Warnings;
. Swearing.
. Slight violence.
. Gore... I think? I'm honestly not sure, but I think that's what it is.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
For a moment or two, Harry genuinely believed he was dead. It wouldn't have been too surprising, considering how much the Finicky Five had enjoyed cutting into him. He could only thank his malicious father, in some way, for his ability to withstand high levels of pain. Once again he'd held out against the agony and hadn't given the idiots the satisfaction he was sure they'd wanted.
At first there was nothing. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see, and he couldn't feel: It was irritating, really.
Then, after a few for minutes of internal chastising - due to the fact Cassie, of all people, had been the cause of his death - he realised that he wasn't dead. If he was dead he'd be awake by now and wandering the depths of hell. He wouldn't be stuck inside his head, arguing with himself, while attempting to rid himself of the unbearable itch spreading through his stomach and chest.
The inner ramblings paused. He was itchy... annoyingly so, in fact. He could feel. If he could feel, then he wasn't dead.
Not yet, anyway.
After finally convincing himself he wasn't somewhere on the other side, Harry focused more on what was going on outside of his mind. His eyelids felt glued together, so for the time being he listened closely, hoping for a sound of some kind to give him an idea of where he was.
There was a faint creak, soon followed by a soothing flow of water; The ocean.
Harry gave an audible sigh of relief, releasing the breath he'd held in. If he could hear the ocean then it meant he was somewhere along the shoreline. He was in pirate territory now.
Suddenly, there was another creak, but much louder this time: A door.
The pirate stayed silent, attempting to feign unconsciousness to whoever had opened the door. He might be somewhere in pirate territory, but not everyone liked him as much as his crewmates so he had to be careful.
Much to Harry's disappointment, he didn't hear any footsteps, or any signs of the mystery person coming closer. But after a few small seconds - that felt much longer due to his current situation - he felt an odd tickling sensation along his left leg. At first Harry assumed someone had left the window open, and that it was simply a cold ocean breeze drifting through the room. However, the tickling didn't waver: If anything it grew stronger. This time, though, it was accompanied by a delightful - albeit quite alarming - warmth.
Harry fought against the urge to flinch, especially as the mysterious tickling travelled upward. It was insanely annoying, more so because he had no idea what it even was. All he could truly say with certainty was that someone... no, something, was in the room with him.
The tickling stayed near the left side of his stomach and the warmth grew in the space near his ribs. Then there was a small, cold pressure against his skin, coming from two very, very small hands.
'Not hands', he realised with a silent curse... paws.
Despite the fact he'd been killing little kitty-cats and scattering them around the inner Isle, Harry held no great distain for the furry little pests. They never came to his side of the Isle so it wasn't as if they wreaked havoc around the shoreline, and they were rather interesting once they calmed down. Obviously the animals hadn't been too welcoming at first when he'd gripped the back of their necks and tossed them in cages. He'd kept them fed and warm down in the cells, and gave them a little petting every once in a while.
He'd made sure to kill the chosen few away from the rest. After all, he already had one cat on his ass lately, he didn't need a few more on top of that.
While the confusion of having a cat near him now niggled away at his mind, it also brought a wonderful realisation. The only cats on this side of the Isle were the ones he had locked away in the cells.
He was on his ship.
With this thought in mind the pirate determined that he was safe, and carefully began the agonizing task of opening his eyes.
While in the midst of attempting to look around the room - which he could only assume was his own now that he knew he was on his ship - Harry felt a strange, prickling sort of feeling on his skin, as if someone had grabbed some sandpaper and decided to lightly rub it along his stomach.
Intrigued, he finally managed to open his eyes, exasperated when he found his vision clouded and blurred. He had to have been asleep for quite a while, or he'd been unbearably fatigued due to the slicing he'd received from the Five.
After a moment of repetitive and furious blinking he was soon able to see what the furry little thing was doing to him.
"What the bloody hell are ya doin'," he mumbled, more toward himself than the cat.
The animal stopped the second he spoke, slowly pulling its tongue back into its mouth and away from the scabbing wound. Wide yellow eyes peered up at the pirate, the cat's black tail fluffing up in alarm. The little thing was clearly surprised he was awake, and from the expression he was receiving Harry knew it wasn't pleased.
"Any chance ya can go an' fetch my Captain?" he jokingly asked, wondering if he was still semi-delirious from everything that'd happened. He knew he was crazy, but talking to cats was a whole new level of insane... even for him.
Much to Harry's astonishment, the little thing nodded and jumped down from the bed, heading through the open door.
The pirate huffed in amusement, slowly lowering his head back to the pillow. He stared up at the ceiling, wracking his brain for any recollection of what'd happened after Cassie had stopped slicing away. Unfortunately, though, whatever had happened afterward was unknown to him, and he'd have to wait patiently for his Captain to shed some light on the situation.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long. In a few minutes the door to his room swung open: Fully, this time.
For a moment, there was only silence. His Captain lingered in the doorway, arms crossed against her stomach as she leaned against the arch, a single brow raised as she stared at him. Obviously she remembered what'd happened before he left just as well as Harry did, and the pirate knew exactly what she was waiting for.
"Ya're gonna make me say it, aren't ya?" he groaned.
"I told you it didn't feel right. I told you, Harry," she said, taking slow steps into the room.
"I know ya did," he muttered exasperatedly. "Ya were right, Uma. I shouldn' of left."
Harry waited patiently for the scolding he was sure he was due to receive, or at least for his Captain to gloat a little. He wouldn't hold it against her if she did. Had their situations been reversed he'd have done as much.
The tense silence lingered, and the first mate raised a questioning brow in Uma's direction. She'd always been so quick to put him down before, to mock him in her own playful way for his failures. Never before had she been this reluctant to taunt him, and he wasn't ashamed to acknowledge just how much her silence unnerved him.
"Uma," he muttered, bringing her attention back to his face. "What happened?"
The daughter of Ursula had always been rather skilled with masking her true emotions, and this time was no different. Her lips pursed, and her dark eyes kept steady contact with his. Even as she moved to sit next to him on the bed her impassive expression gave nothing away, but the fact she hadn't yet thrown the entire situation back in his face to prove that she'd been right was a clue on its own.
"You've been out for a week, Harry," she said, her gaze flickering down toward his stomach. "We didn't know if-" she stopped herself from voicing the rest, though Harry had to assume it'd been mainly for her benefit instead of his.
"Ya didn' know if I was gonna wake or not," he finished, his stomach turning with a rare guilt when his Captain's eyes shut tight, her bottom lip trembling for a mere second.
Harry loathed weakness, and he preyed on those dumb enough to reveal any of theirs to him. So while it pained him greatly when he thought about it too hard, he knew full well that he had two of his own. Two weaknesses made of bone, flesh, and blood. Two weaknesses he couldn't wear around his neck or lock away in his room.
