Chapter Text
Grace's eyes flutter open, the dim light of early morning casting soft shadows across the room. The air is cool, crisp even. The faint sound of waves reaches her ears, distant yet steady. She blinks slowly, adjusting to the quiet surroundings.
She turns her head on the pillow, catching the scent of salt lingering in the air. It mixes with something faintly herbal, perhaps from the jar of what looks like poultices on the table near the bed.
A dull ache pulses in her side, a reminder of what had happened, why she feels so weak. Gritting her teeth, she props herself up on her elbows, wincing at the effort. Her breath catches and she stops, the pain sharp enough to make her pause.
She finally looks down, at her abdomen, now wrapped in thick bandages. The fabric is rough against her skin, but beneath it, she can still feel the heat, the slow, aching throb from where the bullet had torn through her. The wound is no longer fresh, but it’s far from healed. She runs a trembling hand over the bandages, fingers brushing against the edges of the wrappings, and the reality of it sinks in. She should be dead. But she isn’t.
The door opens with a soft creak.
Ilsa steps into the room, her eyes trained on the door handle that she holds when closing the door. She comes to a stop when she sees Grace.
“You’re awake”
The girl is startled by the speed in which Ilsa crosses the short distance between them before calming herself at the last minute. She takes a breath and sits down on the edge of the bed.
Grace looks at her.
“Is.. Is this real?”
Ilsa nods, a sad smile pulling at her lips.
Grace purses her lips, her eyes downcast. “I thought.. I didn’t think I would make it. I should..”
“But you’re not” The older brunette cuts her off before she has a chance to finish her sentence. “You’re not” She repeats. Her hand covers Grace’s as she bows her head to meet her gaze. “You're alive. And you’re here. With me. With Alanna”
“How long was I out for?”
“Twelve days” Ilsa says, her fingers working to undo the knot that held together Grace’s bandages. She unravels them. The process is easier now that the girl is conscious. She sets the bandages aside. Her eyes assess the wound. “It will be some time before your wound is properly healed”
Grace doesn’t know what to say.
“Would you like a bath?”
“Yes, but.. what about my wound?”
“That’s what the poultices are for. It’s infused with a nectar from the flowers here that makes it stick to your skin as it heals you. It’s invulnerable to water”
The girl watches Ilsa reach for the jar on the table. She takes the lid off and gathers a good amount of the balm on two of her fingers before applying it to Grace’s wound. “I know” She says, when she squirms away from her touch. “It feels.. strange”
Grace scrunches her nose. “It’s slimy”
“But it’s helping”
A smile spreads across Ilsa’s face when she sees the familiar, defeated pout forming the girl’s lips.
She wipes her fingers on the front of her trousers before she rises to her feet. “All done. May I..?”
Grace covers her bare chest then nods.
Ilsa tucks one arm under her legs then plants the other on her back before lifting her and holding her close. She brushes her nose against Grace’s.
The girl lets out a soft, purr-like sound.
Ilsa carries her to the other room. She sits her down on the stool bedside the tub. While she helps her out of her skirt, Grace eyes the water that fills the tub to the brim. Her gaze drifts to the floor where water appears to have darkened the wooden planks. She looks up and sees some sort of contraption that seems to be disguised as a roof.
“What is this place?”
Ilsa follows her gaze to the roof as she stands. “My uh..” She pauses, trying to find the correct words.
Grace takes the hand that’s held out to her as she carefully steps into the tub. She lowers herself till her rear makes contact with the bottom, her hands on both sides of the tub for support.
Ilsa sits down on the stool.
She waits for Grace to come back up after she submerges herself under the water.
Her lips purse. “I had a.. friend. His name was Ethan. He was a craftsman and a damn good one” A smile pulls at the older brunette’s lips. “He and his crew went on these expeditions all across the world. It wasn’t often that he found himself at rest, but when he did this is where he came. He built himself a home that served his needs. He often went to certain parts of the forest that reeked, badly, but only in the seasons when he knew it would rain. When it did, he would open up the roof and let the water pour until the tub was full. He’d make use of the water for days, but no more than a week” She chuckles. “Sometimes he would just bathe in the rain if he smelled worse than usual”
“You loved him”
“I did” Ilsa says with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I loved him dearly”
Grace rests her chin on her knee as she hugs them then turns her attention back to Ilsa. “What happened to him? Is he..?”
