Audrey, Chad, James, and Azura had already gone home
At Auradon Prep remained Doug, Jane, Lonnie, Ben, Mal, Carlos, Evie, Jay
FG wanted to spend Christmas with Grimhilde so she and Jane would stay at the Castle
Doug and Lonnie would go home in the afternoon
Ben and Mal
Ben and Mal were eating their lunch at the Enchanted Lake
In the last few days, Mal had been more silent
The vks hadn't forgiven Richard as he had expected, the other kids had gone back to the Isle with him that morning, they wanted to be sure Uma kept her word
The day before Richard had asked to go back to the Isle, Ben had asked the vks what they thought of it
Ben: "Guys, please say something"
Mal looked around: "Let's vote" they all nodded and Ben sighed in relief
Mal: "It's his choice, if he wants to go back home... Let him go back" she sat near Mary who hugged her
Evie: "I agree"
Jay: "Yeah"
Carlos nodded, he was really disappointed in Richard
Francine, Celia, Dizzy, Queenie, and Martina voted as a group, Celia spoke: "We think he should leave"
Squirmy surprised Ben with his cold tone: "He has to leave" his twin nodded
Liang: "I don't know what to think honestly. He.. disappointed me. Like a lot"
Jian looked Ben directly in the eyes: "He isn't welcome with us"
Liang sighed and then nodded at Ben
Francesco didn't say anything
Mary: "If only he had tried to apologise or something..." she shook her head "I can't forgive him"
Gil: "I can't believe he said those thing about Mal" he looked at her "Sent him back home"
Everyone turned to look at Francesco
Francesco looked at Mal: "Sent him back home and tell Uma what he did"
Ben was shocked: "Why Uma?"
Francesco looked at Ben: "Uma will know what to do"
Ben looked at Mal for an explanation but she was still looking at Francesco, then she looked at Mary who nodded
Mal: "Ok, then it's decided. He goes home. Evie can you pass me the mirror... I need to make a call"
Evie gave her the mirror
Ben: "Ok.. i guess I'll have his trip organized... do you want to say goodbye to him or talk to him?"
Mal got up and looked at him, the mirror was in her hands, she turned to her friends: "I think we should"
Every vks thought about it and then nodded
Mal: "Ben, I'll make the call and then we'll see him, is that ok?"
Ben smiled at her, he could see that she was hurt and disappointed: "Of course, I'll go and tell him that you want to say goodbye. Then I'll tell the driver that he has to go back" he kissed her on the cheek "I'll come back soon, ok?"
Mal tried to smile, she knew he was trying to comfort her and she appreciated it so she tried to reassure him: "Ok, Benny Boo"
Ben left the room and Mal used the mirror immediately to call Uma, she waited for her friend to appear
Uma noticed Mal's bad mood: "Mal? What's wrong?"
Mal sighed: "Richard. He.. he is going back home" her voice betrayed her
Uma stayed silent for a minute and studied Mal then spoke: "Ok little squid, why?"
Mal: "He called me a slut... in front of the others.. for my past...with the... friends of my mother"
Uma got angry: "He did what?"
Mal nodded
Uma huffed: "I can't believe it. Don't worry, little one. I'll take care of it"
Mal was about to cry: "I just... I don't understand..."
Uma smiled: "Hey, it's ok. Not your fault. Don't worry"
Mal nodded. Half an hour later Ben came back with Richard
Ben: "Here we are"
Richard: "Well, the King here said you wanted to say goodbye"
Dizzy, Queenie, Martina, and Celia went in front of him, he clearly softened a little
Dizzy: "You disappointed us"
Queenie: "How could you say those things?"
