Warning: Major Character Death – if you don't think this is something you can cope with, please turn away and don't read this.

It was a beautiful day the day that it happened. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, there was hardly a cloud in the sky. It was such a perfect day. And yet, it was a day full of sadness and suffering.

In a hospital, in the centre of the city, in a nice room, full of flowers and 'get well soon cards', a man lay looking out of the window, wishing he could step out there just one more time but knowing it was impossible. The sickness had spread through his body and he could hardly move. He knew it wasn't long before he would slip into a coma and then, it was only a matter of hours before his heart gave up.

That's what the doctor had told him, once he'd gotten them to stop sugar-coating it and come out with the truth. He knew they were just trying to bring him some comfort but there wasn't much comfort in knowing he was going to die. Not at this age. His youngest child was only just a teenager. He hadn't even been married to his wife for twenty years, and they were married quite young.

But despite this, he just wished that it would come and take him already. Seeing the pain on his friend's faces, the suffering in his children's eyes and the anguish on his wife's face day after day was the most difficult thing. They all tried to hide it. They all did their best to make this as easy as possible for him and for them, but there was no such thing as an easy goodbye.

A knock on the door pulled him away from his thoughts. He turned his head to see his daughter standing there, looking like she wasn't sure if she wanted to run to him or away from him.

"Hey, sweetie," he said, trying to sit up. This caused him to go into a coughing fit and all hesitation left his child's face as she ran towards him.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" she said, gently rubbing his back as she'd seen her mother do a multitude of times.

"Carlos?" Another person entered the room, looking concerned. Carlos looked up at the source of the voice, one he would recognise anywhere but wished he could hear once again without the agony he could hear in it, "Why are you trying to sit up?" His wife came over to him and helped him lie back down on the pillows. "The doctor said to try not to move too much."

Carlos sighed, "I just want to do something, Jane," he said, "I'm tired of just lying here, waiting to die."

"Dad, please don't talk like that." Carlos looked back towards the door and realised that his sons must have come in with his wife.

Carlos sighed and gestured for them to join him. His thirteen-year-old daughter was already curled up next to him at one side and he was running a hand through her hair. Joe, the older of the two boys (though only by 7 minutes, as they were twins), lay on his other side. Luke, who was less physically affectionate than his siblings, sat next to his mother, who had taken one of Carlos's hands and was stroking it gently.

They were like this for a while before Carlos spoke up.

"Hey, I think that's enough of that," he said with a smile and the most positive tone he could manage. "What have you guys been up to today? Didn't you have a roller-blading competition coming up soon?" He directed this last bit to Maria, who lifted her head and immediately began talking at lightning speed about her competition and how she's been practising and how she was going to make sure that someone live-streamed it so that he could watch it. Her usual bubbliness had almost completely returned and Carlos listened to her with a smile on his face. But then he looked up at Jane and, though she was smiling, her eyes were still filled with sorrow. They both knew that it was unlikely that he was going to make it as far as the competition, which was next week.

After a while, once Joe and Luke both had their turns to talk about their day, Jane spoke up, "Well, I think it's getting to dinner time. Do you three want to go find something to eat?" She pulled out her wallet and handed them some money, "I'll join you in a bit." The three De Vil kids took their cue and left, discussing what they should eat.

Jane then turned to Carlos and just looking at him made her want to cry. He was so thin, so sickly, so tired. He had dark circles around his eyes and his face was slightly sunken. He didn't even look like he was fighting any more, like he simply didn't have the energy for it.

"Jane," he said, reaching for her hand again, "I really think we should talk-"

"I'd better go catch up with the kids," Jane interrupted, standing up quickly, "Make sure they're not just eating a bunch of junk food."

"Jane," Carlos said firmly as he managed to grab her wrist, "Jane, please."

She shook her head, tears beginning to fall down her face, "I can't," she said, feeling herself becoming choked up.

"Jane, we don't know how long I've got," he said, "Please."

"I can't..." she let out a sob, "I won't say goodbye." Her voice sounded small and fearful and it broke Carlos's heart. "I can't let you go yet."

"Then I won't ask you to," Carlos said, "I just want to talk." Jane let out another sob but nodded and sat down on the bed. Carlos lifted a frail arm and cupped her face, wiping the tears away with his thumb, "Hey, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay."

Jane shook her head, "Don't. We both know it's not okay. We both know that once you're gone the only thing that will keep me going is the kids."

