Thank you readers and reviewers! I really appreciate all the love and support from the fandom! There are only a few chapters left before we reach the end.
Ben woke with a smile on his face. It was the day he had been waiting for since he had first learned about the kiss dilemma with Mal. The day he had decided that he was going to break the promise against them, the promise he had made to her under the most powerful love spell. Summer Soltice had arrived and he was going to make the best of it.
He knew he we going to kiss her before the day rolled over to the next one. He had set his mind on it and he knew things would go well. He knew things would go well and they would finally be able to relax and do things all other couples did. He would finally feel free from all of the chains that bound him.
He hadn't remembered how he had gotten in bed, or falling asleep, but he still couldn't stop smiling as he got ready for the day, thinking about her lips the entire time.
He rushed to her room, not remembering what time they had agreed to meet, since there was no meeting of the council that morning in favor of the Summer Solstice celebrations. It was that way every year.
He knocked and she opened the door, her face in complete shock. He smiled at the cuteness of her innocent demeanor. His excitement was nearly tangible as he held his hand out to her.
"I hope you don't have any plans today," He told her, unable to stop smiling. "Because I am not leaving your side for anything." She smiled at that and he pulled her from her room and toward the stairs.
Nothing could go wrong. He wouldn't let it.
Evie watched the Mal before her carefully. She definitely wasn't the Mal that she had grown up with, and she had thought Ben was on her side, but he seemed as though the conversation the day before hadn't even happened. He wasn't spelled though, that much she could tell. But he had joined the traitor Mal. She and the boys would have to fix everything themselves.
"Anything?" Evie asked as Carlos and Jay joined her in the breakfast line.
She kept her eyes on the two lovebirds, her fear only mounting more as they seemed to be getting closer. She knew Ben's plans and she knew how that would affect Mal if things didn't work out the right way. The real Mal, not the wannabe that could look like her but not act like her. She wanted to shake the crap out of Ben and make him see the truth, but she couldn't do it just yet.
"Nothing," Carlos answered, his voice low, as Jay piled his plate high with chocolate chip pancakes. "No sign of her, her magic, anything. Physical, metaphysical."
"We're stumped," Doug continued, and then he seemed to notice how that news affected her and changed his tune, "But that doesn't mean we're going to stop looking," He continued, giving her a smile before he kissed her cheek.
Even his cute little kisses didn't make her feel better. "Keep looking," she practically pleaded. "I'm going to try and stop anything from happening between the lovebirds," She continued. "Mal would go postal if she knew someone else had kissed her man first."
"There is a scientific way to go about this," Carlos continued, as they made their way through the line. "If it's not the real her, that means someone is pretending to be her," He continued. "They can't be her and themselves at the same time," He went on.
"Carlos, you are a genius!" Evie exclaimed. Whoever was missing had to be who was pretending to be Mal. "Doug, I need you to figure out who's not here," She told her boyfriend. "You've come to these things for years, you have to know who isn't here, right?" She asked.
"I'll do my best," Doug agreed, picking up silverware at the end of the table and moving to join Ben and the wrong Mal at their usual table. Evie followed him, feeling as if she was walking into the most dangerous mission.
If things went bad, they would go bad quickly.
Jay and Carlos roamed the hallways, sneaking through the halls, checking spare rooms and not so spare rooms for any sign of their purple haired friend and impromptu leader of their once ragtag band of freaks.
Jay felt his fingers itching as they searched through a few of the more wealthy guests rooms, but he continued to remind himself he was good, psyching himself up for the improvised tourney game he knew Ben was probably planning. Tourney made him happy, not stealing the really nice gold plated watch on Merlin's bedside table, or the priceless earrings in Aurora and Phillip's room.
Carlos had had to hold him back a few times, especially closer to the real priceless, expensive items, the queen's crown included, lined with all the gold and jewels Jay had ever seen in one place.
"We need to find Mal," Carlos had reminded him, gripping his wrist tight. "We're not on the isle anymore," He continued. "All we have to do is ask for things, remember?"
"Thanks little bud," Jay answered, pulling Carlos into a noogie and making him shout out in disagreement, though Jay knew he really liked it.
"If I were a manipulative faerie, where would I hide?" Jay asked, looking around the dusty storage closet in the north wing.
"Where would her magic not register?" Carlos continued, shining the flashlight toward what looked like Christmas decorations, the handheld device he had built to search for her faerie magic quiet in his hands.
