Ch 29:

Gabby huffed slightly when she finally got the bobby pin to stay in place, keeping the small braid in place. Now, her black and red hair was loosely curled with the front section pinned back in a small braid.

Stepping back from the mirror, Gabby looked at her whole reflection to make sure she looked okay. She was wearing a simple black dress with 1 inch straps and that ended around her knees. There was a skinny red belt around her waist, and brown wedge heels on her feet.

Turning around, Gabby held her hands out to the side, silently asking the people sitting in the room if she looked okay.

"You look perfect!" Evie squealed from where she was sitting on Gabby's bed.

"Don't look so nervous." Mal told her from her spot next to Evie, Gingersnap perched on her shoulder. "It's just Jay. He always thinks you look nice."

Gabby blushed and looked down, pretending to be looking at her dress. "I might be less nervous if I knew where this date was at." she pointed out, grabbing her new purse off her desk. The purse was small and black with a long gold chain strap, and a red rose with green leaves stitched on the front. "All Jay's told me is that it takes almost two hours to get there, which is why we're leaving at three o'clock."

"You probably wouldn't know what to expect even if we did tell you where it was." Mal told her. "You haven't been to many places in Auradon yet. Just know, it's not pizza at Tony's."

Gabby scrunched up her nose at the other girl. "I wouldn't mind pizza at Tony's. And anyway, he doesn't only sell pizza."

Mal smirked. "Well, you're not eating spaghetti at Tony's, either. That'll have to be date 2."

Gabby blushed, trying to look mad. Before she could retort, however, someone knocked on the door. Gabby fidgeted slightly in place, her hands grasping at her purse strap. She glanced anxiously over at the girls, who silently gestured to the door to tell her to answer it.

Taking a deep breath, Gabby approached the door and opened it before she could freak out anymore. Standing on the other side was Jay.

He was wearing a nice-looking leather jacket that was black with burgundy sleeves and a slightly slanted zipper, and dark wash jeans. Some of his long, brown hair was pulled back in a mini ponytail out of his face. And he grinned when she opened the door.

"Hey." he greeted her simply.

"Hey." Gabby said back with a smile, trying not to blush.

"You look beautiful." Jay told her honestly. With that comment, Gabby knew her attempts at not blushing was futile.

"Aw! How romantic!" Mal called teasingly from behind Gabby. Pursing her lips, Gabby rolled her eyes before looking over her shoulder while Jay looked around her at the two girls sitting on Gabby's bed.

"Shut it, Mal. You're just jealous." Jay called before gesturing with his arm for Gabby to leave the room ahead of him. She gratefully slipped out, letting him close the door behind her to Mal and Evie calling out for them to have fun.

Gabby sighed heavily. "Those two are wonderful, but they're also a pain."

Jay laughed as he walked at her side. "You could say that again." he agreed.

They walked out of the dorms and out to the front of the castle. Parked out on the road was a dark blue bike-like scooter.

"It's not really my style," Jay started, grabbing a helmet off the seat, "but Ben wouldn't let me borrow the limo just to take you on a date." he added the last part playfully as he passed the helmet to her.

Gabby laughed. "Yeah, that makes sense." she agreed, putting the helmet on her head and strapping it in place.

Jay put on another helmet and climbed onto the scooter. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating Gabby should get on behind him. Gabby smiled and carefully climbed onto the scooter, putting her hand on Jay's shoulder to keep her steady.

Jay peaked over his shoulder at her as soon as she sat down. "Hold on." he told her teasingly. Gabby hesitantly wrapped her arms around his abdomen and a second later he started the scooter and they zoomed off. Gabby instinctively tightened her hold, pressing her face into the back of Jay's shoulder when the sudden movement almost sent her backward.

The ride felt like it took forever, but Gabby also enjoyed the sights. Most of the ride was on a forest road, so there was plenty of greenery to see. They also passed through a couple small villages. However, it was still a long, slightly boring ride, especially since it was difficult to talk on a scooter.