Carlos didn't know what to say so he just pulled her down gently, allowing her to curl up into his side the way that his children had earlier. She sobbed into his chest as he softly stroked her hair, pressing kisses to it occasionally, as he tried and failed to hold back his own tears.

"Just promise me something," he choked out eventually, "Promise me that you will let me go? That you'll move on and you'll find someone more worthy of you than I ever could be."

Jane shook her head, "I can't let you go," she said between sobs, "There is no one better for me than you."

"I just want you to be happy," he replied, "Promise me you'll at least try?"

Jane nodded, "Okay. I'll try. I promise." She looked up at him with eyes full of sincerity before she leaned up and kissed him, cupping his face in her hand. Carlos ran a hand over her back as he kissed back with as much passion that he could muster, wanting to put all the love he had ever felt for into the one kiss. But then he had to pull back sooner than he'd have liked, his lungs not working the way he used to as he became breathless much quicker.

"Go find the kids," he said, giving her a small smile. "Can't have them eating junk food again."

Jane nodded and sat up, wiping her face to clear it from tears before pulling out a mirror to fix her make-up. Carlos watched her, wanting to remember just how perfect she was, even when she'd just broken down into tears.

Jane took a deep breath and managed to give him a small smile before leaning down to kiss him on the cheek gently. "I love you," she whispered as she sat back up.

"I love you too," he replied.

With one last, microscopic smile, Jane departed from the room to find her children. When she returned, she found that he was asleep and judging by the face of the doctor who was in the room when she entered, it wasn't a sleep he was going to wake up from.

"If you have anyone you'd like to call," he said, "You may want to do so. I don't think he has much time left."

Jane nodded, feeling numb to all emotion. Maria threw herself into her mother's arms, crying, and Jane extended her other arm to allow her boys to join the hug. Even Luke fell into her arms, though he didn't cry, feeling equally numb as his mother. Eventually, Jane let go of the three kids and pulled out her phone to begin making phone calls. Her hands were shaking but still, she unlocked her phone and began to call her friends.

"Jane?" Mal said as she picked up, "Is he…?"

"He's in a coma," Jane replied, her voice sounding as shaky as her hands, "Can you call the others? I..." she trailed off, unsure how to finish.

"Of course," Mal replied, "Of course I can. Ben, the girls and I are on our way."

Jane nodded, even though Mal couldn't see it and with that she hung up. She turned around and watched as her children sat around Carlos's bed, Maria clinging on to his hand and the boys looking like they didn't know what to do.

After fifteen minutes, Jane heard the sound of footsteps coming in. She looked up to see Jay, staring at his friend with wide eyes and uncertainty. Lonnie and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Kamryn, weren't far behind. The moment Lonnie walked in, Jane flung herself at her and held tightly, but still, no tears would come. Lonnie wrapped her arms around Jane as much as she could and just stood there, holding her.

Jay finally walked towards Carlos. He knelt down next to the bed and put his arm around Maria, who let go of her father's hand and fell into her uncle's arms. Luke got up and left, having felt restless for a while now. Joe went after him, not wanting his brother to be alone.

Jane eventually pulled away from Lonnie and looked over to her daughter, "Maria," she said, softly, causing the young girl to look at her, "I think we should let them say goodbye. Come on." She held out her hand and Maria took it, letting her mother lead her away from the room.

Jay moved to the chair where Maria was previously sat and just stared at his friend for a while. Kamryn made to go over there too, but Lonnie put a hand on her shoulder as shook her head. "Let Dad say goodbye first," she whispered.

Jay looked at his friend for a little while before speaking up, "Carlos, I...I don't know if you can hear me. But I want to let you know that Jane and the kids are going to be okay. I promise I'll take care of them in any way I can." He looked down at his hands for a couple seconds before looking back up at his best friend, "I'm going to miss you, man. You're my brother." He was then silent for a few seconds before saying, "I love you, Carlos." He then got up, feeling the tears well up behind his eyes.

Lonnie let go of Kamryn's shoulder and allowed her to go say goodbye to her uncle. Jay pulled Lonnie into his arms and held her whilst she stroked his hair gently. No words were spoken between them. There were no words to say. They then turned to their daughter and watched her as she quietly said her goodbyes. Just as Kamryn finished, Mal, Ben and their two girls walked in.

