking was spinning. Hades' snoring brought them back to their goal. Trusting Celia, Mal snuck behind some drapes and up behind her father's sleeping form. Just as she grabbed the ember, it was snatched from her fingers. Her father turned around, looking at her with his chin resting on his wrist. "Hi, dad."