Ilsa nods, her throat bobbing as she briefly looks away. “He was assigned a mission that was.. near impossible. I told him not to go. That it was too much of a risk. He didn’t listen. I didn’t hear from him for seven years. By the time I did, I was with Alanna. I left her on the night of our wedding to aid him on his mission, but it.. I was too late”
Grace reaches out and takes her hand. Her thumb caresses the back of her pointer finger. “I don’t know what to say. I’m not good in this field”
Ilsa lets out a soft laugh that’s followed by a tearful sniffle. “You don’t have to say anything, sweetheart”
Grace manages a small smile.
“He left this house for me to inherit. He wanted me to settle down somewhere nice when the seven seas gave me more trouble than they were worth”
The girl brushes her finger against the silver band around Ilsa’s finger. Her eyes remain downcast while a frown forms her lips. “No more sailing?”
“No. Not for a while. The ship is being looked after by Paris. Luther tells me she’s an excellent captain”
Grace meets her gaze. “How does Alanna feel about all this?” Her heart clenches at the thought of the blonde resenting her for bounding them here.
“It was her idea” Ilsa says, rising to her feet before walking towards an open window to grab the towel that she put out to dry. “After we divided Gabriel’s reward among ourselves and the crew, we took all of our belongings and came here”
Grace holds onto the other woman’s hand again as she steps out of the tub. “Where exactly is ‘here’?” She asks, allowing Ilsa to wrap her in the towel.
“East of the Bahamas” Ilsa says as she gently peels the wet, dried poultices from the girl’s skin. The pad of her thumb brushes over the wound on her abdomen. “Did that hurt?”
Holding the towel around her shoulder with one hand, Grace shakes her head.
“Good. That means I can stop bandaging your wound” Ilsa has a firm hand on the side of the girl’s waist as she leads her out of the room.
Grace notices a folded blanket and two pillows on top of a carpet beside the bed she woke up in. “You and Alanna slept on the floor?” She asks, her eyes wide with worry when she turns towards Ilsa.
“You needed the bed” The other woman tells her. “The carpet is much more comfortable than it looks”
Despite the clear jest, Grace can’t help, but be overcome with guilt. “I’m sorry”
“Hey, none of that. You didn’t ask to get shot”
“But I did. The plan was shit and I..”
Brown eyes widen.
“The key. Was it destroyed?”
“Yes. William recently sent word of it”
Ilsa hands her an opened letter that was in the drawer of the desk in the corner. Grace lets out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding til now.
“It’s over, Grace. Gabriel is dead and the key is no more” Ilsa says. A happy smile spreads across her face as she cups the younger woman’s cheek. “It’s over. You don’t have to run anymore”
A tear falls down Grace’s cheek as she smiles in disbelief. The tear is wiped away for her.
They both turn their heads towards the sound of the front door as it opens then closes. It’s followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.
The door to the bedroom is pushed open with that soft creak. Blonde hair is the first thing that greets them. “You won’t believe what I found at the ma..”
Alanna’s lips stay apart when she sees her.
Her eyes flutter as she takes a breath. “Grace?”
“Hi, Lanna”
Grace watches her walk over to her at a leisurely pace, her hands restrained at her side. Her knuckles turn white from her grip on the towel as pretty steel blue eyes roam over her face.
She melts into Alanna when she cups her face.
“You’re alive” The blonde whispers as if she can’t believe her eyes. She holds the girl’s face in her hands, a smile pulling at her lips. “You’re alive”
Grace is slightly taken aback when warm lips press up against her own, but she quickly recovers and returns the kiss. She lets out a soft, content moan.
