Author's note: Hey guys ! Welcome back ! So yeah... things are looking pretty bad. In the last chapter, Audrey disappeared with Maleficent's scepter AND King Ben.

On the bright side, our heroes know against who they are fighting at least, right ?

That been said... the night is far from over and new events are about to happen !

Enjoy !

Chapter 25 - A never ending night

A heavy silence fell on the room. No one was moving. No one knew what to do. Or even what to say. To the say the least: they were all in shock.

Audrey was the villain ? How did they not see any of it ? They did not even catch her. She disappeared with the King of Auradon. She could be anywhere. And to top everything, Jay was still unconscious on the floor. Everything felt so surreal. Nobody wanted to believe it had really happened.

But then, Mal stood up from the floor - still a little bit in pain because of her fall. She was furious. But also worried sick. Ben had disappeared. Her mom's scepter was back in action. Who knows what Audrey was planning to do next ? She could even kill him.

"We need to do something !" she said with determination

But Evie put a hand on her arm.

"What we need most..." said blue haired girl… "is to be smart. Audrey has your mom's scepter, and a hostage - we can't just rush into battle like this. We don't even know where she is !"

Carlos nodded.

"We need a plan. And we need back up. A lot of them."

Mal shook her head in frustration. They didn't have time for plans, back-up and hesitation. Ben was in danger ! She had to save him, and the faster the better ! Tears were flooding her eyes, and panic was winning over her. But, Evie slipped her hand in hers and squeezed it. That's when Mal realized her best friend was crying too.

"We need to take care of Jay…" said the daughter of the Evil Queen with a strangled voice

Mal got her senses back. She felt like she just had received an electroshock and a second weight of anguish fell on her stomach. She nodded and wiped away her tears.

"You're right… We should take him to Fairy Godmother. She will know what to do."

Carlos and Gil lifted the unconscious boy by each side - legs and shoulders - and the little group left the dungeon - worried and traumatised - while Beast kept growling in his cage, still stuck in his curse.

Shaking, trembling, they found refuge in Ben's office and asked guards to go warn the Queen and Fairy Godmother. Jay was lying on a sofa. His breath and heartbeat were stable, but no matter what they tried his eyes never opened. After she arrived, it didn't take Fairy Godmother a long time to guess what had happened to him.

"It's a sleeping curse" she diagnosed - sure of herself.

"Wait… You mean a "Sleeping Beauty" type deal ?" asked Carlos - astonished

The Fairy nodded. And, with a short, silence - they all understood what it meant.

"Only a true love's kiss can wake him up…" said Evie in a whisper.

"Who could do something like this ?"

They all turned around. Queen Belle had just entered the office - framed by two guards - and was locking the door behind her. The face of the VKs darkened. Mal was biting her lip, a sick feeling in the stomach. She was supposed to be the next queen. In a month, she was supposed to marry Ben and take Belle's place. Just like him, she would have to swore to protect Auradon's kingdom at all cost - and that's all she wanted to do. Protect the kingdom. But somehow, she hadn't been able to accomplish her duty at all recently. She watched events happen, tragedies strike - without being able to fight back. And now, she would have to look at her mother-in-law in the eyes and tell her that her son was missing. That she had failed protecting him.

"It's Audrey" she started "She's the one who broke into the museum. The day of the coronation she spelled me and made invisible to everyone. Tonight, she stole my moth... Maleficent's scepter to…"

Her voice cracked. She did not know how to finish that sentence. But Belle was looking at her expectingly. So, Mal chose her words carefully and finished:

"To hurt the King Adam. We arrived before she could do anything to him. But… she spelled Jay and… She kidnapped Ben."

Belle's expression changed. For the first time, since she had met her, Mal noticed how old she was getting. In that moment, she didn't look like a strong and fierce Queen - but like a vulnerable mother. Her husband had been taken away from her, and now… her son too. It looked like the sky had just fallen on her, but she kept her head high and bit the inside of her cheeks to stop tears from falling. And without hesitating any longer, Mal threw herself in her arms. Her mother-in-law opened her arms to welcome her, and gently caressed her hair.

"I'm so sorry…" was crying the teenager

But the Queen stopped her.