Uma and Gil. His Captain would always come first, but the son of Gaston was right underneath her. They were the only two people he could stand to be around on the island prison they called home, and the only two he'd willingly risk his life for. But while they were his, he also knew with certainty that he was also theirs.
The first mate briefly wondered how he'd feel in this moment had their situations been switched. How he'd have felt or acted after being told Uma or Gil had been ambushed and sliced, left alone to bleed out in an empty tower. How would he have felt if they'd been brought back, somehow still alive, and he had to watch them sleep for a week without knowing if they'd ever wake up again? In truth, the simple thought of such a thing pained him like nothing else ever would, and he truly admired his Captain for showing as much restraint as she was in the current moment.
"How did I get back?" he inquired, content with the decision to sway them away from any thoughts of one of the trio disappearing for good.
At his question, Uma released a low, humoured chuckle. Even without knowing the reason behind it Harry couldn't help but enjoy the sight, the fact she was still able to find amusement after everything that'd happened soothing his inner worry.
"You're gonna hate it," she told him, a familiar glint shining in the corner of her eyes.
Harry frowned, an unwelcomed sense of apprehension stirring around in his chest. He stared down at his Captain, not quite enjoying the way the corners of her lips tugged upward into a subtle smirk.
"Uma, what happened?"
A swift, shadow-like figure darted across the room, momentarily distracting the first mate. It moved from the door to left side of the room, jumping up onto the table where he kept his maps and treasures.
Silence filled the room once more. Harry stared thoughtfully at the black-furred feline perched atop his desk, his eyes scanning its features for a moment. He wasn't sure if it was because he was delirious from being asleep for so long, or if there was something strange about the way this particular cat looked back at him, but there was an odd uncertainty nagging away in the back of his mind, something inside of his head telling him that something just wasn't right.
It took the son of Hook a little longer than he would ever admit to figure it out. This cat had gone and fetched Uma for him when he'd asked it. This cat had also come strolling right back into the room with no caution at all, whereas any of the other felines would've surely gone running straight back into the inner isle and away from the shoreline. Sure, he'd been unconscious for a week, but there was no way his Captain had suddenly decided to take in a stray; Gil was a good enough substitute if she needed some company. Harry was unsure, but the puzzle pieces slid into place one by one until he had a theory - no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
"Cassie?"
The animal hissed loudly, sharp fangs on full display as the piercing sound escaped its mouth.
That was Harry's answer.
"Oh for fucks sake," the pirate cursed, turning to face Uma. "What's she doin' here?"
"She saved your life," his Captain fired back. "Without her you'd be dead."
"What tha fuck are ya goin' on about?!" he exclaimed, brows raised in absolute confusion.
Uma paused for a moment, her dark eyes drifting to the furry pest sat on top of the desk.
"Go find Gil, pussycat."
A rumbling growl - which Harry assumed was some form of displeasure - bubbled up from the little cat's throat, but she eventually followed Uma's demand and jumped down from the desk, running through the open door.
When he was certain the little thing was out of earshot, Harry turned to his Captain. He didn't need to say anything for Uma to understand just how furious he was to be put in the presence of the very person who'd put him in this situation in the first place, and he dreaded to know how Cassie had managed to get Uma to leave her unwounded after everything she'd done.
"Cassie told me what happened," the Captain began, her voice low and calm. "You went to find her at Maleficent's place, and you got ambushed by Mad Maddy and her goons."
Harry pursed his lips, the simple discomfort he'd once felt enhancing as he listened to Uma's story. He might've lost a lot of blood that night, and he'd been unconscious for a week, but he remembered everything that'd happened clear as day. He knew every single detail leading up to the moment he fell into darkness, and even a few moments afterward. He knew the full story, but he couldn't help but feel as if Uma didn't.
"Aye," he drawled, gesturing for Uma to continue.
"She said she was hiding up in her attic, but she heard the noises coming from Mal's room. She waited until the five were gone before she came down, and then she found you..." Uma's voice trailed off into silence, her eyes staring deep into the empty space right beside Harry's head.
"Uma," he mumbled, the anger he felt toward the sly little kitty simmering down at the sight of his best friend so distraught by what'd happened to him.
"She found you drowning in a puddle of your own blood," the teal-haired V.K. whispered, a saddened shine drifting into her eyes. She was obviously picturing the entire thing in her mind, and the emotions it brought on for her were clearly taking their toll.
"Oi, c'mon now," the first mate soothed, gently placing two fingers beneath her chin to tilt her head upward. "Look at me." He waited patiently for her gaze to meet his, and then he continued, "D'ya really think I'd leave ya here on yar own? Have some bloody faith in me, Uma."
Much to Harry's relief, Uma gave a small scoff of annoyance, lightly shaking her head back and forth. She had every right to be pissed at him, but the small twitch of her lips was enough. He'd scared the shit out of her but he could still turn that frown upside down when he tried hard enough.
"Anyway," he sighed, "how did I get back?"
"Cassie went and found Gil somehow, told him what'd happened and where you were, and they both brought you back here," she explained.
"Hold on, the little kitty brought me back too?"
Uma nodded. "Uh-huh. When they brought you back you were covered in blood, and I thought the worst had happened. You weren't moving, Harry, and your heartbeat was so weak... I didn't think you'd last the night."
"So why did I?" he asked.
"As it turns out, Cassie had a few more tricks up her sleeve. Her dad's magical powers were taken from him when the Auradonians threw him on the Isle, but only the more obvious tricks. Shape-shifting, turning invisible, bouncing from world to world. I don't know if they forgot about the last one, or if they didn't know, but the Cheshire Cat could heal wounds.
"When Cassie brought you back here with Gil I was just about ready to kill her. I had her against the wall, my sword on her throat, but then she said she could heal you." Uma tore her gaze away from Harry's, nervously toying with one of her braids. "You gotta understand, Harry. I thought you were dying, and there was so much blood."
"Ya took the deal," he muttered, a disappointed grimace crossing his face.
"Obviously," she sighed, clearly agitated with herself for having accepted Cassie's help. "The healing only works through saliva. I don't get it... hell, even Cassie doesn't know how it works. But what matters is that it does work. It was really weird to watch, and if it makes you feel any better she didn't enjoy herself."
"Huh," the first mate mumbled, torn between confusion and slight intrigue. At least it explained why Cassie was licking him earlier.
"Yeah, I know, it's weird."
"No shit," he whispered.
"Harry," the Captain began, somewhat anxiously. "Cassie asked for something in return."
'Of course she did,' he thought, lightly rolling his eyes skyward.
"A life for a life. If she was going to save yours, then we had to spare hers. The game you two have been playing this past month is over. No more killing, no more taking from each other. One of you were going to die at the end of it and it was almost you. I can't take that risk again, Harry."
A rapidly growing fire of complete fury burned bright inside the first mate. He completely understood why Uma had taken the deal, knowing full well he would've done the exact same thing if her life was ever on the line. However, it was painfully obvious that his best friend hadn't been told the full details of what'd happened that night. Cassie had told her the truth, but not the entire truth. The crafty little kitty had spun a tale that could free her from him, and if he wasn't so fucking angry he might've been impressed.
