Author's Note: So, we've got one chapter left after this. The same goes for Tough Love (I hope and if anyone was wondering). I'm going to try and finish them both before Friday when Descendant's 2 premieres, but I'm not totally prpmising because I do want to make sure I do them right and don't just shove them out for updating's sake. But I will be working hard on them. That being said...

Please enjoy.

Part 23

"You know I can make my own dress," Evie said from behind the dressing room door as she, Snow, Mal, and Cinderella were in a dress shop in Germania. Snow had brought her and Mal up for the weekend before the coronation for a girl's weekend of shopping. Cinderella had joined them a little while after the girls had arrived and immediately Florian and Raymond had made themselves scarce, Raymond reluctantly so when he found out Mal was coming.

"I know you can, Sweetie. And I've seen your work, that dress would be beautiful," Snow complimented. "But you only get coronated once –"

"Well…," Cinderella drew out.

"Okay, maybe twice," Snow conceded as she knew that Cinderella meant when she herself was crowned as a princess after Grimhilde's death, and again when she was crowned Queen after marrying Florian. "But in your case, it is once. And I want to make sure everything is perfect and that you don't have to worry about anything. So please, let me find you the most beautiful dress fit for a princess."

"Did you have that speech practiced just in case, or did you just make that up on the spot?" Mal asked as she looked through the rack of purple gowns that Snow had brought out for her.

"Oh, she definitely made that up on the spot," Cinderella answered her. "She may not look it, but Snowy here is the best at impromptu speeches. So just imagine what she can do when she had the time to prepare."

Mal smiled and nodded. "She could probably inspire a hopeless crowd."

"Not probably, she's done it," Cinderella boasted.

"Can you please stop talking about me like I'm not in the room?" Snow asked as she watched Mal pull out a gown. It was a sleeveless, floor-length mermaid dress with diamond sequin-embellished lace over a matching sweetheart lining. The cut of the dress looked like it would hug Mal's curves while still maintaining an elegant look. "That is going to look beautiful on you," she told the young purple-ette.

"It certainly will," Cinderella agreed.

"Thank you, but I don't know if I want to make anyone spend the kind of money this dress probably costs," Mal said as she looked at the tag. Her eyes widened when she saw the price. "Especially not a thousand dollars," she gasped.

"Would you relax, I'm paying for it, so go try it on," Snow directed her.

"No, I can't, it's way too expensive," Mal hesitated.

"It's perfect," Cinderella gushed as she looked the dress over. "Snow's right, you are going to look beautiful in this."

With a heavy sigh, Mal relented and was about to make her way to a dressing room when the door to Evie's opened and she stepped out. Immediately Snow, Mal, and Cinderella's jaws almost dropped collectively. Evie was wearing simple off the shoulder dark blue silk tulle gown. The top edge and the area that was at her waist, just above where the skirt flared out, were embroided with a white lace floral design. The material wrapped itself around her torso while still looking appropriately young for a teenage girl before flaring out into a full ball gown silhouette that reached floor length without actually touching the ground. The skirt was accented with simple white flowers that popped against the dark blue material.

"Oh my God," Cinderella gasped at the sight before her.

"E, you look beautiful," Mal said in an equal amount of awe. She knew that Evie was beautiful and that when she dressed up for things like this she always looked like the most beautiful girl in the room. But right now, Mal would freely admit that in this dress, once the hair and makeup were added, maybe, just maybe, this might the one time that Snow wouldn't be the fairest of them all.

Snow's reaction was even stronger. She tried to speak, but found herself unable to. Her hands were in fact covering her mouth and Evie could see that Snow was tearing up and maybe just a second away from crying uncontrollably.

"Snow…?" Evie asked fearfully.

"Oh, Evie…you look…oh my God," the usually aplomb Queen stammered just before rushing from the room. "Excuse me," she sobbed as she finally broke down in tears. Evie and Mal looked on uncomfortably.

"Was it something I did?" Evie asked fearfully.

"No," Cinderella shook her head. "Not intentionally." She moved over to Evie and helped her toward the three-way mirrors. Mal crowded in behind Evie next to Cinderella. "This dress you chose – albeit with some differences in color and the accents – is almost identical to the one Snow wore when she was re-crowned as Princess after your mother's imprisonment. In fact, she was just a year younger than you were when it happened. It's probably bringing back some memories," Cinderella explained.

"But I didn't pick this dress," Evie revealed. "The shop owner brought it in last minute. He said he remembered Snow's coronation and wanted to go for a vintage look to pay homage."

"Then he made good decision," Cinderella stated softly, "because this is the one."

"Are you sure? I don't want to upset Snow," Evie said.

"She's not upset, Evie. Trust me," Cinderella comforted. "Now, you," she directed at Evie, "back in there and take this of so we can get it. And you," she said to Mal, "into a dressing room of your own and try that on, so we can make sure it fits, and take that one too. Now, young ladies," she finished in Mom mode when neither of them moved.