Alanna pulls away, the girl’s face still in her hands. Her eyes drift down to her naked body. “That won’t do, now will it? Let’s get you into some clothes”
Ilsa sits Grace down and applies salve with healing herbs to her wound. She can’t help, but smile when Grace hides her face behind the towel when her stomach growls. “Sounds like someone’s hungry”
“Can you blame her?” Her wife calls out from the other side of the room. “She hasn’t eaten in days aside from the broth we’ve been feeding her”
Grace crosses her legs and lets out a groan. “Is that why I need to relieve myself so badly? It feels like my bladder is going to erupt”
Alanna shuts her closet. “Just hold it a minute longer, darling. Stand up for me, would you?”
Grace puts the towel aside and stands.
The blonde dresses her in a simple sleeveless dress with laces at the front. “The weather here is quite warmer than what you might be used to” She says as she ties the front lace into a cute bow.
“I’ll adjust. I’m like a chameleon” Grace teases, lacing her fingers with Alanna’s.
Alanna chuckles, bowing her head before looking at the girl, her eyes filled with love and affection. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you”
Grace smiles in response and pecks her cheek.
“Now go urinate before you make a mess out of our kitchen floor. I’ll meet you outside in a moment. Oh, your shoes are beside the front door”
“Alright. Bye, Ilsa”
Ilsa smiles when Grace stands on her toes and presses a chaste kiss to her lips before leaving the room. She exhales through her nose as her wife wraps her arms around her waist from behind.
The blonde rests her chin on her shoulder, a concerned pout forming her lips. “Are you alright?”
Ilsa nods, covering her wife’s hands with her own. “I’m fine. I’m just glad to have Grace back” She tells her, her eyes on the archway Grace went through before she disappeared from their sight. She swallows the lump in her throat. “There was a moment where I thought we lost her, Alanna”
“I know” Alanna brushes away her wife’s hair so she can press a kiss below her earlobe. “But it won’t do you any good to think about that now, my love. Grace is alive. And she’s here with us”
Ilsa nods as she takes in the blonde’s words. “You’re right” She says, taking a breath before turning to face the love of her life. A smile pulls at her lips. “There’s no point dwelling on the past”
“Precisely” Alanna says with a smile before leaning forward and capturing her wife’s lips with her own. When she pulls away, she swipes the pad of her thumb across Ilsa’s lower lip. “I’m going on a stroll with Grace. You know, show her around the island”
“I’ll get dinner started. Be careful” Ilsa calls out to her as they slowly pull apart.
“Always am!” The blonde shouts over her shoulder.
Alanna closes the front door and sees Grace sitting outside on a chair, eating a peach.
The girl stands and wipes her mouth.
“Sorry. Got peckish”
Alanna smiles. “Can’t say I blame you. Come. You can wash your hands at the beach”
After discarding the peel, Grace joins the blonde at her side and locks their arms since her hands are dirty. “What was that pink spiky fruit I saw inside?”
“Dragon fruit”
“Dragon fruit?” The girl repeats in disbelief.
Alanna chuckles at her tone. “Darling, there’s so much I have to catch you up on”
She leads Grace along the winding paths of the island, the sun overhead casting golden light through the swaying palm leaves.
The air is warm and thick with the scent of the ocean, salt and distant blossoms carried by the breeze. Grace follows, taking everything in as she’s seeing it all for the first time.
The blonde watches her closely, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Grace’s face is relaxed, her brown eyes wide with curiosity and awe as she gazes at the endless blue of the ocean stretching out beyond the white sands. The waves lap at the shore, a gentle rhythm that mirrors the rise and fall of her breathing.
It’s peaceful here, isolated in the best way.
Every now and then, the girl stops, lifting her hand to brush it along the rough bark of a palm tree or through the soft fronds of ferns. She lets her fingers trail along the curve of a rock, the warmth of the sun still lingering on its surface.
Alanna lingers nearby, quiet and watchful, but allowing Grace her space, her time. She loves seeing her like this, loves the way she seems to be rediscovering everything with a childlike wonder, a softness that’s been absent for too long.