"Why's she still here?" he managed to ask, pushing past the agitation for a moment.
"I had my own terms. She had to stay here and heal you until you woke up. If you woke up then the deal was done, and she could go back to whatever she was doing before. But if you died then so did she."
All in all, it was a fair deal.
Harry gave a long sigh, his mind racing as he let Uma's words sink into his brain. He was more than happy to be alive of course, but the price that'd been paid tampered his mood significantly.
The twisted 'game' he'd been playing with the Cheshire Cat's daughter had only been between the two of them since the beginning. No one else had somehow gotten hurt in the process... no one that mattered to him, anyway. There had been a single moment when she'd won the challenge and Uma had been forced to hand over her beloved necklace, but he'd been quick enough to fix that situation. This time, though, his Captain had suffered. He could barely imagine what'd gone through Uma's mind when Gil brought him back to their territory that night, how she'd felt when she saw him lifeless and bleeding. She'd spent a full week waiting for him to show any signs of waking, and hadn't even known if he ever would. It had to have pained her, and the fact he couldn't even get his revenge on Cassie was simply infuriating.
There was only one thing he could do.
"I wanna speak to Cassie."
~...~...~
It was rather astonishing, really, how one simple week was enough for someone's life to be completely flipped upside down. One minute she was wallowing in Helena's bedroom, and in the next she was enjoying food and having a long, friendly talk with Gil outside of Uma's shoppe. There had been moments in between then, of course, where things had drifted precariously between good and bad, but the eventual outcome hadn't been that horrible.
Until now, that is.
Cassie moved hesitantly toward Harry's bedroom door, purposefully slowing her movements to drag out the inevitable. It didn't matter that she'd made the deal with Uma, or that the Captain's word was final when it came to the pirates. Harry was quick-tempered and rather impulsive, word or not he'd kill her if he really felt the need to.
On the other hand, though, there was a chance he didn't remember anything from that night. He'd lost a lot of blood, and Cassie was pretty sure he'd swayed in and out of death more than once, so it wasn't too much to hope that he couldn't remember. Uma hadn't seemed too mad when she came through and told Cassie the hook-wielding pirate wanted a 'chat', so she was pretty sure Harry hadn't spilled the beans on everything that'd happened that night. The little cat held hope, even if it was just a fraction.
Cassie stopped right outside Harry's room, her bottom lip clamped firmly between her teeth as she eyed the closed door. She'd thought that after Uma accepted her deal she'd feel safe, or at least a little secure, but when it came to Harry there would always be an uncertainty. From everything Cassie had witnessed since meeting him she knew with certainty that he adored his Captain, but he didn't always think his actions through, especially when he was pissed off. There was a fifty/fifty chance he was going to kill her tonight, so she had to tread carefully.
After inhaling a deep and soothing breath, she reluctantly tugged on the door handle and gave a small push.
"Well, well, well, look who decided to show up."
Cassie's stomach did a turn when his voice disturbed the silence, and she subtly brought her arm across her midriff, the memories from one night in particular stirring her anxiety.
"Harry," she curtly greeted, warily hovering in the doorway.
That damned grin she loathed so greatly made its presence once more. She couldn't seem to hide her nerves this time, and the fact she wasn't sure what he did or did not remember only made things worse. By now the first mate had to have a pretty good idea on how to tell what she was feeling, and whatever he saw in her now only increased his delight.
"Why so nervous, little one? I can' exactly hurt ya now, can I?"
"You don't exactly play by the rules, Harry. You could hurt me anytime you felt like it," she replied, relieved when her tone of voice remained steady and unshaken.
Harry tutted. "Now, now, kitty, we both know I can' do shite ta ya."
Cassie was a lot of things, but she was far from an idiot. Harry's word wasn't exactly something to rely on, but from the way his lips twitched down at the corners, and the quick furrowing of his brows, she assured herself that he wasn't going to hurt her in any way. He was frustrated, and he wouldn't be that way unless he really couldn't do anything.
There was a peculiar confidence in knowing he couldn't do anything to her when he must've really wanted to, some sort of satisfaction in knowing she could be around him without worrying about losing her life. As long as she didn't push his buttons too hard then she was fine. But that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun with him though.
With a small surge of self-confidence Cassie came further into the room, taking it one step further by closing the door behind her. At first she worried she was being way too reckless, but when she spotted the deep frown of annoyance coming from the pirate she knew she was fine.
"Uma said you wanted to talk to me," she said, standing near the bottom of the bed.
Harry remained silent, his tongue digging into the inside of his cheek as his eyes darted between her and the bottom of the bed. Only after a moment of deep thought did he move, his left hand repeatedly patting the space on the bed near his ribs.
"Fuck no," she immediately objected, a quick laugh of disbelief passing through her lips. She was somewhat bold enough to come into his room and close the door, but there was no way in Hades he was getting her any closer.
"Ya said it yarself, kitty, I don' play by the rules. If ya play by mine, though, I might be nice."
That entire sentence in itself was an unsaid threat. If she didn't go along with him now then there was no sure way for her to know he was going to leave her alone after this. Even with Uma's word as Captain there would be a faint niggling in the back of her mind, a constant paranoia in wondering if he would come after her again. If she went with everything now, though, there would be no real reason for him to start tormenting her again. All she had to do was go with it now and - once it was all over and done with - then she wouldn't have to do this again.
Cassie attentively moved closer, her arm pressing harder against her stomach. When she was close enough, however, her agitated mind prevented her from going any further.
"C'mon now, kitty," the pirate urged, his voice low and soothing. "Almos' there." He was mocking her, that much was obvious, but just as his temper was quick to rise when pushed, so was hers.
With a small huff she sat down in the space, her left leg resting on the bed while her right hung down, her right foot resting firmly on the floor. She might've been trying to prove a point but she was still more than ready to run if things went downhill.
"So," she sighed, trying her hardest to calm her racing heart. "What did you wanna talk about?"
"A lot o' things, actually, but we'll start easy, yeah?"
Cassie dreaded to think of what Harry might class as 'easy', and found her worries were justified when he turned his left hand over, stretching out his fingers one by one until she saw a long, deep slice in the centre of his palm.
"I had a bit of an accident, ya see, but I'm sure ya can fix it," he breezily explained, lifting his hand until it was just below her chin.
At first she had to wonder how he'd managed to do it, but when she spotted the gleaming hook beside him on the bed she had her answer. Now she could only focus on the task he expected her to complete.
Cassie hesitated, her dark eyes drifting from the hand in front of her to the expectant pirate it belonged to. In her mind she relentlessly cussed out his Captain for having told him about her little 'trick', since the V.K. should've known he'd use it against the little cat somehow.
"Anytime now, kitty," he sang, nodding toward his hand.