Celia had her arms crossed: "I hate you"
Martina: "Goodbye"
They went to sat on Jay's bed
Jian: "Hope you have a good trip back home"
Gil: "I hope you fall and hit your head"
Mal smiled at that
Liang looked at Richard and shook his head
Jay shrugged: "I agree with Gil"
Francesco: "I don't want to see you ever again"
Richard winced
Evie: "I don't understand why you would say those things.. clearly you don't want to even try to be good. I don't know... I don't even know what to say"
Carlos: "I think that you should apologise before going away. To Mal, and to all of us"
Richard: "I won't"
Squearky and Squirmy went to stand near Carlos, the twins looked at Richard and spoke their mind at the same time: "We think you are awful"
Mary and Mal were the last ones
Mary took a step forward: "You should know that you are banned from the hideout. I'm really disappointed in you.. I had hope we could live here.. together and be happy.. I don't know" she sighed "I suppose you are your father's son after all... He would be proud"
Richard looked devastated for a moment, then he looked at Mal: "Mal"
Mal looked at him: "Richard"
Richard: "How are you?"
Mal huffed: "As if you care"
Richard took a step towards her: "I do care. And you know it"
Mal looked at the ceiling, trying to fight the tears: "I think it's fair to tell you that Uma will be expecting you tomorrow. She isn't happy about what you did"
Richard: "You told her"
Mal looked at him: "I had to. You broke a rule"
Richard: "So this is it?"
Mal's eyes started glowing: "You did this. To us"
Richard whispered: "I'm sorry"
Mal's eyes showed all the hurt she was feeling: "I thought you said you wouldn't apologise"
Richard shrugged
Mal nodded: "Goodbye Richard"
Richard moved fast and hugged both Mal and Mary, the girls stood still for a moment but then they hugged him back very tight
Ben: "You can still change your mind Richard. You too guys"
Richard: "I will miss you two so much. Be brave. Show them who you are. One day I hope to be ready for this life"
Mary and Mal nodded
Richard let them go, he kissed them both on the forehead: "I have to go"
Mal and Mary looked at him, they hold hands for a moment and then let him go
Richard left the room
Ben sighed: "Guys"
Jay: "No, he has to go back to the Isle..."
Liang: "Maybe one day he'll come back here. But for now, he has to go"
Mary: "Ben, we will be going too, at least for a few weeks"
Mal nodded
Back at the Enchanted Lake
Ben: "How are you?"
Mal shrugged: "Fine"
They spent the rest of the day there, then got back to Auradon Prep
Ben followed Mal to her roo
Mal: "Thank you for today"
Ben: "Of course"
Mal put her arms around him: "I love you, you know that?"
Ben hummed: "No, i didn't"
Mal smiled a little and kissed him
Ben pulled back: "I love you too"
Mal: "See you tomorrow"
Ben: "Goodnight"
Carlos and Jane
Carlos woke up and went to find Jane, he wanted to spend the day with her
During the festivities they would be all at the Castle so he wanted to enjoy her company alone
He arrived at her room and knocked, Jane opened the door and he smiled immediately at her, she was beautiful. Her brown and turquoise hair was loose (it had started changing once she began to use magic), she wore the black hoodie he had given her the night before over a blue nightgown and a pair of blue socks. Her eyes were a little puffy, she clearly had just got out of bed
Jane: "Carlos? What are you doing here?"
Carlos: "Goodmorning Fairy Jane. I'm here because I was hoping to spend the day with you" he winked at her "I already arranged it all"
He knew she would say that he didn't have to, but he knew what she liked. They weren't going out, they would spend the entire day watching movies with hot cocoa, under a fort made out of blankets, it was something he used to do with Mal when they wanted to hide from their mothers.. well they didn't watch any movie clearly
Jane smiled: "Carlos, you didn't have to. Plus it's freezing outside, where would we go?"
Carlos laughed: "Do you trust me?"
Jane crossed her arms and smiled: "Uhmm I don't know. I have to think about it.. I mean you are the son of Maleficent, Cruella, and Hades"
Carlos rolled his eyes, took a step forward, put his arms around her waist and held her tight: "Ah ah. Funny"
Jane put her arms around his neck: "Where will you take me?