Mal gave Lonnie a questioning look, which Lonnie managed to interrupt as wondering where Jane was. Lonnie gestured with her head the direction she'd seen Jane and Maria go out of the corner of her eye. Mal nodded and asked her youngest daughter to come with her to find her aunt and cousins. Lia, Ben and Mal's nineteen-year-old daughter, went over to Kamryn and the two of them embraced each other. Ben put a hand on Jay's shoulder whilst Lonnie went over to say her goodbyes to Carlos, making similar promises that Jay had.

Once Lonnie finished, she went back to Ben and hugged him hard, falling into the comfort of her oldest friend's arms. Lia took this as her cue to say her goodbyes as well.

"I'm sorry you're not going to see my coronation," was one of the things she told him, "I know it's a year and a half away and probably not something I should be thinking about at this moment but you're part of my family. It's going to be hard not having you there." She finished up her goodbyes with a kiss to Carlos's cheek. She sat there for a little while before letting her dad go and say his goodbyes to his good friend.

Mal came back in as Ben sat by Carlos's bedside. Maesi, her fifteen-year-old daughter, also came in, holding Maria's hand in her own, trying to offer some form of comfort. Jane had gone to find her sons.

Mal approached the bed and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. He placed a hand on top of hers and looked up at her, his eyes wide with grief. She gave him a tight smile and he kissed her hand before letting her sit down so that she could also say goodbye.

Mal looked at Carlos for a while before speaking, "You know, considering that you're such a good man, dying this young is a really crappy thing to do," she joked, attempting a smile. But the smile slipped away and tears followed it, "I'm going to miss you so much, Carlos. You were more than just a good friend. You were my little brother. You were always there for me. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage without you." She looked over at the group of people who were all comforting one another, no one able to speak. She noticed that Kamryn had left the room and that Lia looked as though she was about to leave as well. "I don't know how any of us are going to manage the same way without you," she said, turning back to her brother. "But I can promise that your family will be okay. We take care of each other in this family so we promise that Jane and the kids will be in safe hands." She pressed her lips together as more tears began slowly falling down her face, "Goodbye, Carlos. I love you." And with that, she leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

As she got up, she heard familiar clicking of heels as Evie appeared in the doorway, with Doug and their three sons. Mal immediately went to her and the two girls hugged one another. They felt another pair of arms around them and looked to see Jay holding them close. They both wrapped an arm around him too and the three stood there, keeping each other steady, knowing this felt wrong without the fourth pair of arms.

When they finally parted, Maesi, Charlie and Ethan had said their goodbyes and were leaving the room, none feeling able to stay. Doug and Evie's middle son, Jonathan, was also saying goodbye. When he was done, Doug gestured for Evie to say goodbye. Evie smiled at him thankfully.

"Carlos, you were my first friend," she said, taking his hand. "And you have always been like a little brother to me. I love you so much. Thank you for always being there for me, for always being around when I needed you. Thank you for being the first to show me a little kindness and allowing me to return the favour." Evie sniffed and wiped away the few tears that were coming down, "I'm not very good at goodbyes," she admitted to him, "So I'm just going to say it. Goodbye, Carlos. I hope that someday we can meet again."

It was at this moment that Jane and her sons reappeared. Slowly but surely, everyone left the room so that the family could be alone. They all gave Jane a hug or a reassuring touch as they left. Doug was the last one to leave, having said goodbye during everyone else's departure, and he hugged Jane for a few seconds before leaving her and her children alone with her husband.

Jay and Lonnie walked down an empty corridor, towards the waiting room when Jay suddenly let out a growl then turned and punched a wall. Tears began flowing out from his eyes and sobs wrenched from his throat as he leaned against the wall.

"Hey, hey," Lonnie said, putting her hand his back, her own tears falling, "Come here." Jay turned around and fell into Lonnie's arms. The two of them stood in that corridor, holding onto one another as they cried for their friend.

Kamryn suddenly appeared, having come to look for them, as everyone was already back in the waiting room. The sight she saw shocked her to her core. She'd never seen her dad cry, let alone breakdown the way he was. She immediately ran up to her family and joined in the hug. Jay pulled her in closer and let his tears fall onto her head as well. Once he finally managed to stop crying, Jay pulled away from his girls and the three of them headed back to the waiting room.