After a moment of thought, in which she repeatedly reminded herself she'd done this to him before, Cassie finally moved forward. She lightly wrapped the fingers of her right hand around his wrist, partly to bring his hand closer, but also to make sure he didn't try anything while she healed him. Then - finally - she bowed her head ever so slightly, dragging the flat of her tongue across the bloody wound on his hand.
Depending on how deep and severe the wound was, it usually took three deep licks to fully inject her 'magic spit', and Cassie counted them off in her head. The second it was over, though, she dropped Harry's hand and retracted her tongue, ignoring the metallic taste swirling around in her mouth.
Cassie watched as Harry concentrated hard on where he'd cut his hand, his eyes widening as the wound slowly began to close. She'd seen the effects enough times now for the fascination of it all to wear off, but seeing someone else react to such a thing was a troubling reminder that what she could do was a true gift, and in the wrong hands it could mean an end to her freedom.
"That's a nifty little trick, isn' it?" he commented, curiously staring at his hand as he flexed his fingers.
"Not really," she timidly replied, momentarily averting her eyes.
It didn't take too long for Harry's attention to drift, and soon enough his gaze was back on her. He lowered his hand to the bed, dragging his tongue along his bottom lip as he eyed the little cat.
"I wanna know what happened," he said. "Everything that happened."
'So he does know,' she thought, slowly leaning back as a sudden unease fluttered through her tummy. He knew she'd lied to Uma.
"Before or after?" she wondered, swallowing down the nervous lump in her throat.
"After," he specified, tilting his head to the side. "I know exactly what happened before."
Cassie hadn't given that night much thought since she'd made the deal with Uma. Thinking back on what had happened, and what she'd done, only seemed to bring on a great deal of distress and guilt, so she'd done her best during the past week to simply ignore it. It hadn't been too hard for her, though, since Gil had been practically sewn to her side since Uma announced she was sticking around until Harry woke up. The son of Gaston had been all too happy to 'keep an eye' on the little cat, and Cassie found him to be a wonderful distraction.
However, the content could only last for so long, and she'd been waiting for this moment since she'd arrived. After today she wouldn't have to think back on that night again. After today she was done.
She just prayed she'd get through the day in one piece.
"Maddy didn't let me stop until you passed out," she started, staring down at the raggedy old blanket beneath her. "I kind'a phased out most of it... I don't know why. My guess is my head couldn't handle it, so it sent me somewhere else until it was over. I didn't really know what'd happened until I got back to Hel-" She stopped abruptly, an awful nausea bubbling up in the back of her throat when she realised what she'd just revealed to the hook-wielding pirate.
"Until ya got back ta Helena's place," he finished. "So, that's where ya've been."
Cassie stayed quiet, her dark eyes flashing toward the hook beside him. She'd stupidly forgotten that her living in Helena's salon had been a secret, mainly because she'd spent the past week with Gil, who'd known where she was since they dragged Harry back to the ship. She'd royally fucked up, but she was willing to correct that mistake if Harry even hinted that he was going to go after her friend.
"Calm down, kitty," the pirate chuckled, noticing her worry. "Yar mate's protected. I couldn' touch 'er even if I wanted to."
The little cat frowned, her curiosity peaking at his words. Helena hadn't ever mentioned being protected. When Cassie thought harder about it, though, it did make sense. The Queen of Hearts had a kid with one of Gaston's eldest sons, and he just so happened to be part of a very vicious gang in the inner Isle; Of course she had protection.
"Now, tell me what I wanna know, kitty."
~...~...~
Cassie paced back and forth in the well-decorated bedroom, her thoughts frantically spinning around in her mind, making it much harder for her to concentrate on anything solid. The voice in her head was louder than ever tonight, repeatedly mocking and taunting her with flashing images of blood and cuts. It didn't seem to matter that she'd long since washed the stains away in Helena's bathtub, or that the Queen had been kind enough to let her hang around in her bedroom until the Fearsome Five left: Nothing was going to help keep the voice away.
The Cheshire Cat's daughter bit down on her bottom lip, practically clawing at her skin in an effort to rid herself of the unending and overbearing sensation of bugs moving around beneath the surface. It was like something dark and sinister had crept its way into her mind and body, painstakingly moving through each limb like it meant to torment her. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but she hadn't ever had to endure it before and she prayed to anyone who was listening for it to go away.
The laughter from the group downstairs was coherent enough through the floorboards, and it only succeeded in driving Cassie further into madness. She'd had her own reasons for attacking Harry tonight, but the Fearsome Five hadn't had one. They'd done this as a favour for Helena without needing proper motivation to go through with such a thing. Cassie had always balanced precariously on the line between right and wrong, but she knew deep down she was far from evil, and the moral girl inside of her just couldn't understand how the Five could be so light-hearted after doing such a thing to someone. Two against one was pushing it far enough... but six against one? It wasn't fair. No matter how much Harry deserved what'd been done to him tonight, the way Cassie had gone about this entire thing had been wrong.
She just wished she hadn't had to have found out the hard way.
Killing the son of Hook had never been her intention. He'd been hunting her down for almost two months now, slaughtering poor, defenceless animals to draw her out of hiding: It only made sense that she'd want some kind of revenge for it. The only thing Cassie had hoped to achieve was freedom, or at least the ability to roam about on the Isle like she used to without having to worry about Harry trying to track her. Hurting him had obviously been a part of the plan, but killing him was taking it way further than she'd ever planned on going.
Cassie stumbled over to the window and yanked on the handles, sucking in a deep breath of air when the harsh wind of the Isle came into the room. Her body was on fire tonight, and the hot bath Helena had provided hadn't helped much.
After a moment or two, where she simply inhaled and exhaled deep and soothing breaths, Cassie peered out into the street. She had no idea what time it was, but the darkness still blanketed the streets, and aside from the tealights she couldn't see any other source of light coming from another building.
"Cassie, hey!"
At the calling of her name she looked down, her dark eyes scanning about the shadows until she spotted a familiar face stood right outside the building.
"Gil," she muttered, both relieved and baffled to find him here so late. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm looking for my brothers," he replied, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Why are you here?"
For the first time that night, Cassie's inner voice went quiet, allowing the cogs in her brain to turn. She ignored the warning that reminded her she was supposed to be in hiding, that no one was supposed to know she'd been staying with Helena. Instead she focussed on the little clicks in her brain, a small - albeit slightly insane - plan forming in the back of her mind.
Without giving much thought to her actions, since she knew full well she'd overthink it and stay in the salon, Cassie straddled the window, looking for a way down. She soon found her way in a thick, black drain trailing along the edge of the building.
"Uh... is that safe?"
Cassie ignored the blonde-haired pirate for the time being, concentrating hard on her foot placement as she climbed her way down the side of the building. She was safely down on the floor in a matter of seconds, and she praised her wonderful climbing skills for saving her ass once more.