Carlos: "You put on some clothes, though you look beautiful like this too" Jane rolled her eyes "And meet me in the cafeteria"
Jane kissed him then pulled back: "All right"
30 minutes later
Carlos was waiting for Jane when he saw Mal and Ben, he waved at Ben and hugged his sister
Jane: "Hey Mal! Hi Ben!" she turned to look at Carlos and smiled at him "Hey you"
Carlos: "Ready?"
Jane: "Sure, can I have breakfast first?"
Carlos: "Don't worry. I got it cover" he offered his hand and she took it
They arrived in the common room and Carlos lead Jane to corner
Jane saw the fort: "What is that?"
Carlos: "A fort. Mal and I used to build them all the time when we were children" he smiled sadly remembering those times "Come on" he squatted down and entered
Jane raised an eyebrow but copied his movements, what she saw was amazing: "Carlos! Oh my God! It's amazing"
Carlos smirked
From the outside the fort seemed so little, but inside there was a little coffee table with breakfast, two cups of hot cocoa and something to eat, then there was something that resembled a bed with blankets and a laptop
Jane was moved by this, it was so romantic
Carlos: "So you like it?" he looked at her and saw tears forming in her eyes "Jane? I.. I thought you would like it..." he looked around "Is it too much? Is it the bed? It's for the movie. I mean we are just watching a movie!" he was getting nervous
Jane shook her head and moved fast towards him, she took his face and kissed him
Carlos had to force himself to sit still because his first instinct in these situations was to move or defend himself but responded to the kiss
Jane stopped kissing him, he was motionless, and kept looking at her silently
Jane: "Carlos? Are you okay?" Maybe she had overstepped
Carlos: "Yeah. I'm fine" he was shocked by the kiss she had given him "Are you?"
Jane laughed in relief: "Yeah"
Carlos now was confused: "So you like this?"
Jane: "Yeah. A lot. Didn't the kiss answered the question?"
Carlos began to smile: "Well... it seemed you were really excited while kissing me... I just didn't expect it"
Jane laughed again: "I noticed"
Carlos: "Let's watch the movie then"
They watched the movie and cuddled. They went to eat lunch and then went again in the fort to talk for the rest of the day. Carlos and Jane summoned magically the dinner
When it was time to go to bed Carlos followed Jane to her room
Jane turned towards him: "Thank you for today. It was amazing. Perfect actually"
Carlos shrugged
Jane: "Goodnight Carlos. I love you"
Carlos kissed her on the cheek: "Goodnight Jane. I love you too"
Evie and Doug
It was 9 o'clock in the morning when Evie woke up, she got out of bed and took a warm shower, dressed up, put some make up and went to the cafeteria with Jay, Mal, and Mary. Carlos, the twins, Dizzy, Martina, Francine, Queenie, and Celia were still sleeping. Liang, Jian, Gil, and Francesco went for a run
Evie: "What are your plans for today?"
Mary: "We will leave at 10 a.m. No goodbyes, we will be back in 3 weeks"
The others nodded silently
Mal: "Ben and I are going to our place"
Jay: "I'll meet Lonnie in the gym"
Mal: "What about you, Evie? You'll be with Doug?"
Evie: "Yeah. In the afternoon his parents are coming to bring him home"
Jay: "Yeah, Lonnie's parents are coming this afternoon too"
Mal: "The others are going home too, besides Ben and Jane"
Evie: "Jane too?"
Mal nodded: "FG wants to spend the holiday with your mom. And her husband died... so you know.."
Jay: "Oh I didn't know..."
They finished eating and then went their separate ways
Evie went to find Doug in his room, she knocked and he opened the door
Doug smiled at her: "Hey beautiful"
Evie smiled: "Hey you! How are you?"
Doug: "Very well. Having the room all for myself is pretty cool"
Evie laughed
Doug: "What about you?"
Evie: "I'm ok. So, what do you want to do?"