They walk in silence, their steps light on the uneven ground. The island is their sanctuary, far removed from the chaos that once surrounded them.
Here they can be free. Together.
As the sun begins to sink lower in the sky, casting the world in hues of orange and pink, they start heading back. When they arrive, the scent of dinner greets them and Ilsa is there, standing at the stove with an ease that comes only after years of doing something for those she cares about.
Grace sits at the table, her eyes fixed on the meal in front of her. It’s simple; a whole chicken with mildly spiced boiled potatoes, but to her, it’s more than just food. It’s nourishment. It’s care. It’s the first proper meal she’s had since she woke up, since she returned to them. She eats slowly at first as if savouring each bite and Alanna and Ilsa watch her with quiet patience. There’s no rush.
Alanna glances at her wife, a silent understanding passing between them. Ilsa’s face is calm, but there’s a tenderness in her gaze that’s reserved for moments like this, moments when they can simply be. Alanna reaches for a slice of dragon fruit once they finish eating, offering it to Grace with a gentle nudge, watching her eyes light up as she takes her first bite. The sweetness spreads across her lips and she smiles, small and hesitant, but real.
After dinner, they get ready for bed.
Grace changes into something comfortable, a soft long-sleeved nightgown that hangs loose on her frame. Alanna watches as she quietly picks up the pillows and blanket that were once discarded on the floor. She doesn’t say anything, just places them on the bed, smoothing out the sheets with slow, deliberate movements.
When they finally settle into bed, Grace is in the middle, flanked by Alanna and Ilsa. The warmth of their bodies is comforting, grounding her in a way nothing else has before.
Ilsa’s voice breaks the quiet, her words soft as she tucks the girl’s hair behind her ear, her eyes never once leaving Grace’s face. “Words cannot express how grateful we are to have you back, my darling”
Grace closes her eyes, feeling the weight of those words, the truth behind them. Alanna leans over, pressing a kiss to her forehead, a silent promise in the gesture. She exhales, a long, slow breath as the tension leaves her body, sinking deeper into the bed, into the safety of their presence.
Her eyes flutter close.
“Don’t fall asleep just yet, sweetling”
Grace opens her eyes at the sound of the blonde’s voice. She feels Alanna take her hand in the dark of their room. Her lips part in surprise when she feels a ring get slipped onto her fourth finger.
“Now you’re officially unofficially our wife”
Grace is grateful that the lack of light saves them from seeing her completely flushed cheeks when her wives kiss her simultaneously on each.
The three of them lie there, entwined in the quiet, their breathing steady, synced. Alanna’s arm drapes lightly over Grace’s waist while her wife’s does the same, their forearms brushing together.
It’s a small moment, but it feels right.
The soft sound of the ocean in the distance, the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore, lulls them into a peaceful stillness. The warmth of the island surrounds them, the gentle breeze through the open window carrying the scent of the sea. Grace feels it all. The weight of the day, the exhaustion, but also the comfort, the love that radiates from both sides of her.
Slowly, they all begin to drift, the lines between wakefulness and sleep blurring until they’re enveloped in the quiet, wrapped in the warmth of each other. Grace's breathing steadies, her body relaxing completely for the first time in what feels like ages. Alanna shifts closer, her head resting against Grace’s shoulder, while Ilsa’s rests on the small of her back, a quiet reassurance in the dark.
The days on the island pass in a slow, comforting rhythm, each one blending seamlessly into the next. Grace begins to settle into the routine, her body and mind healing in ways that feel natural, almost effortless, in the warmth of their secluded world. Alanna and Ilsa stay by her side, their presence constant, grounding her as she adjusts to the simplicity of life on the island.
Mornings are soft, filled with the scent of salt in the air and the warm embrace of sunlight filtering through the windows. Grace wakes first sometimes, lying between the two wives, feeling their steady breathing, the rise and fall of their chests in sync with her own. She watches them, feeling the weight of their care, the tenderness that has become such an integral part of their existence together.
They spend their days exploring more of the island, walking the paths that wind through the dense greenery, the jungle alive with sound.
