♝♗

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄:

𝐴   𝐵 𝐴 𝐷   𝐿 𝐼 𝐴 𝑅 ' 𝑆
𝐷 𝑅 𝐸 𝐴 𝑀

           Jax's face softened when he saw the pirate. Harry didn't say another word after calling his boyfriend's name. Just slowly comes his way, mouth agape and without hesitation, places his hands on Jax's cheeks, gasping lightly, like he was afraid the Hatter would disappear suddenly, in a quick move his arms wrapped around Jax, hugging him tightly and refusing to let go.

           Jax, acting out of pure instinct, did the same. He let himself have this small loving moment, he could worry about his friends and Harry's safety after this. Jax let himself be selfish for just a few minutes to enjoy Harry turning up out of the blue.

           They could both hear each other's hearts beating out of control. Harry had been anxious to find Jax, he was running all over Auradon desperate to find any trace of him.

           And while Jax's heart was beating due to the adrenaline from chasing after a cursed Ben, it sped up twice as much when his eyes landed on Harry.

           So, it wasn't a surprise to see them pull back and seal their reunion with a kiss. Kissing Jax Hatter was something Harry could do for hours, and has, it was something they had been quite good at even from their first encounter with each other.

          "Are you who I should speak to about those wretched pirate's parties?"

           Harry Hook had been having an interesting night. He was only half buzzed from the rum that Uma brought from her mother's restaurant, and he had just seen Gil beating the third pirate in a row in his usual arm wrestling competitions they hosted on deck. And now, he had to deal with a dark clothed lad that probably wanted to shut the whole riot down.

           "Normally, you'd speak to Uma about it, but seeing as she's currently sloshed, you get me instead," He grinned leaning against the wooden bridge that connected the ship and the dock.

           Clear enough to both of them, Jax took a second to look the pirate up and down with suggestive eyes, "Well, aren't I very lucky tonight indeed?

           Harry's eyes widened a bit, not enough to be surprised, but enough that both boys noticed it. "What can I do for ye?"

           "Well usually I can tolerate festivities, but you lot have been going on non-stop for three days now, don't you get tired?"

           "My captain recently had a win against her rival, she's in a celebrating mood, who am I to deny her such pleasures?" He smiled wickedly, his voice light and filled with mischief.

           "Then let me be the first," Jax said as he began to walk over to the partying pirates.

           "I would advise you not to do that," Harry called out in which the Hatter halted his step.

           "And why should I listen to you?" He turned to face him.

           "Because, my handsome friend, Uma barely listens to me when she's sober, so trying to have a chat with her now will only result in your suffering. Do yerself a favor," He approached Jax closer, "Make it through one more night and come back tomorrow in the afternoon when Uma's mind is less... wonky." He playfully grins.

           Jax took another second to look at the pirate, and Harry saw through the alchemist's eyes as though gears were turning in his head, thinking away "Perhaps you can help keep me busy in the meantime," He licked his bottom lip.

           Harry raised a brow, most people on the Isle trembled before him, so seeing someone very open about his wants not only surprised him, but intrigued him. "I think we can work something out." He lifts the bottle of rum in his hand to offer the fellow.

           Jax takes it without hesitation and dons a frightening smile on his face.

           Thirty minutes later, the pirate and the hatter were engaging in rigorous fornication. Harry couldn't describe what kissing Jax felt like. It was a burst of adrenaline and hormones. It was exhilarating, sensual, and hot, and on a cold night like this, the company was welcomed. It was simply just euphoric. He couldn't seem to stop kissing him and he didn't plan to stop. Then again, all of that could've just been the rum, but nonetheless, he still had the time of his life. Though that could've been the rum too.

           Jax's fingers had curled around the hair at the nape of Harry's neck, and Harry had one hand on Jax's back, the other on his hip, steering him as Jax took hurried steps backward. It was a bit difficult getting to Harry's bedroom when their minds were obviously preoccupied with much more important matters. Jax stopped when his back hit Harry's door, and then he was tilting Harry's head down again, capturing his lips in a kiss that was hungry and full of need. A sound left Harry's throat, it sounded like surprise or a groan, Jax couldn't make much out until they were going through the door and headed to the bed. The boys didn't need to concern themselves with how loud Harry slammed the door behind him seeing as the party still raged on above them. And frankly, Harry didn't care much, seeing as how all he could focus on was Jax's mouth and body pressed against his own.