Doug: "I thought we could spend the morning here, maybe watch a movie or talk" then he seemed to remember something "No wait! I have a better idea" he went inside the room and grabbed a bag "Come with me" he grabbed her hand
Evie was confused by his mood-swing: "Where are we going?"
Doug smiled: "You'll see"
They walked for half an hour and then arrived in front of a door and Doug opened it
Evie entered and saw something she had never seen
Doug: "What do you think?"
Evie: "That there is a big hole on the floor full of water?"
Doug was confused: "You don't know what this is?"
Evie: "No"
Doug: "Never heard of pools?"
Evie shook her head
Doug: "This is a swimming pool. The water is warm... I thought we could swim"
Evie took a step back and shook her head: "Swim? Are you insane? It's dangerous!"
Doug: "You can't swim?"
Evie: "Of course not. The water hurts. I saw Uma's burn marks. I'm not going there and neither should you"
Doug sighed: "Why don't you sit there and wait for me for a few minutes?"
Evie sat on a bench and waited
After a few minutes Doug came out of the locker room, Evie was surprised seeing him without clothes, he wore some kind of shorts
Evie had never saw him shirtless, she felt immediately warmer, she blushed
Doug smiled at her, he was beautiful, he had a very nice and toned body. Then she watched him jump in the pool
Evie got up: "No!" she worriedly ran to the pool and threw herself on the ground, she about to call Mal, Carlos, and Jay "Doug!"
Doug resurfaced: "I'm ok"
Evie looked at him searching for burn marks: "You aren't in any pain?"
Doug: "No, I'm perfectly fine"
Evie slowly put her hand in the water, waiting for the pain but it didn't come: "It's warm..."
Doug: "Yeah it is. Wanna try?"
Evie: "But.. I don't know how to swim"
Doug: "I'll teach you. In the locker room there are some swimsuits. Try one and come here"
Evie nodded, she went and put one the swimsuit and then got out
Doug looked at her and was starstruck. She was wearing a blue swimsuit, her hair was tied in a high ponytail
Evie: "What?"
Doug: "Nothing... you are beautiful"
Evie blushed: "Thank you" then she sat at the edge of the pool "Ok" she got in "Oh my god! I'm in a pool" she could touch the pool floor
Doug laughed: "Yes you are"
They spent most of the morning in the pool, then they got out, took a shower and went to get lunch
There they found Jane and Carlos, Jay and Lonnie
Then around 15-00 p.m. Doug's parents arrived
They stayed a while to talk with Evie and then got in the car
Doug: "I'll see you on New Year's Eve"
Evie: "I'll miss you"
Doug smiled and hugged her: "I'll miss you too"
Evie kissed him and then pulled back and waved at him while he entered the car
Then she went inside and spent the rest of the day with her friends, she told them about the pool and Carlos and Jay were shocked when they found out that they could swim freely there
Lonnie and Jay
Lonnie woke up early, took a shower and then dressed up. She and Jay were going to spend the morning together since she was going back home for the holidays
She met him in the gym
Lonnie: "Hey Jay"
Jay smiled at her: "Hey Lon, how are you?"
Lonnie: "I can't wait for the holidays to start! What about you?"
Jay frowned: "I sincerely don't understand what's the big deal with Christmas"
Lonnie smiled: "It's about family, being together. Didn't you celebrate family?"
Jay: "Not exactly. We always appreciated the family but didn't exactly stop and have dinner or.. I don't know exactly what you do"
Lonnie: "We exchange presents, we eat dinner all together... I don't know how to explain it... there's a magic..."
Jay shrugged: "I guess I'll see" then he seem to realize something "Exchange presents?"
Lonnie: "Yeah, well we will exchange then on New Year's Eve because, you know you will be at the Castle and I will be at my home"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jay's glowed as he reached out to the others Guys we have a problem
Carlos heard him, his eyes glowed and answered immediately worriedly What is it Jay?
Mal was at the Enchanted Lake when she heard Jay, Ben had just entered the lake, her eyes glowed a little and answered Need help?