"You're not responsible for any of this, Mal. And we don't have any reason to cry… for now. Ben is alive. Beast is alive. We will get them back. I know I don't have to doubt your devotion to our family."

Mal nodded and stepped back - a little embarrassed. Belle cleared her voice and started giving orders to the security team:

"I want guards to search the dorm room of Audrey, she said. If any clue - any hint of where she could be - is found, I want them to warn me, Fairy Godmother and Mal, immediately."

One of her guards agreed with a sign of the head and left the office to transmit the orders and start the search. The Queen turned to the second one and continued:

"I want a letter to be sent to Queen Aurora, Governor of the Ulstead State. Inform her of the recent events and of the role her daughter - Audrey - played in them.

The second guard nodded and disappeared. But right as he was leaving, someone else slipped through the door. It was Dizzie. She was supposed to be in the dorms, with Celia - looking over the twins - but clearly something was wrong.

"Mal !" She cried out "You need to come now ! They want to throw them in the dungeons !"

"What ? Who ?"

The five VKs exchanged a alarmed look before following the little girl who was already running back in the hallways - leaving Jay to Fairy Godmother's care.

Gosh, this night would never end ! Problems were falling on our heroes one after another. It was now around eleven when they reached the gate of the school - leaded by Dizzie. Behind the gates, Harry was circled by at least seven guards who pointed swords and gun at him. In his arms, he was holding Uma - clearly injured and about to pass out. Mal froze a moment, incapable of decyphering the situation. What the hell was going on here?

"Let me in !" Was screaming the pirate "Can't you see that she needs help ?!"

"Don't move !" Answered the guards "Come closer and we will shoot ! Harry Hook you are under arrest for criminal complicity and plotting against the crown of Auradon.

"Bullshit ! We're not fucking criminals !"

It was not the first time Mal was seeing Harry lose his cool. But this time, he looked like a totally different person. His face was livid, his eyes were frantically looking all around him - while the guards were closing off the circle. Even from so far away, Mal could see how hard he was breathing, and the wild spark in his eyes. Harry was not angry - she thought. He was terrified. And for cause, Uma really looked in bad shape.

Already, Gil was running in their direction - but a guards turned around and pointed his gun at him.

"Don't move ! Don't come closer or you'll get arrested too ! Did you help them?"

"Help them ?" Repeated Gil, completely lost - hands held up to the sky

"They thought they could sneaking into the castle and finish what they started !" yelled another guard

"Finish what we started ? What the fuck ? Can't you see that she's hurt ! We need medical care !" screamed Harry - clearly losing his patience

"Yeah right. Do you really think we're dumb enough to buy such a poor disguise ! Don't lie to us ! You want to break in the campus to steal something else in the castle !"

"STOP ! EVERYONE SHUT UP !"

Everyone froze and turned around to look at Mal, perplexe. Okay, it was probably not how a future queen was supposed to talk, but it worked ! Everyone was quiet now. She walked over to the guards, crossing the gates and placing herself between them and Harry.

"Lower your weapons" she ordered.

But the guards did not move. Technically, she didn't have any authority over them and it seemed like they knew that. However, Mal did not back down.

"I am your future queen and I command you to lower your weapons!" she repeated "Harry and Uma are innocent. They are the ones who warned us about tonight's attack."

Slowly, the guards let down their swords.

"You don't have the right to take such a decision on your own. You should have warned Ben ! And if you did you would have known that Audrey is the enemy we've been looking for and that the King is missing. Which means that you are all supposed to be looking for him, right now !"

Their face darkened, and some jaws dropped.

"Please, excuse us Princess Mal… We… We didn't know !"

She sighed and gave them a sorry smile. She didn't really have the right to blame them. Even she - a few hours ago - used to think Uma was the one blame for all evil spells.

"Please" she told them "Start patrolling the campus and the town. We need to find Audrey as fast as we can."

Harry cleared his throat.

"I know where she hides" he said "But I won't tell anything until Uma is healed."

"What ? Harry ! This is a life or death situation! You can't…"

"I said what I said !" He interrupted her

And the look on his face didn't leave any space for negociating. He clearly didn't give a single damn about King Ben. His only priority right now - as always - was Uma.