Finally, Jay slowed the scooter and Gabby looked up, curious as to where they were. The first thing that caught her eye was a large, two story building across the street from where Jay parked. It was a beautiful, extravagant brick building with balconies and glass doors. A large sign shone light green with elegant, cursive letters spelling "Tiana's Palace".

Gabby turned her head to look all around them as Jay climbed off the scooter. She couldn't see any other restaurants or places that looked like somewhere you'd go for a date.

"Where are we going?" she asked Jay, climbing off the scooter and taking off her helmet. Jay was also taking his helmet off, setting it on the seat with hers.

"I should think it'd be hard to miss the giant, lit up restaurant behind me." Jay joked, jerking his thumb at the restaurant Gabby had been admiring.

Gabby gaped, glancing between Jay and Tiana's Palace multiple times. "You're joking. That place looks way too nice." she argued. "It looks expensive."

"Actually, I've been told it's fairly priced. It's just getting a reservation that's difficult. It's a really popular place." Jay told her.

"Well, I'm helping pay." Gabby decided firmly as they crossed the street.

"No, I'm paying. It's a date." Jay argued.

"And what? Since you're the guy, you have to pay for everything all the time?" Gabby asked sarcastically.

Jay held the front door of the restaurant open for Gabby as he answered. "Well,…yeah?"

"That's ridiculous." Gabby told him. "I brought money. I can at least help pay for the food."

"Do you have a reservation?" a kind young woman asked as they approached a podium.

"Yeah. It should be under Jay." Jay answered. The woman checked something before taking a couple menus and leading them further into the restaurant and to a table. There were already several tables full of people.

The inside of the restaurant was as beautiful as the outside. It had shining wood flooring, bronze railing, and beams that went up to the ceiling. A huge chandelier and many lanterns hung from the ceiling, and a glass skylight allowed the sun to shine in. The tables were all round with green tablecloths that resembled lily pads, and had white chairs with green cushions and candle centerpieces that looked like flowers.

As Jay and Gabby sat at one of the tables, Gabby's eyes followed the sound of jazz music to a stage at the far side of the restaurant, where a band was playing…lead by a crocodile?

"So, how'd you get reservations if this place is so popular?" Gabby asked curiously.

"Tyrone helped me out." Jay answered, opening a menu. Gabby did the same, looking at all the delicious-looking options.

"How'd he help?"

Jay glanced at her over his menu. "His mom owns the place."

Gabby blinked. "But I thought he was a prince. Why would his mom own a business if she's royalty?"

Jay paused and seemed to think about it before looking at her. "I'm not sure. Maybe you should ask him sometime."

It only took a few minutes before a waitress stopped by to take their orders and drop off their beverages. Gabby ordered the gumbo and Jay ordered the jambalaya.

"You really don't have to help pay." Jay told Gabby, continuing their earlier conversation.

Gabby narrowed her eyes slightly at him. "I'm helping pay, whether you like it or not. So save your breath. Why are you so against me helping pay, anyway?" she asked, curious. Jay had never really been the typical chivalrous, traditional kind of guy that insisted on paying for things.

Jay shrugged slightly, mirroring her position of resting his arms on the table, leaning slightly closer to her. "I don't know…Part of it might be the Basic Chivalry class I'm taking. And,…I don't know, maybe it's an ego thing." he joked slightly. "Like, wanting to show that I could take care of you if I needed to. I know you're independent and all that, but…" he trailed off and shrugged slightly.

Gabby smiled slightly. "So, you don't spend your nights counting your gold like Jafar always does?" she joked slightly.

Jay snorted. "Not hardly. There's not much to count. And what's the point in saving money and not spending it on yourself and your friends?"

Gabby smiled, but then frowned slightly. "You didn't have to take me somewhere nice if you don't have a lot of money." she told him, concerned by him mentioning he didn't have much money.

"That's not what I meant." Jay assured her, quickly shaking his head. "And I want to be able to take you places."

"But-"

"I'll get a job; relax. I can't get one now, unfortunately, but I was talking with Li'l Shang, Lonnie's brother, and he might have a summer job for me teaching kids sword fighting. And I've actually been looking into taking the R.O.A.R Assistant Coach position at Auradon Prep when I graduate."