           His hands tugged on the shirt Jax was wearing. He was surprised by how firm the material was of his shirt, most clothing on the Isle could be ripped apart like paper. The thoughts going through his mind flew away when Jax kissed him again, so hard that they fell back together on the bed. Jax made his way to straddle him as Harry pressed his fingers into Jax's waistline. Moans left the boys as the Hatter grabbed onto Harry's white ripped shirt and pulled to take it off. Harry took less than a second to remove it before getting his lips back onto Jax's mouth.

           The rest of the night was quite intense and filled with self-indulgence on both sides. It was so enjoyable that both boys found themselves wanting to repeat their first meeting.

           When they finally pulled back to look at each other, Jax took to worrying over Harry. His hands cupped the pirate's cheeks as his eyes went over him. "Not to ruin this love, but, how- how are you here?"

           Harry's mouth curled to the side, he didn't give a damn what his boyfriend wanted to talk about, just hearing his voice was something that he could listen to for hours. And considering that he hadn't heard it for months, he was determined to listen to him speak for hours.

           But before he could answer him, King Benjamin just had to open his mouth, "Hold on," He interrupted them, "Whose side are they on?" He pointed towards the pirates.

           Jay opened his mouth and closed it, not knowing how to start before placing his hand on Ben's shoulder supportively and responding, "They escaped and joined us," He explained quickly before turning serious, "And Mal has the ember which is our only hope to stop Audrey. Details to follow," He patted his back.

           "Hades' ember? Has Mal gone back to the Isle?" Ben was prying and wanted to know more.

           "I said details to follow, we're meeting up with Mal, Evie and Uma let's go-" Jay was cut off by the King repeating the last name he expected to hear.

           "Uma?!"

           Which was followed by the coupling of Carlos and Jane, severely annoyed by their friend not understanding how serious the situation was. "Details to follow!"

           The other couple looked to themselves and nodded, waiting for the others to go ahead as they fell back and walked behind the group, their hands intertwined.

♝♗

           "So, Uma's here, is she?" Is the first bit that Jax has spoken in their journey.

           "Yeah, apparently she's been searchin' fer a way into the Isle. Once Gil and I got out, she found us and made a deal with Mal to let all the other villain children out into Auradon." Harry explained how their presence came to be.

           "Uma did always have a great plan, I'm not surprised it's finally being executed."

           Harry then looked down at his feet, not sure how to ask his next pressing issue, "Love, Uma told me she searched for ye. That she spent months searching the sea for you. What happened when both of you got here?"

           That was when Jax pulled back, signaling that he wanted to stop walking so they let the rest of the group go off before he began to say, "When we got here, the first thing I did was head down to Auradon Prep to try and find one of my people,"

           "Not just one of them, you were looking for someone specific, weren't you? You went looking for Ruby Queen." His tone wasn't jealous, he was rather more inquisitive, he wanted to know more about where Jax came from, about people he grew up around. Jax was always too secretive.

           Jax started pacing, "I had to," He lifted his shoulders, "I knew that I had to go to her, that she'd know what to do, that she'd keep me safe."

           "What about Uma? You just left her there?"

           "I'm not proud of it, but yes," Tears were brimming in his eyes but he forced them back. "She's smart, I knew she'd handle herself, but that's no excuse."

           "She thought you were dead." He whispered.

           Jax only gulped. "I know what I have to do when I see her again, I'm prepared for the worst,"

♝♗

           Once they finally reached Evie's cottage, the group let out a large breath of relief.

           And as they let out that breath, the doors of the small house opened for the girls to come running out towards them. Mal went straight to Ben while Evie went to hug Carlos and Jay.

           When Uma saw Harry and Gil, she smiled, greeting them both as she linked her pinky finger with Harry's hook. She was grinning ear to ear when she laid eyes on them, but that smile soon faltered when her eyes landed on who was behind her first mate.

           Right there, in a dark button-up that still hadn't dried properly, his hair curling at the ends from getting it wet earlier and his eyes that held so much grief and pain. Right there, was Jax Hatter. One of the few people that weren't scared of her, one of the few that knew what she had endured in her young life, and quite possibly, one of the few people that she came to love fully and wholeheartedly. Frankly, she didn't remember that exact moment very well. All she thought was, There he is, he's here, in front of me, he's breathing. He's alive. If she hadn't thought that miracles were lies that parents told their children to make them think there was still a chance for them, she probably would have called this moment just that: a miracle. But she knew better, and yet she didn't care. And so with shock portrayed on her face, all she did was run to the Hatter, and hug him tightly for dear life.