"Okay, we're going," Evie responded as she started making her way back into her dressing room.

"Yeah…so bossy," Mal said under her breath as she began moving as well.

Part 24

"I can't believe the shop owner was nice enough to let Mal and I have our dresses for free," Evie said as the four of them were eating lunch.

"That wasn't nice, that was ego," Cinderella said. Mal and Evie looked at her. "He let us have your dresses for free because when the coronation happens, one of the questions is guaranteed to be…"

"…Who made the dress the new princess is wearing?" Snow finished. "And that shop owner knows that once his name is mentioned…"

"…He'll be able to say that he provides dresses fit for royalty," Cinderella said.

"Okay, so that explains Evie," Mal said. "But why my dress, too?"

Snow and Cinderella looked at each other and smiled.

"Mal, you're forgetting that everyone knows that you're King Ben's girlfriend," Snow started.

"Like everyone else, he's probably assuming that one day, we'll be attending your coronation…," Cinderella added.

"…and at the very least he'll get to say the Queen of Auradon has worn his work. At most…"

"…He's hoping you'll remember this dress, and come back for your coronation dress."

When they were done speaking, they saw the way Mal and Evie were staring at them. They grew confused. "What?" Snow finally asked.

"It's so freaky how they do that," Mal said.

"I know," Evie concurred. "Even we don't do that."

"We didn't always do this," Snow said. She held up her hand in order to stop Cinderella since she knew that her friend was about to speak. "We've known each other a long time, and after a while, after we had gotten to be best friends and then sisters, it just started happening."

"I guess when you know practically everything about a person, you eventually just know what goes through their head," Cinderella offered.

"So, you two know everything about each other?" Evie asked.

Snow and Cinderella nodded. "Pretty much," Cinderella said off-handedly.

"So, if I wanted to ask for details about a certain Queen who was mentioned to have stolen a car when she was sixteen, you could give me – I mean us," Evie corrected as she felt Mal kick her under table. "Give us those, right?" she finished. Both teenage girls had wicked little smiles to match the hopeful gleams in their eyes.

"Oh definitely," Cinderella answered enthusiastically.

"Whoa, no," Snow said to Cinderella. "No, she won't," she said to the girls.

"Oh, come on, it's a fun story," Cinderella giggled.

"No, it's not."

"Well not on your end," Cinderella admitted. "But she already knows about it, might as well fill her in."

Snow rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth.

"Yay," Mal and Evie said at the same time.

"It was after all of our enemies had been placed on the Isle," Cinderella began. "Most of us were settling back into our kingdoms. Except for Snow. You see, she was still a minor – fifteen to be exact. So, King Adam decided that she needed a guardian until she was legal. Fairy Godmother volunteered.

'So, for those first few years after being awoken, Snow lived with Fairy Godmother. Whenever the rest of us were in town on official business, that's when she hung out with us."

"Us?" Evie asked.

"The usual group was Snow, Jasmine, Rapunzell, Anna and Elsa, and myself. Sometimes Belle, but usually she was off with her duties as Queen," Cinderella told her.

"The problem is, when you're the youngest one, sometimes you find there are things you can't do because everyone says you're too young," Snow said angrily.

"Like say when we all decide to go a club and Snow can't go because she's only sixteen. She begged and pleaded with Fairy Godmother to let her, saying that since she was a princess, they'd let her in. But Fairy Godmother said no."

"That's when your stole her car?" Evie asked her sister.

"I did not steal her car," Snow corrected.

"Not yet anyway," Cinderella chuckled. "First, Snow calls me, begging me to come get her anyway, but I am not about to anger Fairy Godmother."

"Mama's girl," Snow digs.

Cinderella shot Snow a look.

"Instead I tell her that if she can get to the palace, where the rest of us are staying, I can have a fake ID waiting for her. That's when she steals –"

"Borrowed," Snow interrupted.

Another look from Cinderella. "She waited for Fairy Godmother to go to sleep, because she always went to bed early, snuck out to the garage, and, without permission – which means stealing – took Fairy Godmother's car."

Mal and Evie began laughing hysterically along with Cinderella. Snow just sat there, annoyed at the tale of her youthful transgression.

"Sneaking out. Stealing a car. Using a fake ID. And sneaking into a club. You would've fit in perfectly on the Isle," Mal stated.

"Thank you, I think," Snow said flatly. "But I wasn't that bad." Cinderella let out small laugh. "What? I was a good girl."

"Oh no, don't lie to them. After all, I know better," Cinderella said. She then turned to the girls. "Don't let this woman's prim and proper demeanor, or how strict she is with Raymond, fool you, okay. When she was your age, Snow was going through quite the rebellious stage. And it made her quite the little problem child for Fairy Godmother," she added with an evil little smile.

Now Snow looked completely annoyed and everyone at the table found it unbelievably hilarious.

"Are you sure you two aren't related by blood?" Mal asked Evie, eliciting even more laugher.