Gabby smiled, noticing how Jay seemed to almost inflate with pride. He was figuring his life out, discovering what made him happy. It was something kids on the Isle never had the luxury to even think about.

"I'm glad you found things that make you happy." Gabby told him quietly. "But I'm still not letting you pay for everything. Partners, remember?" she reminded him sternly.

Jay chuckled, nodding slightly. "Alright, fine. You've been helping Evie out with her business, right?"

"Only about eight hours a week so far, but I have other stuff on my plate, so she understands. And I'll help out more during busy season. Whenever that is." Gabby answered.

"Think that'll be your career or something after you leave school?" Jay asked curiously.

Gabby paused, blinking slightly as she thought it over. "Uuumm,…I don't know." she admitted, partially thinking out loud. "I mean, I do enjoy the work. And I like helping Evie. But I don't think I'm quite as passionate about it as Evie is."

Their conversation paused as their waitress returned with their food.

"You could be a chef." Jay suggested teasingly, lifting a spoon to begin eating.

Gabby laughed. "I might be good at cooking, but I don't think I'd want to make actual work out of it. Cooking for dinner, or baking for a fundraiser, is one thing. I don't think I'd enjoy cooking for several hours a day. I would start to hate it." Gabby paused to take a bite of her gumbo, her eyes going wide. She swallowed and pointed her spoon down at her bowl. "And I could never compete with this. This is the best thing I've ever tasted." she informed him seriously.

Jay laughed, though he nodded in agreement.

They continued to talk as they ate, and they were scraping the bottom of their bowls in about half an hour.

"Have you been here before?" Gabby asked curiously, leaning back slightly in her chair to let herself digest.

Jay shook his head. "Nope, this was the first time I've been here. The guys heard I was looking for a place to take you on a date and Tyrone mentioned it. And I gotta admit, he wasn't exaggerating."

"Rony?" a different voice spoke up, making both Gabby and Jay look down in surprise. A little girl was curly, sandy blonde hair and blue eyes in a frilly pink dress was standing by their table, blinking up at them with a huge smile and dimples. "Rony's my cousin. Are you his friends?" she asked, blinking big, blue eyes up at them.

"Uh…" Jay and Gabby stuttered at the same time, glancing curiously at each other.

"Candace." a new voice scolded lightly as another woman arrived. She was a beautiful middle aged woman was dark skin and black hair pulled into a bun, dressed in an elegant green dress. She rested her hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Are you bothering these nice people?" she asked knowingly.

"No, Auntie Tia. They're Rony's friends." Candace informed the woman seriously.

Her aunt sighed, running one hand down the little girl's blonde curls. "Go back to your table, Candy. You can't have dessert until you finish eating, remember?"

Candace pouted, but did as told, turning to return to a table a bit closer to the stage. She climbed onto a chair between two women; one with fair skin and blonde hair, and another with dark skin and gray hair wearing a tiara.

"Sorry about my niece. I hope she wasn't bothering you." the woman said, glancing between Jay and Gabby with a kind smile.

Jay and Gabby both quickly assured her it was fine.

The woman then looked at Jay thoughtfully. "Although, I believe my niece was right. You're Jay, right? My son Tyrone has mentioned you."

"Yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Ma'am." Jay greeted her, looking surprised. Gabby herself felt her throat go slightly dry with nerves. She was talking to a Queen. It wasn't as petrifying as talking to Belle, but it was still slightly nerve-wracking.

"Oh, please don't call me Ma'am." she laughed. "That makes me feel old. Call me Tiana." she told him, holding her hand out. Jay shook it, looking slightly more at ease. Gabby also relaxed slightly. This woman looked very easygoing.

"It's nice to meet you." Jay told her. "This is Gabby." he introduced them. Tiana turned and shook Gabby's hand as well.

"And I'm assuming you're the reason Tyrone insisted I make sure his teammate got a reservation here for tonight?" Tiana guessed jokingly.