           And Jax, while not expecting this reaction, in his mind he believed it would've involved more kicking and screaming, he still hugged her back. He knew she'd be angry at him, he knew it was to come any moment, but it still felt so nice to be hugged by someone he knew loved him for who he was. Yes, he'd been around his people for months, people that were treated as harshly as he was, probably more so, but in reality, he hadn't seen his own people in years. They don't know what he's done to survive, the lies he's told, the lives he's ruined, and the nightmares he helped come to life. They don't know what he's turned into, and it went both ways. While Jax would do anything for his people, he's known for a while that they barely recognize each other. He loves them, he always will, but would they still love him after they know everything he's done? This is why Uma hugging him made him so relieved. Someone who knows about the harsh things he's done, someone who at times, was there alongside him committing those crimes, and someone who's even ordered him to cause those heinous acts.

           Uma knew who he was and still hugged him.

           The daughter of the sea witch was not prepared to let him go. She had felt like his loss was her fault for months. There were times that she would stay underwater just because she couldn't cry down there. She'd been beating herself up about it for months, and once she accepted the fact that he could be gone, her mind went to the next guilt-ridden place it could think of: Telling Harry. Telling her best friend that his boyfriend was probably gone for good was probably one of the scariest things she's thought about. She imagined it going so many ways, that he'd blame her was one thing, but she knew that if they hadn't found this boy soon, Harry would be a wreck for who knows how long. In the Isle of the Lost, the closest thing you have to an actual family aren't the ones that raised you or the ones that scream you to sleep, they're the ones that you choose. The ones who stay loyal and aren't afraid of actually forming something meaningful. By losing Jax, she was sure she'd lose Harry too.

           But now, Jax was standing in front of her, in her arms, weeping into her shoulder, barely catching her breath as she forgot to breathe in the moment of it all. When she finally let the moment process over to her, she really thought it through. She wanted an explanation, she wanted to know what the hell happened. So, she did what any pirate captain would do when she discovered that someone from her crew made her think he was gone.

           She yelled.

           Loudly.

           She first took a sudden leap from him and backed up about a foot away. The VK's not part of her crew as well as the Auradon kids gathered at the entrance but couldn't help but watch the altercation. Uma took a deep breath, "You're okay." She whispered. "You're okay." She started nodding before her voice got louder, "If you're okay, then what the hell happened that night?" She emphasized, but the rest of her sentence was rather calm.

           Jax took a large gulp, his whole body shivered but he didn't let it show, "We arrived here at sunset. You were exhausted and had to rest. And I decided to find the Wonderlanders."

           "Okay," She nodded, "But, you were coming back, right? You were just going to find them, maybe ask for help, and then you were going to come back, right?" The last word bit at him.

           He could only stare at her as his eyes burned, "Honestly? I don't know. All I thought about was getting to them, seeing just one of them, the mission, your mission, it just left me." He confessed. "I haven't seen or spoken to someone that came from the same place as I for six years. I missed them and I wasn't about to lose any time I had to try and find them. That's the truth, Uma. I know what I did was wrong, I know I should have told you, that I should have at least given you some kind of clue. I'm not giving you an excuse for my actions, because there is none. But I do give you my apologies, I am deeply, terribly, sorry for what I did."

           There was a period of silence before Uma spoke. It caused Jax to be worried that she just wouldn't respond, that she would simply walk away and ignore him until the end of time. The audience not far from them didn't dare say a word and just kept moving their eyes from person to person. Harry, who was standing in the middle of the courtyard, observing the reunion between his best friend and his boyfriend, was worried as well, but he knew that Uma would speak again, what he was worried about was what she would say.

           She started out slow, only for it to build up, "You're sorry? You're sorry?!" She raised her voice, "I searched months for you! Ten months! I fled Auradon guards, stayed in hiding, I wedged myself in the smallest cracks in the darkest parts of the ocean floor, and still any moment I could, I spent looking for you! I thought the worst, I was sure I'd find your body before I found you breathing. And you're sorry?" Her voice was no longer yelling, but rather took a tone of disbelief. Just like him, her eyes burned to spill tears, and though she could feel them on the brink of collapse, she still held on. She refused to cry in front of these people. She refused to cry in front of Jax. Uma simply shook her head, took one last look at him, and then turned to walk up the courtyard, past Harry, and into the cottage.

♝♗

           "How are you?

           Jax was surprised that out of anyone, it was Jane that decided to ask him that question. He had already tricked his brain into believing that she only tolerated him because as far as she knew, he was the only person awake for miles. But, here she was, proving him wrong.

           Jax thought for a moment, "I'll tell you once this is all over, I don't have the luxury of thinking how I'm feeling at the moment,"

           "Well, that seems pessimistic," She acknowledged, "Then what are you thinking about?"

