There was nothing quite like fireworks, Evie very quickly realized.

Evie sat to the side of the lawn, watching the fireworks go off. When she glanced over to the castle balcony, she could see Mal and Prince (oh, wait, it was King now) Ben watching as well, every once in a while sharing a secret smile. Across the lawn, Carlos and Jane were sitting a bench, petting Dude, Jane every once in a while laughing at something he said. And Jay was with the tourney team, making plans for a party that weekend. At the corner of the stage, Audrey was talking with Lonnie and Melody, the dark-haired daughter of Ariel, but was sneaking glances at Jay when she thought no one would see.

Blue and yellow fireworks went off in the sky, illuminating the happiness that the four kids had never felt before.

All of it made Evie smile wider. She wasn't worried about her make-up, or doing evil for once. She had even taken off her heels to let her toes curl around in the soft grass, which was something that her mother absolutely abhorred. Evie got her purse and dug around it for a minute, before finally pulling out her small magic mirror.

"Mirror, mirror in my hand, show me the evilest queen in the land."

But the mirror didn't show anything but Evie's reflection. She shook it slightly, as if that would make something appear, but nothing changed.

"It's the barrier."

Evie nearly jumped out of her seat at Doug's voice. Dopey's son held up his hands harmlessly, and smiled gently. He sat down next to her, blushing red as he did so. Evie had to bite her lip to keep from smiling; he was so adorable. Her mother would definitely never approve of her feelings toward him. With the Evil Queen, it was prince or nothing for her daughter.

"What do you mean?" Evie asked in regards to his statement. "Jane broke the barrier-"

"Which Fairy Godmother was all too quick to fix," Doug gently explained. "That's where she and Jane went after you guys beat Maleficent. So now magic can't penetrate it again."

"Oh," was all Evie could say. She turned slightly so Doug wouldn't see the tears welling in her eyes. It was a little funny, in a very sad way, how much Evie suddenly wanted to see her mother, once she found that she couldn't. Out the four of them, Evie always felt like she got the most love from her mother, at least they had things in common. And now, she'd probably never see her again. Evie told herself it was better this way, she had chosen this way.

For a few minutes, the most unlikely of pairs sat in silence, until the fireworks faded away, and left the stars. It was only then that Evie realized she had leaned against Doug, and her head was resting on her shoulder.

"Doug?" she asked quietly, slowly sliding her fingers to intertwine with his. They were like she thought they would be, soft and warm. He smelled like earth, and Evie never felt more at home.

"Yeah, Evie?" Doug leaned his head against her blue hair, and softly squeezed her hand. He had been dreaming about a moment like this ever since he first seen her. He had wished for it when she had flashed him that proud, beautiful smile at her B+.

"Do you think my mother could see the fireworks from the Island?"

"Definitely," Doug answered immediately. "Fairy Godmother wanted those fireworks to be seen across Auradon." He paused for a moment, but had to ask. "Why?"

She sniffed slightly, and didn't answer for a few minutes. Then, "I just wanted her to see something really, truly beautiful," Evie responded quietly.

The two sat there for a little while longer, until Evie began to shiver, and Doug put his red suit jacket around her slim shoulders.

"You want to go inside?" Doug asked quietly.

Evie nodded.

Doug stood up, bowed, and offered his hand. "My lady," he grinned goofily.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," Evie replied, giggling and executing a perfect curtsey as she took his hand. They locked their fingers together again, and Evie felt her heart begin to race. They were the same height, and she searched his eyes for the truth in his actions.

"Are you okay, Evie?" Doug asked with concern at her silence. Her smile had dropped slightly as they looked at each other.

"Yeah," she replied in a soft voice. "I was… It's just… With my mom being… who she is, how can you like me?"

Self-doubt and insecurities were entirely foreign feelings to Evie. She didn't quite know how to process them. But how could this sweet guy like her?

Doug furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and looked at her like she had grown a second head. That's when he realized something:

He had never cared.

Evie had introduced herself as the Evil Queen's daughter, but Doug had never once cared.

Doug smiled, and started laughing.

"What?" Evie asked indignantly, breaking away from him. "I'm serious, Doug!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Doug finished laughing. "Evie, I don't care who your mom is."

A smile burst out over her face. "Really?" she asked happily. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, of course."

Evie threw her arms around Doug again and hugged him tightly.

"Well, well, look at the love birds, isn't it sweet?!"

The blue-haired girl winced. She'd know that grating, screeching voice anywhere.

Doug was looking around, and Evie let go of him, pointing upwards to the sky.

"Iago," She explained in an annoyed voice, pointing to Jafar's bright red parrot, who was circling above their heads. "What do you want?" She loudly asked the bird.

He laughed sarcastically, and landed on a tree branch above them. "I'm free, toots!" he screeched. "There was a hole in that dome and I blew that joint!"

"Well, that's great for you." Evie rolled her eyes. "Can you go away now?"

Iago glided to her shoulder. "Can't, sweet cheeks. Your dish of a mother wanted me to give you something before I go enjoying my freedom."

"What is it?"

Iago dropped a roll of parchment into her hands and flew off into the night. With trembling fingers, she unrolled the paper and read the few, scribbled words. They looked like they had been written in a rush.

"What is it, Evie? What does it say?" Doug asked, curious.

Evie smiled, handed the paper to him, and wiped the tears glistening in her eyes. "It's from my mom."

Evie,

The dress you made was beautiful.

"She never complimented me like that," Evie beamed.

Doug raised an eyebrow slightly, but was just happy to see her happy. He couldn't believe that this was the first time her mother had ever given her a compliment, but he wasn't going to mention it.

Evie looked out to the island, her peaceful feeling returning. As much as it pained her, leaving her mother there, she knew she had chosen the correct path for herself.

"Are you okay?" Doug asked again.

"Yeah, Doug, I am," Evie whispered, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek, and the two walked back into the castle.