After spending a few hours getting ready for their 'spontaneous' trip to the Isle of the Lost, Jay, Evie, Carlos, and Ben arrived at the outside of the Core Four's hideout, where two of the four believed they would find Mal. Although he argued with the idea, Jay didn't necessarily voice his opinion on where the fairy could be for obvious reasons. As for Ben, he could have suggested somewhere, but then he would have spoiled quite a few secrets.

Now wasn't the time for him to play hero. Ben would have just a while longer to be a little girl's saving grace.

Once they arrived, Jay grabbed a decent sized rock and chucked it at the hanging sign nearby. The sign flew back, triggering a mechanism that raised the enormous gate high enough that someone could climb underneath.

Releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Ben cautiously walked up the stairwell alone, half-expecting the fairy to not be there.

You see, on the drive to the Isle, the group of four discussed what they should do to convince Mal to come back to Auradon. Evie and Carlos insisted that Ben could reason with the fairy. Jay firmly believed no one could persuade his best friend to leave the island again. Ben didn't provide his input, but if he had . . . he would side with Jay for reasons that none of them were aware that he knew.

Anyways, inside the unstable building structure, Ben cautiously climbed the unusual passage-way toward the sound of moving furniture. A few moments later, the king paused on a platform to gaze into the living quarters of the hideout.

It pretty much consisted of three separate rooms that were connected by open doorways. Two of the three contained abnormally sized beds while the room in the center only held a couch. It was obvious which beds and rooms belonged to who, since Mal most likely painted murals of herself and her friends in each separate room.

But the fairy wasn't expending her artistic talents at the moment.

Instead, Mal—looking so much like her old self with her punk Isle clothing and her hair a pretty lavender a color instead of the 'unnatural' blonde with purple tips—was busy moving around furniture to make more room for something. Ben watched for a few moments as the fairy pushed the large burgundy couch against the even larger wall to create a large open space in the room. When she began moving smaller and more fragile objects on higher surfaces, realization hit the king on what the fairy was doing.

Mal was toddler proofing the place for her daughter so she could raise Mallory on her own.

"Need any help?" Ben finally offered when she struggled to move an old trunk against the ginormous wall.

Mal jumped at the sound of his voice. Whirling around, her eyes went wide as she lightly gasped at the king's arrival. "Ben?" Mal greeted uncertainly. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking on you," Ben insisted as he walked toward her—or so she believed. "You ran off without saying good-bye."

The fairy instinctively took a step back, still shook up about her encounter with her abuser. She was pleasantly surprised when instead the king crouched down and effortlessly pushed the chest against the wall in the exact place she wanted it.

Straightening to full height, Ben smiled reassuringly at the surprised fairy. "How are you feeling?" he wondered curiously. "I mean, now that you are home."

"Better," Mal admitted almost bashfully. "I haven't seen the person I came home for yet. I've only been here and the hair salon. I . . . 'bumped' into my abuser."

Ben tensed at the information, clutching his hand into a fist as he remembered a very vivid dream about what he believed happened. "What happened?"

"I got pissed and tossed him over a counter." Mal revealed with a careless shrug. "It was so relieving, especially since he didn't see it coming."

Ben chuckled at the way the fairy's tone sounded upbeat at the confession. "How long do you need to stay?" he questioned. "I don't have any doubts that you can take care of yourself."

The fairy's jaw dropped at the questions. "You mean you're not mad? You're not going to beg me to come back to Auradon?"

"You've already made your decision and I know I can't change your mind," Ben claimed with a reassuring smile forming. "All I want is for you to be happy and to be safe. I would prefer if you stayed with me in Auradon, but you need a few days home on the island."

Mal sighed contently at the declaration. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"I think I do," Ben teased as his smile grew. "I could tell you were becoming uncomfortable in Auradon. That's why I've been trying to convince Fairy Godmother to let you visit the Isle for a few days."

Obviously, Mal gaped at the new information. "That was your surprise for me?"

"One of them," Ben corrected. "Your other one I was going to be revealed at cotillion, but it looks like that's going to have to wait. How long do you want to post-pone it? Two weeks? A month?"