           "Oh the usual," He shrugged, "The pain I cause those around me, the friend I left behind to suffer, the weather is quite stuffy, I should've worn a jacket." He muttered humorously.

           "You're putting way too much on your shoulders," Jane observes, shaking her head, "This isn't your fault," He then gave her a pointed look, "Fine, it's not all your fault." She gave in. "If you want to stop feeling so guilty then do something about it."

           "How can I? Uma's not the type to forgive, I've no idea how Harry feels about me and I still have no way of waking my friends up." He turned away from her to look out into the forest from his view.

           "Well," She thought for a second, "I can help you in one of those problems,"

           "His head swung back at her, his brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

           "I still have lake water, it had an effect, just a temporary one, the wand can help keep it stable. Think of it like the water is the glass half full, with the wand, the glass is completely full. If we can get to my mom's wand, I bet I could wake them up." Jane, while doing this for completely good reasons, still displayed a manic look in her eye, like she was excited to do this. Jax assumed that after all her life denying herself to use her powers, it was thrilling for her to finally try some magic.

           "You really want to help me?" He was genuinely surprised.

           She only nodded back as a response.

♝♗

           The plan was quite simple. Jane and Jax both knew that the VK's and Ben would most likely want to be in the main factor for going up against Audrey, so Jane wanting to leave to 'find her mom to see if she could find a way to fix all this' was actually pretty expected of her. Jax speculated that Carlos could come with her, or possibly send someone from the group to go with her for protection, but he was confident that whoever it was would help him anyway, and if not, his capacity for persuasion came in handy.

           "Are you seriously going to leave without saying goodbye to Harry?" Jane accused Jax when he was heading out the backdoor of the cottage through Evie's backyard garden. They just finished discussing everything and planned to meet a mile north of the cottage. Seeing as how he would be sneaking away to avoid the many questions the VK's had for him. Slipping out quietly was faster and had less of a hassle. She had expected him to go inside the house and find Harry to say some sort of goodbye

           "That's exactly what I'm going to do,"

           Jane stared at him as though he had three heads, in pure disbelief, "Why? Why in the world would you do that?"

           Jax licked his lips in anticipation, "I love him. That's why."

           "You don't do that to someone you love, Jax. I get that maybe Wonderland might have different customs, but this is wrong in any realm,"

           "I love him," He repeated, "So, to protect him, I need him away from me. If I tell Harry what I'm about to do, there's no doubt in my heart that he'll come with. And if the villain kids stop Audrey and wake everyone up before I could wake my friends and get us home, the guards will come after me and anyone who's there to help. That means Harry is doomed like my people, but if he's in the presence of Auradonian King Benjamin and his future Queen Mal and friends, he'll be praised rather than imprisoned. I'd rather have him free and sad than suffering because I was too selfish to let him go. My people are doomed, I'm doomed, and I won't take Harry down with me."

           Jane nodded, like she understood, "And what if it all goes according to plan? What if I do wake your friends up, help Allie with her curse and she gets you all home before they defeat Audrey? What happens then?"

           "Then, my dear fairy, my people are home, no longer being pursued and we're finally where we're meant to be. I won't be allowed to leave after all those years away. Hell, if I even suggest it, they'll believe me even madder than the locals. And Harry stays here, praised for his bravery and strength on this venture. We won't be together, no, but at least I know that he'll be okay."

           "No," Jane shook her head, "There has to be a way where this all works out, there has to be,"

           "Jane, as much as you want to believe it, we aren't in a fairytale, we aren't a fable, we're not a story. There's no happily ever after for anyone, that's something these people," He motioned with disgust at the castles in the distance, "Made up so their children would believe that their lives would always end happily. With a dragon slain and a princess rescued. But that's not how the story goes."

           "I know that," She expressed sadly, "I know that only they get to be happy at the end and at the expense of everyone else, but I also have to believe that the good will outweigh the bad. It doesn't matter if that happens tonight or a year from now, but it has to happen. They've been happy long enough, they have to get what's coming to them,"

           "They will," He promised, "Trust me, they will," It was so sudden, like he knew something she didn't.

♝♗

           Jax had slipped out whilst the rest of the group was settled upfront and planning on what to do next. He was already past Evie's garden and was about to enter the woods that connected to the cottage when he was caught.

           "Where are you going?"

           "Bollocks," The Hatter cursed when he heard the thick Scottish accent of his boyfriend. He turned to face him, and like word vomit, all he could think to tell him was the truth. "I need my friends to wake up, right now is the perfect moment to get back home while everyone is off dealing with Audrey."

