Oh yeah, new chapter!

Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay all exchanged wary or frightened looks with each other as Beast walked toward the door of the lighthouse downstairs. He disappeared from their sight a moment later. He would be ascending the steps to the observation room now.

"This isn't good," Evie whispered, wringing her hands. "Why didn't Ben come? Did he send Beast so he wouldn't have to give us the bad news himself?"

"Quiet," Jay grumbled at her, and there was silence again.

Soft footsteps echoed up the metal stairs as Beast approached. A minute passed, and he appeared near the top of the spiral staircase in the center of the room. He took the last few at a sedated pace. Then he strode over to them.

"Well, well, well," he said. He pushed his hands into his pockets as he surveyed them each in turn. "You ask for acceptance back into Auradon. Then you murder two of your own. Is there even a wonder as to why I'm here?"

"Please, sir," Mal said quickly. She didn't want to anger him, but he had to know the truth. "No one murdered anyone. Well, Jafar killed Mother Gothel. But Jay killed Jafar in defense. Really."

Beast seemed to consider this for a moment. But then he shook his head. "Why try to relay this message to Auradon though? How do I know this isn't some scheme to get back into the city quicker? And with sympathy at that."

"Why would we lie about this?" Jay snapped. "I can take you to their bodies if you're really that stubborn that you need proof. It's the other islanders that we have to worry about now. They won't care that I'm innocent."

"Innocent of this, maybe. But as for other crimes, I highly doubt you're innocent."

"Those are in the past. I put those days behind me when I chose good at the coronation. We all did." Jay curled his hands into fists, and Beast gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"That doesn't change the fact that you are rash and violent. All of you," Beast said.

Before anyone else could protest that that wasn't true, Mal suddenly spat, "Oh yeah, and who does that remind you of? Have you looked in a mirror recently?"

No one else spoke as Beast rounded on her, a vein in his forehead popping out as he did so.

"You have bad blood, Mal. No amount of promises or resolutions to be good can change that. Sooner or later, you will revert to your old ways. The ways of your parents. The way I see it, you get everything you deserve by living here. It's where you belong. And it's where you should have always been."

Beast's words stung Mal like a slap in the face. It seemed like no matter what they did or said, they would never be good enough for Beast. They could never escape the habits of their parents. Was that true? Did other people in Auradon agree with him?

It was her turn to be angry, and she took a step forward, her blood pounding in her ears. But she stopped just before she retaliated with more scathing words of her own. There were footsteps coming from the stairs. Someone else was coming up to the observation platform.

Beast must have heard it too because he spun around just as the newcomer appeared at the top of the steps.

It was Ben. And he was entirely out of breath. He stopped when he saw them and leaned against the topmost part of the railing.

"Ben!" Beast looked surprised to see his son interfering with his obvious plan of squashing the spirit of the Isle teens once and for all. "How did you...what are you doing here?"

"I got...up," Ben panted. "Mom...told me I...had a message. From...the Isle. Foghorn. Morse Code." He was clutching a stitch in his side. How far had he run? The lighthouse didn't have that many steps. "Said you'd left. So...I ran."

"What, all the way here?" Beast asked, and he glanced back out the window.

Mal turned too, and she saw that the magic road to connect the Isle and Auradon was now disappearing. But there was still only one car outside the lighthouse, just the one Beast had arrived in. When she turned back to the front, Ben was nodding.

"Yes. Couldn't wait on a car." He forced his breathing to become a bit slower, still using the railing as a crutch. But he could speak a bit better now. "I knew what you were going to do. I don't care what their story is. They're coming back."

"What? But, you-" Beast started.

"I said," Ben said loudly, now straightening up since he had gotten his breath back. "They're coming back to Auradon. Whether you like it or not. Whether I have your approval or not. Because, frankly, I don't give a damn what happened here last night. Everyone knows how much of a sleaze Jafar is, and if not, I'm sure that between Jay and Jasmine, we can put together a fine image of his true self behind closed doors." He looked at Jay, and Jay nodded.

Ben walked forward now, but he stood apart from his father. "I'd like to hear what did happen though." He cast a dark look at his father. "It won't change my decision though. And, pardon my disrespect, Father, but we'll be talking later about who is king and who needs to accept that they are no longer one."

Mal felt like the ground was shifting underneath her feet. This final act of Beast's defiance of his son's rule had seemed to push Ben over the edge. It was shocking to see Ben behaving like this. Like...well, like a king. He was confident again. And firm. He was finally taking charge of his reign.

Mal was still reeling at this revelation of Ben's change in behavior that it took her a moment to realize Jay was speaking. He was recounting the previous night's events for Ben.

When he was done, Beast looked torn between disgust and disappointment. Mal wondered if he had really wanted Jay to confess to killing Jafar in cold blood just to give Ben a reason to keep him on the Isle forever. After a moment of silent hesitation, Beast spun on his heel and left the lighthouse.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Ben's horror and sympathy.

Ben nodded and swallowed. "I will have things...taken care of. Uh, cleaned up, I mean. Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, and Mal noticed that the hand was shaking. "But that will be later, once we're all back in Auradon. It's...yeah, let's just get you all home."

Just one more update, guys! I love getting all of your reviews! Keep it up! :)

Foarrin