After Ever After

Getaway Boat

"Why are we doing this?" I asked.

"Again with the questions!" he exclaimed, taking his hat off and setting it down beside himself. He fidgeted with his hook, and I could tell he was avoiding answering the question. He took a deep breath and sighed, "You probably think we're escaping Auradon to go wreak havoc somewhere."

"Aren't we?" I asked with a nervous laugh. He was starting to make me feel just as confused as I was earlier that day when we first saw each other.

He grabbed his sandwich and hastily took a bite. Once again avoiding the question, he said with a mouthful, "You ever tried Peanut Butter and Jelly before? It's a whole new thing compared to rotton toast on the Isle."

I rolled my eyes and demanded, "Quit stalling and answer the question!" He'd never been this indirect before, and it was making me angry.

He killed his playful facade when he picked up on my annoyance and admitted, "I'll take you wherever you want, but I'm staying in Auradon."

The part of me that was still optimistic about him had me thinking, He can't blow his cover just yet. He's gonna be my inside agent while I plan my revenge!...again.

But based on his tone, he wasn't staying for espionage.

"You actually became one of them," I lamented.

Harry nodded. He began to explain, "Like I said earlier, they opened my eyes, Uma. I finally made a goal of my own, not some hand-me-down wish of my father's." He turned his head and stared off into the sea. "I've been doing pretty well in school, and my record is almost spotless of demerits. In a few years, I'm planning on enlisting in the Auradon Navy."

I snorted at the thought. Harry Hook, son of a villain and pirate extraordinaire, fighting on the water for the good guys. He furrowed his brow, as if offended, and I started to realize how serious he was about this whole thing. Suddenly, I didn't see him as a friend in that moment; he was an enemy to me.

"You're a traitor," I declared after a long moment of silence. I clenched my fists in my lap as I continued, "You've buried everything that we stood for and instead vowed to fight for Auradon just because they told you it was better."

"But what if they're right, Uma?" he snapped back a little louder. "Why don't you quit being so stubborn and give it a try? I've been like this for three months, and I already feel much better than I ever did on the Isle! And as far as the Navy goes, I really have a shot here. I've been talking with Prince Eric, and I–!"

"Prince Eric?!" I shouted, jumping to my feet. "You're seriously conversing with that mermaid-loving maniac?! You know he's the reason my mother's on the Isle–why I was on the Isle!"

"But you're off the Isle now!" he stood up as well, and his height made him tower over me. "Take advantage and try to stay! I don't want to see you get sent back to where our parents are."

"Our parents had the right idea about things!" I argued, and in a quieter voice I added, "There was a time when you agreed with me."

"Uma, I hated my dad!" he roared. Clearly, a nerve in him had been struck. I flinched slightly because he never yelled like that before, especially at me. Usually he shouted in laughter at the misery of others, not at his own pain. He ran a hand through his hair and continued in a low but still argumentative voice, "I'm the only son of Captain Hook, and if you know anything about him, you know that he hates little boys!"

It started to click in my head, and I realized I'd never actually asked him about his father. Too busy being Queen of the Isle, I guess.

"Remember Peter Pan and the lost boys?" he asked, but I didn't have time to answer before he went on, "I spent my life facing his constant bitchin' about how I was bound to disappoint him! How I would never grow up! How I was bound to get lost!"

I was struck speechless, but his heavy breathing filled the night air. I was reminded how earlier that day, he had said something that triggered me in a similar fashion. We were both insecure about our heritages. I, however, still held onto that past.

Harry seemed to have calmed down after a moment, and then he spoke with firm confidence. "I'm not my father, and you're not your mother."

"We can be worse!" I argued, and admittedly I sounded like a broken record.

"We can be better!" he shot back, and then he started moving towards me. For every step he took forward, I took a step back. My whole range of understanding was starting to flip. Everything I had ever learned was being contradicted by my longest friend, and the worst part was that I was torn between two parts of me. One wanted to be evil, and the other wanted to trust Harry. I put a hand to my temple in an attempt to ease my rising headache, and Harry's proximity wasn't helping.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a while. He took one more step forward, and I took another one back...right on top of a slippery rope. It was all downhill from there.

My foot slid forward, sending a sharp pain through my ankle as I tumbled backward. The back of my legs hit the edge of the boat, and my momentum sent me tumbling into the dark water. When I gasped in surprise, I also inhaled a mouthful of water. I barely had two seconds to comprehend what had happened because it felt like I was pulled from the cold water just as quickly as I fell into it. Harry had thrown his jacket off and dove in after me without a second's hesitation. As soon as my head was above water, the water gradually cleared out of my throat. With one arm around me, Harry swam us to the back of the boat where he pushed me back onto the deck and pulled himself up as well. Back on the boat, I coughed up any remaining water while Harry raced to get his jacket. He draped it over my shoulders, but I was still shivering. He also grabbed a blanket from inside his tool box and wrapped that around me as well.

I sat in silence and avoided eye contact with Harry while he worked the blanket over my frame. He left me on the deck and moved back over to his chair at the front. I had some time to think, and I thought a lot. Most of it was about how everything I knew was being second guessed. Sure, life on the Isle sucked, but a life of evil off the Isle was supposed to be a dream come true for villains and their kids. Why did Harry no longer think so? Why was I suddenly doubting it as well? I hated that people were able to change so quickly; it made trust difficult, especially when you've known a person your whole life.

Another thought occurred to me. "Harry," I called his attention over, and he turned around in his chair. "You know I can swim. Why'd you jump in after me?"

He took a moment to think before he said, "Impulse I guess." He paused again, and then added, "I care about what happens to you."

"Caring, huh?" I thought aloud. Back on the Isle, if someone took a tumble like I did, most onlookers would either laugh or not care. Harry was definitely someone new. I took a look at myself, wrapped in warmth, and then I looked back to him, still dripping. I tilted my head slightly and asked, "Are you cold?"

He shrugged in reply, and I flicked my head to let him know he could come back to me. He got out of his chair and moved over to the deck where he sat beside me. I handed him the edge of the blanket, and he pulled half of it over himself. Now, the blanket was over us both, and our sides were tight together.

He was looking off at the sea again, and I took a moment to observe him. His posture was different–how he carried himself entirely was different. He still exuded confidence, but it was different from before. He wasn't arrogant and worshipping the ground I walked on. This confidence came from independence. Freedom from the Isle, from his father, maybe even freedom from me.

"Harry," I said in a hushed tone, and he looked down at me. "When you're in the Navy, Prince Eric...would he be your new captain?"

He wrapped his arm around my back, giving my shoulder a small squeeze. With a slight smile, he answered, "He's the Admiral, Uma. No one will ever replace you as my captain."

That's when I realized that, even though earlier he said he'd take me anywhere and leave, he really didn't want to lose me. The more I thought about it, I realized that I didn't want to lose him either.

Time for a change.