Grace still marvels at the beauty of it all. The vibrancy of the flowers, the soft lap of the waves, the bright, brilliant sky above them. The blonde often leads the way, her hand brushing lightly against Grace's back as they walk while Ilsa trails behind, her gaze ever watchful, protective.
Meals are shared in comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional murmur or soft laugh. Ilsa prepares simple dishes, but each one is made with care, a quiet ritual that binds them.
Grace eats more now, her appetite slowly returning, her strength rebuilding day by day. The dragon fruit has become her favorite, its sweetness a small, but constant joy at the end of their meals.
At night, they return to the same bed, falling into the comforting routine of slipping under the covers, the girl always in the middle. The quiet moments before sleep are filled with warmth, the three of them wrapped around each other, safe and content in the embrace of their shared space.
It feels like a new beginning, a kind of peace that Grace hadn't known she needed until now.
As the days stretch into weeks, something changes within Grace. It's subtle at first, a quiet sense of belonging that settles deep inside her, a desire that grows slowly, naturally, as her body and mind continue to heal. She feels it most in the evenings after they've shared dinner and the sun has disappeared behind the horizon.
One night, as they lie in bed, the three of them together as always, she stirs. She turns her head slightly, glancing at Alanna and then at Ilsa. Her heart beats a little faster, but it's steady, certain.
The air is warm, the darkness soft and enveloping, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Grace feels something stir deep within her, a desire, a longing that she hasn't felt in so long.
She takes a slow breath, the words forming in her mind before they slip out into the quiet.
“I want to have sex”
Alanna opens her eyes.
Her wife’s were already open seeing as they were fixated on her fingers drawing meaningless patterns on the blonde’s arm. “Hm. Is that so?”
Grace sits up and shifts around till she’s on her knees and looking down at them. “I want you two so badly. I fear I may actually combust if you don’t fuck me” She says with an adorable pout.
Alanna looks at her wife before averting her gaze to the girl. “Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”
Ilsa sits up. “How do you want us, love?”
“Well,” Grace leans in on her hands, her lower lip tucked between her teeth as she looks between her lovers with lustful eyes, “do you still have the toys?”
A few minutes later, when all three of them have shed their clothes, Ilsa lies on her back with a phallus-shaped object standing stiff between her legs. Grace straddles her waist. Alanna sits behind her, her hands planted firmly on her hips.
Grace takes a breath before lifting herself up.
The blonde wraps her hand around the phallus and positions it so that the tip brushes against Grace’s slit. Grace lets out a moan as both Ilsa and Alanna slowly lower her onto the phallus. She can’t help, but curse when it’s fully inside of her.
Alanna brushes away the strands of hair covering Grace’s shoulder. She leans in and presses soft, lingering kisses against her neck.
Grace leans back against her.
Soon enough, her hips begin moving out of their own volition. She rides Ilsa til kingdom come, loud moans spilling out of her lips like water from a faulty faucet. She doesn’t keep track of her orgasms. She just knows she has many.
They switch positions multiple times throughout the night. Ilsa holds Grace’s gaze as she fucks into her from the top, their fingers laced. Alanna parts her lower lips and fingers herself naughty at the sight.
Then when Grace asks her to take her from behind, Alanna obliges while their wife watches.
They have sex until they feel like Grace has had enough. They stop despite her insistence.
Ilsa and Alanna both take turns kissing her pout.
Grace grumbles some incoherent protests into Alanna’s shoulder before allowing sleep to take her. Her wives succumb to the same fate shortly after.
Hours pass. It’s still dark out, the faintest hint of morning only beginning to soften the night sky.
Ilsa sits up first, her movement careful and slow. The room is quiet, save for the steady rhythm of Grace’s breathing beside her. Alanna stirs next, her eyes fluttering open as she watches her wife slip out of bed, the sheets rustling softly in the silence.
Ilsa glances at Alanna, a wordless understanding passing between them. They both rise, moving quietly to avoid waking Grace, whose body remains relaxed and undisturbed under the sheets.