Smiling happily at how supportive the king was being to her, Mal confirmed, "Two weeks. That should be plenty of time to make me feel even better."

"And if there is anyone that you want to take to Auradon after that time is up," Ben began as he tried to imply that he knew something, "she will be more than welcomed to come with. Don't forget: I love you."

Sadly, the fairy didn't notice the hint since she was focused on the three little words that she still didn't have the courage to say. "Give me until cotillion," she implored, "then I will be able to say those words to you."

"No rush," Ben reassured, though he chuckled softly afterwards. "I've waited a year so far. I can wait a couple more weeks, or an entire lifetime if that's what it will take. And your ring?"

Mal's smile grew as the king revealed the gold beast-head ring from his pocket. "Give it to me after I keep my promise," she requested carefully. "You told me to wear it so it would be a reminder that I was loved. When you give it to me next time, I'll use it as a reminder that I don't have to fear telling you those three little words because I will truly mean it."

Chuckling at the innocent 'wish', Ben lightly kissed the fairy's forehead, as it was still part of their original deal. "I'll see you in two weeks, my queen."

Taking a big leap of faith, trust, and courage, Mal quickly placed a simple and quick peck on the young man's cheek. Pleased with how shocked he was by her actions, Mal affirmed, "Two weeks, my king."

A few minutes later, outside their hideout, Carlos, Jay, and Evie stirred as they heard Ben walking down the stairwell. The gate slid up just long enough to allow Ben to walk through, having closed behind him moments after. "Mal's not coming back to Auradon today," he nonchalantly informed. "She will be back in two weeks."

Evie's mouth hanged agape at hearing the facts. "What?" she exclaimed incredulously. "What about cotillion?"

"Postponed for two weeks," Ben answered with no hesitation in his tone. "Cotillion will be used as a 'welcome back' party for her. We've already talked about it and it's decided. If you want to try to change her mind, go for it, but it's already made up."

Not believing a word that the king said, Evie hurried to the call horn to speak with her friend. "M? Will you let us up? We need to talk."

From the other line, the trio heard a loud suspicious thud before Mal faintly shouted, "I'm busy, E! Come back in a couple hours."

Jay snarled his nose at his sister's words, confuzzled by a phrase. "Busy with what?"

Before that could be answered, Carlos randomly gazed down the alley decorated with torn rags when he noticed something peculiar. "Guys!" he shouted in distress. "Where's Ben?"

Joining their friend's side, Evie peered down the dim alleyway to search for the missing king, instead of walking down it like a normal person should. "Ben?" she called out. "Ben?"

After a moment or so, a dark silhouette strolled them. The teenager had his hands in his coat pocket with his head hunkered down in the way that the trio taught him.

"Ben!" Evie shouted in alarm. "Don't scare us like that!"

"Don't scare you?"

The trio tensed at the familiar voice as the mysterious figure stepped into the light.

But it wasn't Ben.

This man's hair was slightly longer than Ben's, being so much darker and more wild than imaginable. The man's trench coat reached well past his knees with the color being a deep red.

Harry Hook grinned deviously at the trio's reaction. "But that's my specialty."

Jay fumed in rage as he made a threatening step toward the pirate. "What did you do with Ben!"

"We nicked him." Harry bravely confessed as he motioned to the dark alley where the crime was committed. "If you want to see him again, have Mal"—he pointed to the hideout— "come to the chip shop tonight." He gestured to the trio with his hook. "Alone. Uma wants . . . a little visit."

"Why don't you tell her that yourself?" Carlos barked, amusing the pirate with his own courage. "We aren't your errand rats."

"Well I'm afraid Mal isn't too fond of me at the moment," Harry revealed without giving too much away. "I conveniently 'bumped' into her at Tremaine's hair shop. Let's just say . . . she didn't take too kindly to my playful banter."

Harry turned his sights on the thief, who was practically seething in fury and anger at the new information. "Awe, Jay." Harry pouted before his expression turned evil. "Seems like you've lost your touch!"

Jay lunged at him. If Evie wasn't holding him back, he could have done some serious damage to the pirate. Nonetheless, Harry merely grinned as he nonchalantly strolled down the alleyway, whistling as he went.

Not realizing the pain he'd suffer in just a few short hours.