It was dark out and the stars twinkled above in the night sky, like lights sprinkled across black velvet. It was a still night, almost no sounds, save for the occasional hoot of an owl, a chirp of a cricket or the rustle of leaves in the wind.

The teenage king woke up to his alarm. He'd set it for quite early in the morning, about three, giving him enough time to get ready for what he was going to do. Quietly, he changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Grabbing his letterman jacket, which Mal had returned a few days ago after having kidnapped it for a while, Ben slipped out of his dorm and silently made his way down to the girls dorm. He reached the dorm he was looking for and quietly opened it, slipping in before silently closing it behind him. He smiled as saw his beautiful girlfriend curled up in bed, the silver moonlight shining over her and showing Ben her beautiful face, which was at complete peace. He grinned a little bit as he approached her and heard her soft snoring. Gently, Ben sat down and shook her shoulder ever so slightly.

"Hmm?" Mal's eyes fluttered open and she move her head to see Ben sitting there, smiling.

"Hey." He whispered, a small smile on his face.

Mal sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Hey." She whispered back. "What time is it?"

Ben checked his watch. "Ten past three."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?" She demanded, still whispering, letting out a small yawn.

"I want to take you somewhere. Get dressed. I'll meet you in the hall." He didn't give her any time to protest as he kissed her quickly on the cheek and left. Mal stared after him and shook her head at her boyfriend's antics. Quietly, she slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Evie, and slipped on a pair of purple jeans, a dragon-wing sleeved t-shirt and put on her combat boots. She grabbed one of her leather jackets and slipped it on as she opened the door, silently closing it behind her.

She raised an eyebrow at Ben who just smirked and took her hand, leading her down the hall and out into the grounds. They headed over to the bike shed where they kept their scooters. Mal was about to head over to her scooter but Ben stopped her and gestured at her to get on the back of his. Mal obliged and sat on it side-saddle while Ben wheeled it out of the shed. Once out, he got on and Mal swung one of her legs over, wrapping her arms around his chest. He started the engine and began to drive, headlight making a path through the inky blackness.

They drove for over an hour, heading further and further away from the school as they went. Mal rested her cheek on his back and tightened her grip around his chest, trying not to doze off as that could be potentially dangerous.

Finally, Ben parked the scooter. He climbed off and held out his hand to Mal, who took it as she got off the scooter. It was still dark out and Mal looked around, trying to work out where they were. Ben opened the compartment under the seat and pulled out a few blankets. He offered his arm to Mal, who wrapped her hands around his elbow and together they headed down a path, Ben a little bit more in front, leading Mal through the darkness that was slowly fading. Mal leant into Ben as she tried to work out the land about her. As her eyes slowly began to adjust to the dark, she heard the sound of waves and smelt the salt. They were at the beach, she realised. Ben stopped and pulled off his shoes and socks, holding them in one hand. Mal followed suit and held them in her right hand while her left clasped Ben's right. They walked through the beach, feeling the sand between their toes. Ben led her straight to the water, where they walked alongside it, the waves lapping at their bare feet. He eventually stopped and put his shoes down, letting go of Mal's hand. He handed Mal the blankets and took one, laying it down on the beach before taking the blankets back and sitting down. Mal obliged and set her shoes aside. Once they were sat, Ben covered them with another blanket. Mal rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's four thirty in the morning. Why are we on the beach at this ungodly hour?" She muttered, her eyes closing.

Ben smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You'll see."

"When?" She murmured. "Because I'm exhausted."

"Half an hour or so." Ben replied, pulling her closer. "Just stay awake a little while longer. You can go back to sleep once we get back to Auradon Prep."

Mal nodded and burrowed her head into the crook of his neck. They sat there, listening to the waves lap at the shore, peacefully enjoying the feeling of each other in their arms. As promised, half and hour later, the sky slowly began to turn into a range of oranges, purples and pinks, with a few reds peaking out here and there. Mal smiled softly as the sun slowly began to show itself.

"It's beautiful." She murmured, grasping Ben's hand, which had slipped from her shoulders to her waist, pulling her even closer.

Ben nodded. "It really is."

Mal didn't look up but she knew Ben was looking at her. "I meant the sunset."

"Well, it pales in comparison the beauty next to me."

"You're such a dork." She muttered lovingly.

"Yeah, but I'm your dork."

Mal smiled and burrowed her head deeper into his chest, hearing the calming beat of his heart. The heart she knew beated for her.

"I never thanked you for saving me." She murmured, looking up at him.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You've saved me plenty of times before. I think it's about time I'd saved you once."

Mal shook her head. "I don't mean from Zevon. I meant from me. From my mom. From the life I thought I was supposed to live."

Ben looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Mal smiled, thinking back to when they first met. "If you hadn't loved me, if you hadn't shown me what love and compassion and feeling good felt like, I'd still be the daughter of the most evil of them all, trying to live up to this expectation, despite having helped take over Auradon. If you hadn't eaten the anti-love potion when you did and not shown me that you'd actually loved me this whole time, I would be the princess of evil, forever living under my mother's shadow, slowly trying to become more and more evil. But I chose good. And I have you to thank for that. You showed me I could be good. You showed me that love is really amazing. And I don't think there is enough time or words in the whole word to tell you how thankful I am. I'd never be here if it wasn't for you."

Mal's eyes were sparkling with tears as she looked up at her true love, all the love she had for him pouring out of her in that moment.

Ben smiled and reached up a thumb to wipe away a stray tear. He cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking it gently, before leaning in and gently kissing her. "I love you." He whispered.

Mal gave him a watery smile. "I love you too."

Ben leaned down and kissed her again, softly, yet full of love and passion. Mal shifted slightly, placing her hand on his arm as she deepened the kiss. They broke apart, both unable to keep the grins off their faces, looking more in love than they'd ever been before. Mal shifted back into her original position and leaned against his chest, Ben's arm loosely around her waist. He dropped a kiss on her head and together they watched as the sun rose further and further, till it was risen and the sky was a bright morning blue.

Ben stood and took Mal by the hand, helping her up. They gathered their shoes and the blankets and slowly made their way back to the scooter, stopping only to put their shoes back on. They kept gazing at each other lovingly, their smiles never fading. Ben got on his scooter and Mal settled herself behind him, holding his waist as they drove off back to the school and their busy lives. But both admitted that it was one of the best mornings of their lives, despite getting up at ridiculous hours in the morning. But then again, their love for each other was ridiculous.

Hey Eli201, here's another one of yours. I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed this one so much.

Request Counter: 20

Response to Reviews:

Eli201: (Chapter 49) I'm sorry this wasn't in the last one. I didn't see you'd reviewed until literally just after I published. And no problem, I love little Maesi. I felt bad for Lia too but she has Bal for parents. She's strong. She'll be okay. (Chapter 50) I'm glad you loved it! I was a little worried, lol. And yasss. Bal are definitely soulmates.

DragonEmperor999: She was spoiled as a child, unfortunately. And they'll be open again when the request counter hits 0. So, getting there slowly.

EvelynGrimhilde6: Thank you! And yes, he finally has all he ever wanted.

FlatFox: Thanks!

Kate cheese: Yes he does and thank you!

Grace: Yay indeed! Awww thank you.

Love each and everyone of you!

SparkyGurl