"The barrier used to keep all magic and electricity out," Jay reasoned. "Could someone have sent her back to the isle? A little one-two," He swung his fists as if he were fighting someone, "Knock her out, send her back without any of us noticing?"
Carlos turned to face him. "Or someone could have manufactured a magic barrier somewhere in the castle," He reasoned. "It's not hard," he continued, "It just requires a conduit and a focal point susceptible to EMPs and a surreptitious location."
"English please?" Jay answered, staring at Carlos, half interested in his scientific mumbo jumbo, but more interested in the way his face lit up in excitement.
"A hidden place, where no one could just stumble onto it, and any electrical outlet would do," Carlos explained, his search renewed, the periodic table of elements mumbling under his breath. "What year was the castle built?" He asked. Jay just shrugged. "We need to find that library!" Carlos realized before he broke into a sprint.
Jay smirked and chased after him. He knew better than to argue when Carlos was after something.
As the masses began to gather for the afternoon festivities, Doug scanned their faces. He knew it would be a lot easier if they had had the council that day, so he could group them all by their region and their delegates, but he worked with what he had. He knew he wouldn't have a complete list until everyone gathered after dark for the fireworks, but he knew it would be too late then.
He knew all about Ben's plans, not just from Evie and her gushing about how romantic it was going to be as he kissed Mal during the sunset, but from Ben himself, asking him what would be more romantic as they had erected the maypole and chopped the wood for the bonfires. Ben had wanted everything to be perfect, and Doug couldn't blame him.
He knew he had to find the solution before everyone gathered for the fireworks. He had to find the imposter and do his part to save the kingdom.
He wasn't a fighter, or a great jouster, or even the best looking, but Evie made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. He wasn't about to disappoint her, or any of the other VKs that had become like his family.
So who wasn't there?
Carlos hopped up from the chair in the library, snapping the book shut and running toward where he knew Ben and Mal were lounging in the sunshine and picnicking as everyone passed time waiting for the true festivities to begin. He knew he had probably woken Jay from a brief nap, when he scuffed the chair against the floor in haste, but he didn't care. He had to talk to Ben.
He found Ben and the imposter Mal lounging on a typical blanket in the perfectly manicured grass, apparently cloud watching, his arms wrapped around her and her body nestled into his. They were really cute. If it was the real Mal, he wouldn't have disturbed them, but he knew how important it was, even if Ben seemed to be distracted.
At first Carlos tread carefully, hearing Jay come to a stop behind him, and it looked like both Ben and Mal had crashed from exhaustion, but Ben seemed to perk up as he saw them.
"Are you guys ready for the tourney game this afternoon?" He asked, his face a permanent smile it seemed. "Throw the tourney ball around?" He asked, giving a little knowing smile to the Mal next to him.
Carlos knew he had to choose his next words carefully. "Yeah," he answered with a smile, not only would it be a great cover for Evie and Doug to figure out who was fake Mal, but it would keep Ben farther away from giving the kiss (and the kingdom) to the wrong girl. "But Jay and I were wondering if there were any blueprints of the castle," He continued. "Jay is really into old architecture and this place is so old, it just gets his motor running, you know?"
Not the best choice of words, but it seemed to work.
"My dad should have one in his office," Ben answered, "I'm sure he'd love to talk to you about the old place, Jay," He continued, looking to Jay with a smile. "Just don't let him keep you too long. The game starts at 6 sharp."
Just enough time to do some exploring and find the real Mal to fix everything before it was too late.
He started running again, and Jay followed, running through the empty halls. With the excellent weather for the summer solstice, almost everyone was outside. A perfect cover for their less than approved exploration.
Jay picked the lock to King Beast's office with shaking hands. "It's for a good cause," Carlos told him. "You're picking locks for good," He continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. That seemed to calm Jay down and Carlos resisted the urge that flowed through him.
Mal first, unresolved, most likely misinterpreted sexual tension later.
Evie stared at her boys as they all huddled near the chocolate fountain. The day was slowly creeping into evening and she knew they were running out of time.
"Anything?" She asked the three of them, hoping there was some silver lining in the whole weird situation.
"We think Mal is trapped behind some kind of magical barrier like on the island," Carlos explained.
"We just can't find it," Jay answered, downhearted.
"Doug?" Evie asked, "Anyone not here?" It was getting close to Ben calling the festivities to a start with the lighting of the bonfires and the tourney game, not to mention dancing the maypole.