"Gil," she huffed, keeping her voice quiet to avoid Helena or the Five overhearing. "I need your help. Harry's in trouble."
"What do you mean?" he inquired. "What happened? Where is he?" The demanding edge his tone of voice took wasn't lost on the little cat, and hearing something so threatening from someone so innocent was rather alarming.
Cassie could've given Gil an explanation of some sort, preferably one that kept her well away from receiving any blame from Uma, but she knew the red pirate didn't have long left. She could think up a lie on the way, her main task now was just getting to Bargain Castle in time.
"Just follow me, okay?" She waited patiently for him to give her any sign that he understood, and a second after she received a nod.
Despite the cold air drifting through the Isle, Cassie found the run back to Bargain Castle incredibly stifling. She could hear the faint, fast-paced thuds of her heartbeat, drowning out any other noise that might've rang out in the silent streets. Her entire being was fully dedicated to making it to Bargain Castle before it was too late, and she didn't spare one glance over her shoulder to make sure Gil was keeping up with her fast movements.
They arrived at the Castle in record time, and Cassie immediately fled toward the staircase. She sprinted up the steps, Gil's heavy thuds close behind. As they neared the top, however, she spotted something on the balcony.
'Not something,' she thought, her footsteps slowing; Someone.
Whatever it was they ate over in pirate territory, it was certainly doing them favours. Cassie knew exactly what position Harry had been in when she and the Fearsome Five had gone back to the salon. He'd been laid out on the floor, arms stretched above his head despite the twins releasing his wrists, his shirt tugged up beneath his collarbones, stomach and chest on full display and covered with deep cuts and slashes. He'd been inside Mal's bedroom, unconscious, drenched in his own blood.
No one would've helped Harry out onto the balcony. He must've woken up sometime after they'd left and dragged himself out.
"Harry!" Gil cried out from behind her, shoving past the little cat as he rushed toward his friend. "Shit!"
Cassie's anxiety had been running at an all time high during the run over, but now it'd turned to fear and shame. If the terrified and utterly devastated expression on Gil's face was stirring up her guilt, then what on earth was going to happen to her when Uma found out?
The little cat turned quickly, holding her hair behind her head with one hand while the other grasped the railing. Her throat burned as the liquid bubbled up from her stomach and through her mouth, spurts of vomit falling down into the dark abyss below.
Cassie was no stranger to being the cause of her own demise. She hadn't ever really been one for fighting and harassing, but her night-time 'walks' had always carried a certain element of danger and uncertainty. She'd always been in charge of her own fate, and she'd always known that her pesky ways would be the end of her eventually. This was the way she lived her life and she was somewhat content with that fact. Now, though, her actions had caused the death of another. It'd been her hand that held the knife, and her movements that caused the bleeding wounds on his skin. Revenge had driven her to do the unthinkable and now she was paying for it.
"Wait."
The Cheshire Cat's daughter looked over at Gil, using the back of her sleeve to wipe away any remnants of tears or vomit from her face. She watched with a saddened curiosity as the pirate placed two fingers against the side of Harry's neck, his brows furrowed and lips pursed in deep concentration.
"He's still alive," he announced, releasing a deep sigh of relief.
"What?" she squeaked, crawling across the floor to get closer.
"His heart's still beating," he explained with a faint smile. "Now we just have to get him home."
Cassie quickly tucked her hair behind her ears, her dark eyes scanning the numerous cuts decorating Harry's pale skin. The fact he was alive even now was a miracle, especially considering the amount of blood he'd lost when dragging himself out onto the balcony. If his wounds stayed the way they were, and they tried to move him, there was a very high chance he'd die on the way.
'You can save him,' her inner voice whispered, awakening a faint sense of hope.
Much to the little cat's distress, she knew the voice was right. If she did it now, and she did it fast, there was a small chance it could save him. At the very least it would give the pirate a fighting chance, and it'd certainly clean up his cuts, maybe even quick-start the healing process if they weren't too deep. But this meant some form of self sacrifice on her part. If she did this now, in front of Gil, the only secret she had left would be out in the open. She had to make a firm decision on whether or not she was ready to risk herself for the life of another.
It didn't take long for her to know the answer.
"Turn him over," she said firmly, nodding toward Harry. "Don't ask questions, just do it."
It was blatantly obvious from everything she'd seen that Gil was used to following the orders of women, and this time was no different. He quickly turned the hook-wielding pirate over onto his back, a whine of discomfort escaping his mouth when he saw the blood staining Harry's shirt.
Cassie held back the nausea as she lifted Harry's shirt, revealing her 'handiwork' to the blonde-haired pirate beside her. "Try not to puke," she mumbled as a warning, pulling her hair over her right shoulder as she leaned down.
In all honesty, she wasn't even sure if this would work. There hadn't been too many moments during her life where she'd had to do this, but enough for her to have grown used to it. The only issue was that she'd never done this for someone else, and she had no way of knowing if it would help Harry now. Even if it didn't work, though, she would be able to assure herself that she'd done everything in her power to save him, and maybe it would be enough to keep her from drowning.
With each deep stroke of her tongue, Cassie held back the urge to vomit once more. When her tongue dipped back into her mouth, and the pirate's blood ran down her throat, she did her best to distract herself from the gruesome task she was currently completing. She kept her eyes shut tight, the knuckles of her left hand whitening as she held onto Harry's coat.
Cassie wished she'd just put her foot down earlier. Instead of letting herself be pressured into doing something she knew she had to stop, she should've told Maddy that she was done. If she'd just grown a fucking backbone and told them to shove it then she wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. On the other hand, though, Cassie dreaded to think of what might've happened if she'd even attempted such a thing. If she'd done that then maybe she would've wound up in Harry's place instead.
When Cassie was satisfied she'd 'cleaned' each and every slice, she moved back and sat straight, using her hand to wipe Harry's blood off of her chin and lips. She'd done her part... now the rest was up to Harry.
~...~...~
"Ya licked me clean, eh?" the red pirate mirthfully taunted, a twinkle of dark amusement passing through his eyes.
Cassie grimaced. "Don't read into it, Harry. I had to save your life, remember?" she said pointedly, bringing her right leg up onto the bed so that she could get more comfortable.
"I'm not judgin' ya, love," he said, his lips forming a large grin as he mockingly held his hands up in a 'white-flag' motion. "So... how did my black, tainted blood taste?"
Cassie narrowed her eyes, confusion swimming in her dark orbs as she watched his smile grow wider. It took her a minute or two, but then she finally remembered.
'Poor Tic-Tock, probably didn't want to spend the rest of the night throwing up all that black, tainted blood in your veins.' The very first time they'd met it'd been those words she'd used to push him over the edge, and now he was using them to taunt her.
"It tasted wonderful, actually," she replied. "Nice enough for me to want to slit your throat right about now." Her eyes drifted toward the hook on the bed, only to dart back up to his face when she heard his chuckles.
"Ya're not bad, kitty," he noted. "But don't ya think ya're reachin' with that one?"