The others in the waiting room were silent, everyone in some state of shock. Evie and Mal were still crying, as was Charlie, Lia, and Maesi. Doug and Ben were just sat very still, their arms around their respective wives. Ethan was pacing, unsure of what to do and Jonathan was fidgeting in his seat, not wanting to get up, but feeling unable to stay still. Kamryn went and sat with Maesi, and Lonnie and Jay found some spare seats and sat hand-in-hand.

Over in Carlos's room, his children had just finished saying goodbye, telling him what a great dad he had been and how much they would miss him and how much they wished he'd be able to see the things that they were going to do with their lives. Luke promised to bear the De Vil name with pride and carry on fighting to make the world a better place. Joe vowed that he wouldn't ever forget the lessons that Carlos had taught him since childhood. Maria swore that no matter what happened, she would never forget him and would live a life that would make him proud of her.

And then it was Jane's turn. "Carlos, I love you so much," she began, "And I'm so angry at you for leaving me. But I know it's not your fault." She wiped the tears from her face, "We're going to be okay, Carlos. Me and Joe and Luke and Maria. We'll be fine. We have the best family, all because of you." She took a deep breath. "You can let go now," she whispered, "We're going to be all right. We love you. I love you. You can let go."

And it was then that the heart-monitor beeps began slowing until they flat-lined completely. All of the De Vils cried together as the doctors came in and began shutting off the machines and writing down his time of death. They all gave the family sympathetic looks and said: "we're so sorry for your loss" before letting them be.

Somewhere across the country, in the kitchen of a large town-house, Cruella De Vil suddenly stopped in the middle of the room and the plate she was carrying slipped from her hand. The sound of the shattering seemed to awake something in her and she let out one of the most blood-curdling screams to ever leave her mouth.

"NOOOO!" She cried out, "MY BABY! MY BABY!" She began clutching at her hair as she screamed and wailed.

Her front door banged open and her neighbours ran in, the wife crouching down beside the distraught ex-villain.

"Ella! Ella, what's wrong, dear?"

Cruella grabbed her neighbour's shoulders and began shaking them. "MY BABY! MY BABY IS GONE!"

The neighbour looked at her husband, who stood in the doorway of the kitchen, unsure of what to do.

"Go check to see if her car is out front!" she said over Cruella's continuous screams. The husband nodded and ran out of the room. "Ella, did you take your meds?" The neighbour yelled over the cries of anguish coming from the other woman.

"MY MEDS?! MY MEDS?! I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY MEDS! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, MY BABY IS GONE!"

The husband ran back in, "Her car is right there."

The neighbour frowned. She didn't understand. Cruella called her car her baby. But if it was there, why would she be crying about it being gone?

"Ella, dear," The neighbour said, "Your car is there! It's outside."

"MY BABY IS GONE!" Cruella's face was getting crazier and more wild by the second. "GONE!" Her grip on her neighbour's shoulders was increasing and the neighbour feared that she would leave claw marks in her skin.

"She's taken her meds," the husband said, having gone to look for them.

Cruella released her grip and crumpled to the ground, her face transitioning from wild to pure grief. Her sobs broke her neighbours' hearts.

The wife bit her lip. "Call her son. He needs to know that his mother may be going..." she didn't want to say it.

Her husband nodded, "Yeah."

But upon ringing, he found that her son was no more and that her spell of madness was her crying out for her child like she'd known that he was gone the moment it happened. And when they finally left her, curled up in bed with puffy eyes and a blotchy face, she whispered into the night: "My baby. My one true love. My little boy."

There you go, TheGreatGodzilla. I hope it lived up to your expectations.

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Response to Reviews:

BookSugar: Aww, thank you! I'm so pleased that you liked it so much

Owllover34: Thank you! I'm so glad!

kbear100: Okay, cool. I look forward to seeing it :)

wildflowerchildGrace: It probably is, tbh. But, you know, it's Auradon. So it's probably got like magical protection or something. I'm happy you enjoyed their cameos and I hope that you enjoy the next story! I'll try to get it out as soon as I can :)

Patef7461: Aww, thank you so much! And with practice. Years and years of practice. And yes, the requests are still closed and will remain that way for a long time. I tend to wait until the countdown is at zero, because otherwise it's too much at once and it gives me a goal to strive towards. Thank you for asking though! That means a lot more than you'd probably think :)

Love you guys!

SparkyGurl

P.S. Please don't be afraid to leave constructive criticism. It helps me.