Gabby blushed, looking down slightly and laughing in embarrassment.

"Yep." Jay answered for her, grinning.

"Well, I'll let you two get back to your dinner. And if you have room for dessert, I strongly recommend the Beignets."

As Tiana was about to walk away, Gabby called, "Um, Ma-I mean, Tiana?"

Tiana turned back to her, looking slightly amused at Gabby's fumble though she didn't comment. "Yes?"

"Well, I was just wondering,…if you're a Queen, why do you want to own a business?" Gabby asked curiously.

Tiana smiled. "I've dreamt of opening a restaurant since I was a little girl. Cooking is always something I've loved to do. It's a lot of work, sure, but I don't come here everyday feeling like I'm working. I love it so much that I look forward to coming in every morning."

After Tiana went back to work, Jay and Gabby did as she suggested and ordered a plate of Beignets, which turned out to be dough fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was like heaven for their taste buds! If it weren't for the price, Jay would've ordered at least three plates. Four per plate just didn't seem to be enough, especially when you're splitting them between two people.

Jay had finished his second Beignet and realized Gabby was only nibbling on her second one. She was staring distractedly toward the stage with the jazz band. Jay curiously followed her gaze and realize she was staring at Tiana, who had stopped to talk to the table that had her family.

Looking back at Gabby, Jay reached across the table and lightly poked her forearm. Gabby blinked before looking back at him.

"You okay?" Jay asked quietly, unsure what she was thinking. She didn't look upset, but he couldn't tell what her expression was.

Gabby smiled slightly and looked down at the dessert in her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about what she said earlier."

"What about it?" Jay urged curiously.

"About running her business. Because she loves it so much, it doesn't feel like work." Gabby explained without really explaining. "It's kinda like Evie, right? She loves designing and sewing, so her business is something she loves, too."

Jay tilted his head slightly. "Is there a point in this thought process? Where are you going with this?"

Gabby chewed her lip, rolling the thought over in her mind. Finally, she shook her head. "I don't know. Just thinking. Nothing important." She looked up to see Jay still looked curious, and she didn't want to ruin the night by refusing to tell him, but she also wasn't quite ready to say anything out loud. "I'll tell you later. Tell me about your next R.O.A.R meet. You're playing Olympus, right?"

Jay grinned, letting her change the subject. "Yeah, we are. But we'll kick their butts like always."

"Arrogant much?" Gabby teased.

"Nah, just confident in my team." Jay countered.

They spent a while longer talking and laughing at their table. When they felt like they could move without having to roll with their full bellies, Jay managed to coax Gabby onto the dance floor in front of the stage with several other couples. Gabby felt extremely awkward at first, but they didn't really dance romantically. They just had fun dancing to the upbeat jazz music the band was playing.

When it neared eight at night, they finally admitted it was time to get going. Before they left, however, Gabby explained to Tiana about the fundraiser Evie, Gabby, and Ben were putting together, and asked if she would be willing to donate some Beignets or something. Tiana's response was for Gabby to simply name the time and place. Gabby assured her she'd tell King Ben to contact her with more information.

Gabby paid for almost half of the meal, despite Jay's grumbling, and the two headed back to Auradon Prep. It was dark out as Jay drove the scooter, so Gabby remained silent so as not to distract him, merely resting her cheek on his back and watching the moonlit scenery.

It was almost ten when they reached the dorms, though they weren't quite ready for the night to be over. At least, Gabby wasn't. And she guessed Jay wasn't, either, as he insisted on walking her to her dorm. It took them a bit longer than normal, as they both were keen to drag their feet.

Eventually, however, they found themselves standing outside Gabby's dorm room. She stopped and turned to look up at Jay, giving him a smile. He returned it.

"So, I did alright?" Jay guessed.

Gabby's smile widened. "Yes, you did. But I don't expect big fancy dinners all the time. Next date is…pizza and a movie. Or something."

Jay chuckled. "So, there's going to be a second date. Good to know."

There was a moment of silence, as if they were both waiting for something. Jay looked to be silently debating something before he finally spoke again.