The little cat allowed a growl to form in her throat, but her agitation grew when she realised it'd only further fuelled Harry's delight.
"Asshole," she muttered, taming down the flicker of anger that sparked in her chest. "Do you wanna know the rest? Or are you gonna keep being a douche?"
"My apologies, kitty," he said, though she knew full well he was far from apologetic. "Continue."
~...~...~
Cassie stayed close behind Gil as they moved toward the outer Isle, occasionally glancing back in each and every direction to make sure no one was trying to follow them. Fearsome Five and Uma's pirates aside, there were other dangerous gangs roaming about the Isle, so she and Gil had to be very, very careful tonight.
As they moved throughout the streets, Cassie stared at Harry's still-unconscious form draped over Gil's shoulder, his arms hanging down the blonde-pirate's back. The hook-wielding pirate still hadn't moved an inch, and the little cat was worried that he still might've passed at some point during their journey into Uma's territory. She tried her best to not think so pessimistically, but she couldn't help it. Right now there was a good chance Gil was simply carrying the corpse of his best friend back to their Captain, and Cassie wasn't too sure she wanted to stick around for that end result.
When Gil slowed to a stop in front of her she did the same, crossing her arms across her stomach as the son of Gaston removed Harry from his shoulder, a pained grunt passing through his lips as he wrapped an arm around his friend's waist, pulling Harry's right arm over his shoulders.
"Cassie. Help."
The little cat raced forward and copied Gil's actions, mirroring him on Harry's other side. At first she assumed he'd asked for her assistance because Harry's weight was beginning to slow him down, but when they travelled further - and she finally realised exactly where they were - she knew it was because they were nearing Uma's ship.
Together they dragged Harry across the bridge leading onto the ship and downstairs into the hall, his boots scraping along the wooden floor as they moved toward his bedroom door. Gil reached forward and tugged on the handle, using his foot to kick open the door.
Eventually they managed to lower Harry onto his bed, and as soon as he was down Gil went straight back toward the door.
"Stay here," he told her, his fast-paced footsteps fading as he sprinted through the ship.
For a moment Cassie merely stared at the open door, torn between staying where she was and running straight back to Helena's salon. Realistically, she had no true reason to stay. She'd done her part for the red pirate, and it would be practically suicidal to hang around and wait for Uma to see what'd been done to her best friend.
The little cat looked down at the sleeping pirate, a thoughtful frown crossing her features as she looked over his stomach. His wounds had long-since stopped bleeding, and they didn't seem as bad as they had when she and Gil had first found him, but that didn't mean he was getting better. The slices were still open, and the lifted skin around the edges were still a pinkish-red colour. The small 'healing session' she'd given him on the balcony might've done some, but it wasn't doing enough.
Rapidly moving footsteps thudded through the hall, and Cassie swiftly pulled her attention away from Harry.
Cassie wasn't at all surprised when Uma was the first to appear in the doorway: She'd known the pirate Captain would be the first person Gil would run to for this. What did catch the little cat off guard, however, was the teal-haired girl's reaction.
"Harry," the Captain whispered, slowly moving further into the room. Her wide, disbelieving eyes stared hard at his face, though they soon travelled down toward the wounds on his chest and stomach.
The Cheshire Cat's daughter gently moved back from the bed, determined to steer clear of the possibly-about-to-explode Uma. A strange - possibly morbid - form of intrigue welled up inside of her as she watched the Captain drop her rear end onto the bed beside Harry, her left hand smoothing strands of hair out of his closed eyes.
"He's still alive, Uma."
Cassie flinched in surprise. She'd been so preoccupied with watching Uma grieve over her friend that she hadn't noticed Gil now stood in the doorway. The little cat's fears enhanced, though, when she realised that he was also blocking her only way out, and unless he moved she was trapped in the room with his devastated Captain.
When Cassie pulled her gaze away from Gil, she was terrified to find Uma's fiery eyes locked solely on her. The Captain didn't need to know the details of what'd done down to know that Cassie had been a part of what happened to Harry, it was obvious enough by everything that'd occurred over the past few weeks that tonight's attack had been due to their ongoing feud. The only thing Uma knew right now was that her closest crewmate was balancing on the line between life and death, and her anger was targeting the most obvious culprit.
With a loud yell of fury the pirate Captain removed herself from Harry's side, drawing her sword with a speed Cassie hadn't ever witnessed before, and rounding the bed until she stood directly in front of the little cat.
"What happened?" she hatefully demanded, her sword digging painfully into Cassie's throat.
"Uma, listen to me-" Cassie stopped talking when the pointed tip of Uma's sword pushed deeper into her skin, most likely drawing blood in the process.
"What did you do to him?!" the Captain screamed, her emotions clearly pushing back any rational thought the girl had.
"I didn't do anything!" the little cat shouted back, the words flying through her lips before she could even give it a second thought. "He came to the Castle to find me, but someone else was there too. It wasn't me, Uma, I swear."
Even in the most stressful of circumstances, it seemed, Cassie could still lie her ass off; She really surprised herself sometimes.
"Liar!"
"I'm not lying! You saw it yourself, Uma. I just about managed to hurt him during our challenge, and I could've killed him when I knocked him out in my den but I didn't! I don't have it in me to hurt people like that. I swear it wasn't me." Cassie lowered her voice as she neared the end of her lie, hoping with every fibre of her being that - in her understandably sorrowful state - Uma didn't see through the false sincerity the little cat was giving her.
"It doesn't matter," the Captain whimpered, her voice cracking toward the end. "He went after you, pussycat. This is your fault."
From the tears freely falling from Uma's dark eyes, and the pained shadow Cassie could see so clearly deep within, the little cat knew she had to play out her very last hand. It was a rather daring move on Cassie's part, but Harry was the only thing Uma seemed to care about right now, so she took her shot.
"I can save him!"
There was a brief silence, soon broken by a dark, humourless chuckle passing through Uma's lips.
"Save him?" she spat, pointing to her half-dead friend with her other hand. "Look at him! Nothing on this side of the barrier can save him."
"Let me prove it to you," the little cat pleaded. "Please, Uma."
The Captain hesitated, her hatred toward Cassie clashing with the need to bring her best friend back into this world. In the end, though, she could only choose one option.
"Prove it."
With a newfound sense of hope, Cassie brought up her right hand and wrapped her fingers around Uma's sword, grasping harder and harder until she saw a droplet of blood trickle from her palm. She showed the slices to Uma, just to prove that the wound was real and this wasn't some kind of trick. Only when the Captain gave a nod for her to continue did Cassie bring her hand back toward herself, her tongue darting out to lick the bleeding cuts three times.
"I told you," she muttered, feeling the familiar itch as her skin began to seal itself together. "I'm not lying." She raised her hand for Uma to see, her hope rising when she saw the Captain's eyes widen just a fraction.
