Descended

Chapter 3

It was dark by the time the four friends made it across the bridge. Darkness on the Isle was not exactly a new thing for them, but with the new found freedom of the inhabitants it felt different.
"Should we stay together? Safety in numbers?" Evie asked looking at Carlos's face.
Mal and Jay both looked at the younger boy as well.
"I think we can manage as two teams," Mal decided. "Jay you go with Carlos. Start at Hell Hall. E and I will look for her mom. Since we already know where my parents are. Meet at the old spot in one hour?"
They all mutter in agreement.
As soon as the boys are out of earshot Mal looks at her blue haired princess and says, "Let's head to the docks."

*bing*

"Oh, hell. I forgot to respond to Audrey."

Audrey:
So, uh, do you still want my help? You didn't reply when I said I was in.
Mal:
Yes🙌 so glad you are willing to play. About to find Uma to work out exactly what we're doing. Meet at E's for brunch tomorrow?

Audrey reads the text conversation over a few times before sending back that she will be there. She just came back from death's door. She almost destroyed everything she loves. Everyone forgave her.
Man, she really hopes whatever fun is going down is not happening at her expense.

Uma looks up from her card game and sees a certain purple fairy approaching, "I seriously just got home. You couldn't have had a chance to miss me." She laughs.
"Miss you? As if," Mal playfully roles her eyes. "Just wanted to personally extend a," she quirks her eyebrows and allows the wickedness to show in her eyes, "change of plans invitation for you to join us for a girls brunch tomorrow at E's. Be there at 10?"
Harry starts to say how he loves girls and will definitely be there to show all the ladies his charm when Uma slugs him in the arm.
"You still have plans to meet Ben, Jay, and Carlos with Gil. Remember? I'm perfectly capable of going to a girly thing without you, Hook."
Twice in one day, seriously. What is he doing to get her so riled he wonders.
"Awesome!" Evie exclaims. "Have you ever had pancakes? Of course you haven't. Oh, you are going to die when you taste them.
"E. Don't make the poor pirate boy jealous." Mal tells her. She then redirects her attention to Uma, "I don't guess you have seen the Evil Queen lurking about since you got over here."
"Girl, no. I haven't seen a single parent that was not on the mainland with us."
"Damn. That's suspicious, right? Am I being paranoid? I'm being paranoid. Maybe they haven't realized..."
"Mal, our hours almost up. We have to go meet the boys."
"Right. Right," Mal replies, coming back from wherever her mind had drifted.
"See you," they call to the pirates as they head off the docks.
"Be seeing you!" Gil calls out shocking Evie.
"You know, for as big as he is Gil sure can sneak up on you."
Mal laughs as they make their way to the old hideout.

Jay and Carlos are waiting for them with sullen looks when they arrive. Carlos is pacing about mumbling  to himself. Jay is lounging on the couch shaking his head every few seconds.
"Oh no!" Evie exclaims at the sight before them.
"What did you guys find? I'm taking it wasn't all we hoped it would be?
Jay looks up at Mal, "We found all three of our parents," he nods in Evie's direction, "at Hell Hall."
"That's different. They were only allied for the one plan. What were they doing there?"
"Sleeping." Carlos finally muttered a word audible enough to be heard. "They were all sleeping. Collapsed really. In my Mother's coat closet."
Evie looks worriedly at Carlos.
"No, Evie, no one fell onto any of the traps." Jay interjects.
"It looks like they were trying to unload all the furs out of the closet. I'm not sure. It was a mess. We did find this on the floor next to them," Carlos holds up a bright red apple core.
"Oh Mommy." Evie's heart shatters a little. "It looks like you'll be sleeping for a while."
Mal looks on at her three most trusted friends, her first true family. "Come on. Let's go move them out of that hellacious coat room."

Uma finishes up her card game, and decides to call it a night. Her ship is still hosting almost her entire crew. Safety in numbers.
"Alrighty boys, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up so late that you can't make it for our meetings tomorrow."
She can feel Harry following her at what he deems a respectable distance. Ignoring this she walks into her cabin closing the door in Harry's face.
With a satisfied smile she begins to undress for bed. Stupid boy, trying to kiss her after all that flirting. Ugh. Did he not realize how that looked? How that made her feel? Yeah, they were not dating. And, yes, she had been stuck on the other side of the barrier for a while, but dammit.
"Dammit."
Pulling on one of Harry's old shirts Uma opened the door to yell at the idiot she was sure was still outside it. He did not disappoint her as she found him sitting against the wall outside her cabin.
Looking up when she opened the door he tried to ask what he had done to upset her, but the words got stuck in his throat. She looked gorgeous in his shirt.
"Uma," he breathed, " I know yer upset at me. I been trying to figure out what I- never mind. Can I stay with ye tonight? I haven't slept, I haven't slept right, with ye gone."
"C'mon then. You're on top of the covers though. And, if Gil needs me you better slide over."
"Aye, Captain."

Ben was waiting in the garden for Mal. He knew she had gone to the Isle, but she had promised to meet him by midnight.
He had had some council business to take care of after the party anyway. It was a lot to just take the barrier down letting known villains roam free.
He was trying to clear his brain of that for the evening. This night was to celebrate his engagement.
Man, it sure seems like midnight is taking a long time to get here. Ben lets his mind go back to the conversation over dinner. Did his fiancé and his friends find their parents? Where was Captain Hook? What if he was dead? What if one of his new friends, maybe Harry was a friend, had killed him?
Ben did not think that Uma or her pirates were actually guilty of that. Uma and her pirates.
Uma and Harry. Are they together? They never did answer Doug's question. Ben is curious as to why. There are a lot of thoughts swirling in his brain and he is starting to get lost in them.
"Hello Ben," Doug interrupts his thoughts. "You must be waiting on them to come back, too."
"Yeah. Want to head closer to the bridge?"
"Sure, I need to do something. Evie is already 15 minutes late."
Ben looks at his watch, " Mal too. They did say midnight."
As they approached the bridge they saw seven figures coming toward them. Three appeared to be floating.
Mal was directing them. The Core Four had made it home. They had made it home with three very asleep parents.