"So, I want to kiss you, but I don't want to come off as a douche." he announced, his voice quiet in the empty hallway.

Gabby grinned, both amused and grateful. Jay seemed to be taking her issues seriously. He didn't want to blur the lines considering their past of her being considered his "property".

So, Gabby abruptly made a decision and acted on it before she could over think it and chicken out. Pushing up more on her toes, Gabby leaned forward and gently touched her lips to Jay's.

Jay's hands lightly touched Gabby's waist, mostly to keep her from falling over. It was a short kiss, and Gabby pulled away after only a couple seconds. Her eyes found Jay's, and they stared at each other for a few moments. Then, Jay's lips stretched into a smile.

"You're not a douche." Gabby told him, smiling. "Tonight was great. Thank you."

"No problem." Jay assured her. "So,…first date successful,…first kiss definitely successful…" Jay listed, making Gabby blush and look down, chuckling awkwardly, "Does that mean you're my girlfriend now?"

Gabby sighed, looking upward and pretending to think about it. "Oh, I don't know…" she murmured before looking at him. Jay was smirking slightly, knowing she was messing with him. Gabby looked at him seriously for a few moments, and Jay's smile slowly shrunk, wondering if this was about to go very different from how he thought it would.

"Do you really want to be my boyfriend?" Gabby asked him seriously. "I mean,…you said coming to Auradon, you kind of just wanted to forget about life on the Isle. Would dating me be the opposite? Like, taking a step backward?"

Jay blinked, slightly confused by this turn of events. He was silent for a few moments as he thought about how to respond. "Well,…not really, no. It would be like moving on. I mean, think about it; could you really see me with some prissy Auradon princess? Given everything we went through on the Isle, I think I need someone who understands what I've been through. Someone who understands that I'm not going to be tough or happy every single day. I'm going to have bad days; days where the memories get to be too much. And you're one of the only people out there I feel like I can be myself with. I don't have to change, or be some prince charming, to be with you. And you don't have to change to be with me. We can grow together, and move on together."

Gabby stared up at him for a few moments after he'd finished speaking. Finally, she smiled softly.

"Good answer." she whispered, standing on her tiptoes once more to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jay's arms slowly wrapped around her lower back before practically crushing her to his chest, his head lowering a bit closer to her shoulder. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Jay kissed Gabby on the cheek and pulled away.

"So, come on. I want to hear you say it." Jay teased, smirking slightly at her.

Gabby sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "Okay, fine." she relented, "I suppose you could be my boyfriend." she teased, as if she was doing him some huge favor.

Jay's smirk widened, and he tickled her in retaliation.

When they finally said goodnight, Gabby entered her dorm and got ready for bed as quietly as possible so as not to wake Freddie. The extent of her 'getting ready for bed' was changing into a t-shirt and shorts, undoing her braid, and simply falling into bed. As she was burrowing under the covers, Gingersnap hopped down and snuggled into Gabby's neck.

Gabby rubbed her cheek against her parrot's soft feathers. Her chest felt warm and light after her evening with Jay, and her cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. It was certainly a feeling she could get used to.

AN: Yay! First date and first kiss! Review and let me know what you all thought about this chapter! And any guesses on what idea Gabby had at Tiana's Palace that she wasn't quite ready to share with Jay?

Also, you can completely ignore this, but I have no one else to talk about Descendants with, so I'm just going to throw this out there. A few D3 theories randomly popped into my head the other day. They're making it way too obvious that Hades is Mal's dad, to the point part of me thinks Hades isn't really Mal's dad.

So, one theory I have is that Hades isn't Mal's dad, but maybe Maleficent made a deal with Hades to trap Mal's dad in the underworld because she hated him so much. I mean, I don't think I've heard Mal call Hades 'Dad'. She called him Hades in the trailer, but in the original teaser she called the little blue flame 'Dad'. Maybe her dad managed to contact her from the underworld in that teaser trailer?

Another theory I have, is that Hades is really Evie's dad, or something. I mean, they both have blue hair, right? I don't know, that popped in my head.