The air grew thick with tension, and Cassie waited patiently for Uma to determine her fate. It was an infuriating wait, but the little cat was sure she knew what the V.K.'s answer was going to be, and that was enough for her to keep her mouth shut. She'd proved she had the ability to heal Harry, so there was no way in Hades Uma was going to let the opportunity to save his life go to waste.
"What do you want?" the Captain eventually inquired, eyes sceptically narrowed.
Cassie shrugged. "I just want this grudge to end... it's all I've wanted since the start," she said, relieved to find her heartbeat dimming down into its usual rhythm now that she wasn't in any danger.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Uma stepped back and removed her sword from Cassie's throat, though she still held it firmly in her hand. Meanwhile, Cassie gently dabbed at her neck, pouting in annoyance when she found her fingers stained red once again.
"You've got a deal, but only if he wakes up. If he dies then you do too, got it?"
In truth, Cassie didn't quite like the sound of it: But beggars couldn't be choosers. If Harry woke up then she was good to go, and if he didn't... well, chances were she'd be the first to know, and she'd just have to haul ass before anyone else found out.
All in all, it seemed simple enough.
"Got it."
~...~...~
"Jus' outta simple curiosity, kitty, where tha fuck were ya gonna go if I did die?"
Cassie pondered Harry's question, her eyes momentarily rolling skyward as she thought. She hadn't really managed to think of a good enough place to run to if things went south. There were only a handful of places around the inner Isle she'd even given a second glance, but even then she hadn't known if they were suitable enough since she hadn't given them a thorough search. Maybe if Harry had died she would've decided to investigate unsearched territory. After all, there were still parts of the Isle she hadn't been to yet: Parts of the Isle where other gangs owned the turf. Chances were she would've run too far for Uma to reach, knowing full well the painful punishment she'd receive if the V.K. found her.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I would've just ran."
Harry hummed in acknowledgement. "Fair enough. But just outta curiosity, love, if ya lied ta Uma about who cut me up, then who did ya say did it?"
That was a very good question: And it'd taken Cassie two days to come up with a believable answer. Obviously she'd had to name-drop someone to get Uma off her back, but she'd had to be very careful with this one.
Throwing Mad Maddy into the firing line had been an outrageous option: One Cassie never would've taken. The leader of the Fearsome Five was charming enough, but Cassie had seen the cruelty swirling in Maddy's green eyes when she'd been cutting up Harry, and the dark, manic grin on her face when she was instructing the little cat. If Cassie gave Maddy's name to Uma, and the non-magic witch found out about it, Cassie had no doubts in her mind that the psychotic girl would cut her up the same way they'd done to Harry.
Mentioning the Gaston twins would've also caused unneeded chaos. Mainly because they were Gil's brothers, and it'd been Gil who'd heard the rumour from them and gone running straight to Harry. Cassie had developed a great fondness for the blonde-haired pirate over the past week, and ever since they'd met he'd only shown her kindness, so throwing him under the carriage like that was - again - out of the question. There was also the fact that Helena would go full Queen of Hearts on Cassie's ass if she even tried to put the blame on the woman's love.
It'd taken a bit of thought, but eventually Cassie settled on a name she could give Uma. One that wouldn't cause her too much trouble in the long run.
"Ginny," she finally replied, leaning back on her hands.
Harry choked on air, blinking at the little cat for a moment. "Ginny?" he repeatedly.
"Well... yeah. I told Uma I was up in my den when you were attacked, so I didn't see any faces, but I did hear a name. And considering you and Ginny have some kind of bad history together, it didn't take much for Uma to believe it," she explained.
"Aye," he drawled, pausing for a second while he absorbed the information. "Why her, though? Ya could've dropped anyone else's name."
Cassie gave a small shrug. "She was a bit of an asshole when we first met," was her poor excuse, earning a deep chuckle from the pirate in front of her.
"Bitter much?"
The Cheshire Cat's daughter rolled her eyes. Yes, her reason for giving Ginny's name to Uma was rather childish in its own way. But what else was she supposed to do? Uma had been utterly frantic during Harry's week-long 'nap', and not knowing who'd put him in that position in the first place had began to drive her mad.
"Why didn't you tell Uma it was me?" the little cat asked. "You could've told her the truth, but you didn't. Why?"
Harry's natural smirk faded, his lips twisting down into a frown. "Ya wouldn' understand," he said, lightly shaking his head.
"Try me," she abruptly pressed, the curious cat inside of her just begging for an answer. It'd actually been bugging her since she'd realised he remembered everything that night. He could've easily told Uma the truth about everything that happened, and yet he'd decided to keep it to himself.
"I told ya," he snapped, "ya wouldn' understand."
Clearly this particular line of discussion was only angering the hook-wielding pirate, but Cassie's mind wouldn't rest. She was traipsing through dangerous territory now, so to speak. Unfortunately this meant she'd have to figure it out for herself.
Cassie hadn't exactly seen enough interaction between Harry and Uma for her to have a good enough opinion on their relationship. From the things she had seen, though, she knew with certainty that there was a strong connection between the two. Harry had given up his hook after the challenge just so Uma could keep her pendant: He'd traded it without a second of hesitation. There was also the immense anger Uma had shown when Cassie had come into the shoppe after tying Harry up in Bargain Castle, along with the Captain's downward spiral during his 'sleep'. They weren't just best friends... they were completely devoted to the other.
There was only one reason Cassie's could think of for Harry not to have told Uma the truth, but it seemed a little far-fetched.
"You didn't wanna hurt her." She didn't realise she'd said it aloud until Harry flinched, but with the way he tightly shut his eyes, a grimace twisting his face, she knew it was true.
Harry Hook had actually shown mercy.
"Yar kind like to look down on us, kitty. An' I know ya love usin' our code against us. But it's our way of life, the few rules we'll actually follow. Uma took yar deal that night, an' she let ya live aroun' here until I woke up. She even let ya aroun' me. Can you imagine, for a moment, what would happen ta her if I told 'er the truth? What would happen if I told 'er she'd been chattin' to the person who almos' killed the only one she truly cares for? It would'a shot 'er down, kitty."
'Holy shit,' Cassie thought, her eyes wide with complete disbelief. Of course she understood his reasoning. If Uma found out that she'd given freedom to the person who'd almost taken her best friend's life... well, it wouldn't have just been devastating. What had the little cat so baffled, though, was the fact that the man she'd seen drive a sword through a young boy's stomach like it was nothing had refused to tell his friend something just because it would've hurt her.
"W-why did you push me that night?" she quietly asked, still reeling from the sudden revelation that there was more to him than what she'd seen.
"Ya should spend more than jus' a week aroun' us pirates, lass. Maybe ya'd learn a few things," he said instead, causing the little one further confusion.
Cassie merely blinked, a clear sign that she needed an understandable explanation for why he'd pushed her to hurt him that night.
