A/N: Hello lovelies! The last chapter in this seasonal collection!

Enjoy!

Christmas Eve Magic

It has been many years since Mal had deserted the Isle. There had been a number of Christmases gone by with Ben in Auradon, with Evie and Doug, Jane and Carlos, Jay and Lonnie, even with Audrey and Chad. None with her mother. Her mother had finally become human again but she had taken one long look at her daughter, curled her lip in disgust and was removed back to the Isle.

Mal had woken late into Christmas Eve night, looked at her sleeping husband, pulled her warm dressing gown from the hook by the door and padded her way onto the balcony. She had chosen this bedroom, and Ben lamented her choice daily, regardless of the eight or so years they had spent in this castle. It was one of the tallest turrets with the best view of Auradon, with a balcony that ran all the way around, giving her views all the way to Agrabah and then to the Isle. Mal didn't want to tell Ben that it was her dragon instinct that made her reach for the highest turret, that her instinct was to flap her wings and leap from the stone walls. In the time she had been a Royal of Auradon she had turned dragon very few times, and normally only for good reasons. Self-preservation or saving friends, she was a good dragon and the thought always made her chuckle.

But now, beneath a blanket of stars she stared across to the huddle of lights that represented the Isle. While Evie had worked her damned hardest to pull the kids off the Isle not all of them had wanted to come to Auradon, and not all of them had deserved it. It had been a year or so into the Refugee Programme that one of the Frollo twins had been sent back to the Isle. It had almost shaken the foundations of Evie's project but she took a tougher stance to kids determined to bring the Isle over to Auradon. The Frollo in question had tried to steal the Genie's lamp but that was one item that had been almost worthless, the Genie having been freed before Aladdin's wedding. His awareness of his old home and it's safety was the only reason they had caught the Frollo red-handed. That had been a hard year to be an old Isle girl.

Staring wistfully out across the bay, Mal fiddled with her wedding and engagement rings, she let out a soft sigh, her breath misting out in the icy weather. Tugging the fabric closer to her Mal sat up on the stone balcony and swung her legs over the edge, dangling them in a way that she would have shouted at one of her kids for.

Closing her eyes, Mal concentrated and held out her hand. Closing her palm she focused her energy, feeling the familiar pull of magic and opening both her eyes and her fingers there was a merry green tinged flame dancing in her hand and she smiled at the sight.

She had given up the grimoire ages ago, but she had realised that magic danced inside of her and if she didn't release it safely, it could be dangerous if it was to build inside of her. Ben hadn't been happy, but when she had turned to Fairy Godmother the old fae had agreed that small doses of magic would help Mal control the fire beneath her skin. Ben had grudgingly accepted it, and even he was thankful on icy cold State Visits for Mal's extra heat. With practice she could chase a warm glow over the surface her skin, keeping her toasty warm while others shivered around her.

"Still doing magic?" Ben's soft voice didn't startle her and she turned to smile at her husband.

"Still whingeing?" She said lightly, budging up as he joined her on the balcony.

"It's bloody freezing." He nudged her shoulder with his and in response, Mal held his hand, concentrating briefly to share her heat with him. "Muuuch better." He wrapped his arm around her and kissing the top of her head. "Why are you out here?"

"It's Christmas Eve, thought I'd keep an eye out for Santa." Mal murmured, and no sooner had she spoken than a star shot across the sky. "See, there he goes." She nods as Ben chuckles.

"Come back to bed." He whispered and Mal stared up at him with a smile.

"What's in it for me?"

"My warmth and an early Christmas gift." Ben said saucily.

"I'll take my present." She shifted back onto the firm stone of the balcony and closed the cold winter evening out of their bedroom as Christmas Morning quietly crept in.