           Harry had been hoping for some type of good reason for his boyfriend to be leaving, something that explained why he was leaving the crew, why he was leaving him, "You're just going to abandon us? Hasn't Uma yelled at you enough? Haven't you lost her trust enough?" He shook his head. All this time, Harry had been waiting to be proven wrong, but he was fed up. There was heartbreak in his eyes as he looked to his boyfriend, and his voice cracked when he opened his mouth, "You know I told Uma that you'd eventually go back. That you didn't belong on the Isle, you're a born Wonderlander at heart." He said, regretfully so.

           "I've already abandoned them. I can't do it again."

           "What I don't understand is why you never asked any of us to go with you, you know that I'd help you with anything in this world. You might love me, but do you trust me?"

           "More than anything." He answered in a heartbeat, "But it's because I love you that I didn't tell you about this," Jax shook his head violently, "You need to go, you need to go with them and help them." His voice raised.

           "Why? Why can't I go with you?!"

           "Because I might not come back!" He yelled.

           After that, they both fell silent.

           "If this works, I'll be in Wonderland, and they won't let me leave. But if it fails, then we'll all be taken back to the guards and face the consequences." He lets out a harsh breath, "Either way, I might never see you again. And I don't want to make you choose between me and your entire life here."

           "You are my life,"

           "Don't," He shook his head, "Don't say something like that."

           "It's something that's true. If I had to, I would leave this place and go with you. The Isle was barely a home, all I would really miss would be Uma and Gil, but they would understand." Harry spoke softly. When Jax failed to respond, the pirate scoffed, "Was it even real? What we had? Or was it just you, bored, nothing else to do, to make the time go by faster?" Harry's voice was cold but right at the end, his voice choked as though tears were bound to fall any second now.

           That made Jax walk up to the pirate, cup his face and bring him closer to his own to show him how serious he was. "It was real, it still is. It was probably one of the most honest things I had in a long time. Do you remember what I said to you? Before I left, I said that you changed everything. I wasn't lying about that, it was very much the truth. For so long, I refused to let myself feel anything but pain and vengeance. I made it all about my friends, my family. And I didn't care what would happen to me once they all made it back home. If I were to stay behind and pay for those so-called crimes against the kingdom, so be it. But then you came, you and that pretty face with your sharp tongue," He paused for a moment to caress the pirate's cheek with his thumb, "You made me alive again, you made me want to fight for us, taught me about all the other horrors Auradon has committed, you opened my eyes to so much more." His voice got harder and louder. He was so thankful for everything Harry gave him. "You changed my plans, Harry Hook, you changed everything." And with those words, it was like a light turned on his brain, "Screw them, screw what Wonderland will tell me, and screw Auradon. I will come back for you. You made me believe that I could have something more than revenge. You made me believe that I could be happy as I once was before. Thank you for the gift that was to be loved by you." Tears had befallen his face by that point.

           "I don't care that you kept secrets, I know that sometimes a secret is all you have. And I know that you don't want me to know certain things because you think I won't like a different side of you. That our relationship was this glorious dream, but that dream was real, I loved that dream. And I want to keep it going." Harry could only nod. "So, go. I wouldn't leave behind Uma or Gil, you shouldn't leave your people as well."

           Without another word, Jax brought his face towards his and kissed him deeply. He tried to put so much of how he felt into that kiss. In a way to show him how much he loved the pirate and how much he'd miss him. "I love you." He spoke when they broke apart.

           "I love you too," Harry whispered into his mouth.

♝♗♝♗♝♗

This is dedicated to my girlfriend. I hope you liked it, I published this chapter out of motivation once you started reading the sequel.

- the title is a joint version of the Imagine Dragons song, Bad Liar and Dream. I've already said that titles have meaning in this book, what are your thoughts on this one?

- Yes, Jax did something wrong and he's apologized for it but it doesn't make it right. Some times characters do bad things and they shouldn't be let off with a warning because they're the main character.

- Jax not asking for help is something he does a lot, he tries to involve a little number of people as much as possible. He thinks he has to do everything himself and it's just something he has to work on. He accepted Jane's help because she has the ability to do something he can't and he needs her help.

- Uma is definitely angry with Jax at the moment, but their friendship isn't over.

- Jax is not in love with Ruby. Harry is not jealous of Ruby.

- a writer friend of mine decided to 'claim' certain existing characters from a show because she wants to write them better and fix their storylines, so that's exactly what I'm doing right now. As of this moment, Jane is mine, I'm going to be responsible for anything Jane does, I have claimed her, she belongs to me. She deserves better and more thought out storylines and imma give it to her.

- did you like the flashback as to how they first met?

no mundanes allowed

- polaroized