"I was returnin' the favour, as it were," he said with a huff, his blue eyes rolling. "Us pirates, we live an 'eye-for-an-eye' kind'a life. Ya take somethin' from us, we take somethin' from you. Ya kill one of ours an' we kill one of yours." He leaned forward then, keeping steady eye contact with the little cat. "Ya get us out of a tricky spot, we do the same for you."
In short, Harry had helped her that night because she'd helped him on a night previous to that one. Even if it'd almost cost him his life.
"You could've died, Harry," she pointed out, uncomfortable with the gut-churning emotions he was pulling out from her. She'd made up her mind about him on day one, coming to the final conclusion that he was an insane, cruel, and evil person. Now, though, she was beginning to find out that there was so much more to both him and the pirates, and it was not making her feel good.
"Don' lick yar own arse, kitty. It takes a lot more than a few cuts to take me down. Plus, we're even now, I don' owe ya a damn thing."
"Just your life," she fired as a response.
Harry narrowed his eyes and leaned in further. "Actually, it was your fault I almos' lost it in the firs' place. An' then ya gave it back to me, so - again - we're even."
Cassie hesitated for a moment, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as a rather ballsy question floated into her mind. "Are you letting me go now, Harry?"
"Aye," he replied, after a second of thought. "Ya don' have to worry about me anymore, kitty."
The relief was instantaneous. For a good two months now she'd been living in fear, constantly worried that Harry was going to track her down and put an end to her life. She'd done so much running, and hiding, and occasional maiming, but now she was done. Now she could finally go about the rest of her days without having to look over her shoulder.
Cassie released a deep breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, her shoulders drooping as the weight she'd been carrying around since she'd met Harry was finally taken away.
"Ya've got bigger things to worry about now."
Now that caught her attention.
Cassie lifted her head, her dark eyes meticulously searching Harry's face for an answer. The ominous way in which he'd said those words triggered her anxiety once more, and a brutal nausea stirred in her stomach when she noticed a mischievous - and incredibly terrifying - grin she hadn't seen in a little while.
"What does that mean?" she demanded.
Harry's grin grew wider, if that was even possible. "I saw the way the mad witch looked at ya that night, kitty. She likes ya, I can tell. I've heard some stories about that one an' oh... they are some good stories. By the time the month's up I guarantee ya'll be missin' me more than ya ever thought ya would."
"I'm not interested in Maddy." Even Cassie could hear the fear in her voice, wrapped around specks of uncertainty.
"Ya think that matters, love? I can' wait to see how this one plays out. Yar a wild little kitty, Cassie, an' someone on the Isle's gonna tame ya down eventually. Someone on the Isle's gonna put yar fire out in the end. But who will it be?"
Cassie growled and leapt forward, pinning Harry down by his shoulders. The fact she was supposed to be playing along with his game escaped her mind. It'd been brutally shoved away the moment he started poking away at her paranoia once more. She'd been so happy only moments ago, finally knowing that she could peacefully go back to the way things were, and he'd been so quick to take it from her.
"If I survived you then I can handle anything else this Island can throw at me. No one is going to tame me, Harry. I. Won't. Let. Them," she spat.
"Oh, ya're givin' me too much credit, kitty," he chuckled, not even bothered by the fact she was on top of him. "Did ya really think I was the worst thing here?" He gently tutted, as though reprimanding the little cat for having even thought such a thing. "There are way worse things than me out there, an' you'll find that out soon enough."
The Cheshire Cat's daughter swiftly removed herself from the bed, determined that this conversation was over. She tried her best to soothe her worry, but it was a hard thing to accomplish when all she could hear behind her was laughter.
"I'll be seein' ya soon, kitty."
Cassie ignored him and carried on, viciously tugging on the door handle. The door came against the wall with a loud bang, but she remained undeterred.
'Someone on the Isle's gonna put yar fire out in the end. But who will it be?'
The little cat shoved Harry's words from her mind, her feet taking her down the hall and up on deck. She'd meant every word she'd said to him. No one would ever tame her, and no one would ever take her fire from her. If anyone even thought to try she'd be quick enough to put an end to it. She'd freed herself from Harry Hook, and if she could do that then she could do anything.
Her freedom was hers, and it was going to fucking stay that way.
AN;
Hello my wonderful readers!
First things first, I am so sorry it took me so long to put out this next chapter. I went through another spot of writer's block, mainly because I wasn't too sure where I was going to with this particular chapter (Also because my computer froze up while I was in the midst of writing, so I had to re-do the entire thing) but I managed to get it done.
Second, I know this chapter's not what we usually see when it comes to Harry and Cassie in the same room. I wanted to tame it down a bit, but still keep things realistic when it came to them, so I hope I did okay.
Review acknowledgement time;
Guest; Yeah, there was a lot of brutality going on in the previous chapter, and it has deeply affected Cassie. I mean... she's not an evil person, she's just trying to survive, and the lengths she'll go just to do so kind of scare her. I hope you like this chapter, and thank you for your review :)
Muddy Birdy; Honestly, in my mind at least, Harry enjoys the fact that he pushed her so far. Mainly because he knows a lot more about Maddy and the group than Cassie does, so he knows exactly what's coming for her. He didn't take the deal because he didn't think he needed to, but it did come down to pride in the end. He knows he's not invincible, but he does have his head quite far up his own arse, so to speak. And as for pushing Cassie to hurt him... well, that's in this chapter, and I really hope you like the reasoning behind it. Thank you so much for your wonderful review :)
Guest; Thank you for the review! They did leave Harry at the Castle, but as you can see he managed to get back the ship, and he even attempted to do so himself.
22; Here you go! I hope you like this chapter, and thank you for the review :)
edrch; I'm so happy you're enjoying the story so far, and I hope you like this chapter as well. Thank you for the review! :)
ShipperandFanficer15; Thank you for the review! I honestly love writing the chapters involving both Harry and Cassie, mainly their interactions. Yeah, Cassie isn't too fond of hurting anyone... Harry included, because she's not that kind of person. And I'm glad you enjoyed the fact that Maddy has a thing for Cassie. Cassie's been living on the Isle for a long time, but she hasn't ever really experienced life the same way the others have, so going through all the new - and more normal - things teenagers go through is a lot of fun. I'm so happy you enjoyed the previous chapter, and I really hope you like this one.
Guest; I'm really happy you're enjoying the story so far, especially Cassie, and how I write out Harry. Obviously this story is a lot darker than a few I've come across, so I wasn't too sure how people would take it, so it means a lot that you like it. I really hope you like this chapter as well, and thank you so much for your review. :)
Anyways, please leave me a PM or review to let me know what you thought about this chapter. Also, I'm open to suggestion. Is there anything else you want to see in this story? Or maybe a few more chapters involving other characters and such? Let me know because I love new ideas, and I want to make sure you guys enjoy the story. Lots of love to all of you who've favourited and followed as well, it means a lot!
(Any typos or misspells will be removed once I've had a proper read-through. If you spot any, feel free to let me know. Thanks!)