Ilsa grabs her robe from the chair and ties it loosely around her waist. Alanna follows suit, pulling her own robe on before they slip out of the room, the door closing with that soft creak behind them.
The house is still as they walk through it, the early hour holding everything in a kind of suspended quiet. Outside, the air is cool and fresh, the beach stretching out in front of them in the soft light of dawn. They walk across the sand, the cold grains shifting under their bare feet. They settle down near the water’s edge, side by side.
The ocean is calm, the waves rolling in a slow, steady rhythm. Ilsa wraps her arms around her knees, staring out at the horizon where the first signs of the sun begin to break.
Alanna bends her knees, burying her toes in the sand as she braces her hands behind her.
Her wife is the first to break the silence.
“Do you have it?”
Alanna’s hand tightens around the bag in her right hand. “Yes”
It’s a small coin bag filled with rocks.
And the very key they told Grace was destroyed.
Ilsa nods, neither of them turning to face each other. “Grace can never know about this. If she finds out that we lied about this damned key,”
“She’ll never forgive us” Alanna finishes her wife’s sentence. “This key has taken so much from her. It’s caused her nothing, but pain and suffering”
Ilsa takes a breath, her gaze still on the crashing waves. “We may never know what it unlocks, but we do know that it’s nothing good if the woman we love is willing to die in order to destroy it”
“Agreed” Alanna says before rising to her feet. She holds a hand out to help her wife do the same. “We’ve already forged William’s letter. All that’s left to do now is dispose of this thing once and for all”
Fueled by the need to protect Grace, Alanna throws the bag as far into the ocean as she physically can. She stumbles forward, but her wife is there to catch her, her hands steady on her hips.
The bag sinks into the deep from the weight of the rocks, never to be seen unless sought.
Alanna lets out a shuddering breath.
Ilsa runs her hands up and down her arms as a way to comfort her. And herself.
They head back to the house as the sun rises.
They shed their robes and get into bed with Grace who almost immediately sleepily nuzzles into Ilsa’s chest as if she had felt her absence.
Alanna puts her arm around the girl’s waist as she holds her from behind. She presses a gentle kiss to the back of her shoulder, her eyes closed. When she opens them, she stares at her wife.
Ilsa looks up at the ceiling.
A warm hand finds its way onto her chest, a warm hand that she covers with her own.
The secret they share never sees the light of day.
Ilsa, Grace, and Alanna live a relatively happy life together. Their days fall into a quiet rhythm, each of them finding their place in a shared existence that feels both unexpected and deeply right.
The intensity of their early days, the passion, the uncertainty, has settled into something softer, more enduring. There are moments of tension, of course, flashes of jealousy or misunderstanding, but they always find their way back to each other.
The beach becomes their sanctuary within their sanctuary. Every morning, they rise early, slipping out of bed while the world is still asleep and walk down to the shore together. Grace, usually half-awake, leans on Ilsa’s shoulder, her bare feet brushing against Alanna’s as they walk side by side. The sea, constant and unchanging, is the backdrop to their mornings, its rhythmic waves mirroring the steady pulse of their life together.
Inside their home, there’s a quiet ease.
Ilsa’s work keeps her sharp, but the walls of the house feel like a reprieve from the demanding world she once navigated out on the open seas. Alanna is a grounding force, her calm energy balancing Ilsa’s intensity while Grace brings warmth, her presence a reminder of just how far they’ve all come. The three of them, once so different, have found a way to fit together, like pieces of a puzzle that were always meant to align.
There are nights when the past still lingers, ghosting between them. Moments when Ilsa’s eyes darken with memories of a life spent in control or when Grace falls quiet, retreating into herself.
Alanna is often the one to pull them back, her touch gentle, a reminder that they’re here, together.
And so they continue, navigating life in their own way. It’s not perfect, but it’s theirs. A life built on trust, desire and a love that has grown stronger with time. They’ve found a kind of peace, wrapped in the sound of the ocean, in the warmth of each other’s presence and in the knowledge that whatever comes next, they’ll face it together.