"Not everyone is here yet," Doug answered, "but I've ruled out about four of the seven kingdoms," He explained. "And most of a fifth," He added, and she knew it was only to make her feel better.
"So we're nowhere!" Evie sighed frustratedly. "We all know what's going to happen if Ben kisses the wrong Mal, right?" She asked, looking toward the two of them as they made their rounds to the kingdom members already there on the greens. "If he promises something to the wrong Mal?" She continued.
"Bad news," Jay answered as Ben hopped up onto the small little stage, announcing the start of the festivities and calling those willing to play a tourney game.
"Carlos, Jay," Evie called their attention back to her as they all turned toward Ben to try and look as innocent as possible. "I don't care how you do it, but keep Ben away from Mal as long as possible," She explained, bowing with the rest of the subjects. "Doug," she continued, gripping his hand tight. "I need you to stay here and figure out who isn't here as soon as possible."
"What about you?" Doug asked her, pushing his glasses up on his nose as they all stood back up from their bows.
"I'm going to find answers," Evie decided.
"From Maleficent?" Doug asked, though he already had to know that was where she was going.
"If anything happens, text me," She answered, "Though I'm pretty sure I'll already know." She added, before she kissed his cheek gently.
Mal's room was dark when Evie entered, the curtains drawn tight, the plastic cage below the window, the red heat lamp the only dim light in the room. It was strange to see it so empty, so barren, so absent of any sign of Mal.
"Maleficent!" Evie spoke, moving toward the plastic cage. The lizard crawled out from under the log and stared her down. "I know you are somehow involved in Mal's disappearance."
"Evie!" Maleficent exclaimed in surprise. "How I have so missed sharing a room with you and the dwarf," She mocked. "I have no idea where little Mal has run off to, perhaps the Boy King has swept her away again."
"Bullshit!" Evie answered. "Both you and I know you're lying." She sat on the bed and watched the mistress of evil carefully for any signs of a tell. "You have every reason to torment Ben and Mal just so you can get the kingdom," Evie continued, "So why wouldn't you do everything in your power to make sure the kingdom was yours?" She asked.
"Blueberry," Maleficent continued, "She has to kiss the pup before the kingdom becomes mine," She explained, "If I hid her away what good would it do to me? I can't exactly run a kingdom from a plastic cage, now can I?"
Evie stood. "If you don't tell me where Mal is right now, I will- I will-" she couldn't think of anything that would threaten the queen of evil herself enough.
Luckily she didn't have to. The door to Mal's room burst open and Evie found herself heaving a sigh of relief.
The tourney game had gone well, besides the few times that Jay had checked him a little too hard knocking him off of his feet, and the few passes that he was sure that Carlos had missed on purpose. He couldn't help turning his attention to Mal whenever he could and giving her a smile. He knew exactly what was going to happen, the romantic evening that he had planned and the promise he was going to break no matter what.
He loved her and he had to make sure she knew that. He had to make sure everything was perfect.
As the sun began to set behind the mountains to the west, he called everyone's attention to the maypole and the dance that was to follow. He looked to Audrey and Chad and several of the other couples that had begun dating during the last year. They would be the first group to dance the maypole and the first of the generations to promise their love to each other as they wove the ribbons down the wooden pole.
He pulled Mal with him, the smile on his face not flagging at all as he, Mal, Chad, Audrey and a few of the other couples joined around the pole. Doug and Evie joined last minute and then the band began to play the customary music.
Ben had thought it was a stupid tradition, and he had never liked it much with Audrey as his other half, but with Mal he was actually excited. He looked forward to grabbing her and pulling her to him as soon as the dance ceased and promising her the world basically. He couldn't believe in less than five minutes he would be able to finally kiss her.
The dance came to an end as each couple paired, arms wrapped around each other, and Ben found himself panting as he wrapped his arms around Mal. The smile on his face only growing wider as she pulled him closer.
"I love you," She said breathlessly with a small smile, and he stood there stunned. He had never heard her say it first. He had never expected her to say it first.
He smiled and leaned forward, brushing her bangs out of her eyes to find them a little more Hazel than green. A slight change to what he was used to, but the gold flecks were still there and she was still as beautiful as ever. "I promise you the-"
"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT PROMISE, BENJAMIN FLORIAN!" A familiar voice shouted and he turned to see another Mal standing behind him, her face a mix of anger and fear.