Evie turned a little so that Doug couldn't see her eyes glowing Jay are you ok?
Jay We have to buy presents for Christmas
Mal got up and said out loud: "What?!" they heard her anyway, but Ben heard her too and he immediately emerged worried something bad was happening
Evie Oh
Carlos What are we going to do?
Jay I don't know
Mal thought for a while and then reassured themTomorrow we can ask Belle
The others calmed down and went back to their dates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jay: "Let's fence a little"
Lonnie: "Sure"
Jay: "Wanna bet something?"
Lonnie laughed: "I bet that I'll win"
Jay: "And if you loose?"
Lonnie: "I'll say to everyone that you are the best fencer that ever existed"
It was Jay's turn to laugh: "That would be Mal and Carlos, but sure"
Lonnie: "What about you?"
Jay thought about it for a while: "Don't know. You decide"
They fenced for a while, Lonnie won, then went to get lunch
At 14-30 p.m. Lonnie's parents arrived
Lonnie: "Time to pay"
Jay looked at her: "What do you want?"
Lonnie: "I want to present you to my parents as my boyfriend"
Jay was shocked, he wasn't expecting that
Lonnie saw his shock but interpreted wrong: "If you don't feel ready I can totally understand"
Jay: "No, it's ok. I was just surprised. I'm ready"
Lonnie smiled, once her parents arrived she presented Jay as her boyfriend
Her parents were happy and invited Jay for lunch. Then they went back in the car
Lonnie: "So... I guess I should go"
Jay: "I guess you should"
Lonnie smiled and kissed him: "See you soon"
Once the Core 4 met again in their room they started panicking
Evie: "What are we going to do?" she was pacing
Carlos was fidgeting: "I don't know. We never did this"
Mal and Jay were silent, when Evie and Carlos didn't hear an answer they turned to look at their siblings
Evie: "Well?"
Mal and Jay looked at them with curiosity
Mal: "What?"
Carlos: "What. Are. We. Going. To. Do?"
Jay: "With what?"
Evie: "WITH CHRISTMAS!"
Mal and Jay jumped a little
Mal: "Geez Evie. Calm down. We are going to figure it out... in some way"
Jay: "Yeah. They know we didn't do Christmas so it won't be a big deal, right?"
Mal: "I don't know... they always seem so shocked every time we say that we didn't have their holidays..."
Evie: "Yeah..."
They knew the aks felt sorry and sometimes guilty because they didn't have the same experiences, and whenever they saw that sad look in the eyes of their friends they felt... nauseous
Carlos: "When I see Jane looking at me like that... I feel really bad.. like I've eaten something too rotten"
Mal: "I feel like someone is stabbing me in the stomach"
Evie: "I'm sure Belle will help us buy the best presents"
Jay: "But.. how many presents? We don't have the money..."
Mal: "Adam and Belle have an account with money for us. For all the Isle kids. I thought it wasn't necessary because i didn't want their pity... but maybe we could find a job and give them the money back.. what do you think?"
Carlos: "I thinks it's a good idea"
Jay nodded
Evie smiled: "It's a great idea! This way we can show people that we are normal!"
Mal, Carlos, and Jay raised an eyebrow at the word "normal"
Evie: "I meant like them... I mean..." she sighed "You know what I mean"
Jay: "The problem isn't solved though. How many presents? Do we have to buy a present only for our partner or for the others too?"
Carlos: "We have to buy a present for Ben"
Evie nodded: "And for FG"
Mal: "And the coach"
Carlos: "And the teachers. They have been good to us"
Jay: "And for Adam and Belle?"
Mal nodded: "Also the guys at the Castle"
Evie: "I have an idea. For FG, Adam, Belle, and the guys at the Castle we can give them a present from all of us. We give an individual gift to our favorite teacher... "
Jay: "Good idea"
Mal: "We can give an individual gift to our partners. Then we give a group gift to Ben and the others"
Evie: "I say we make a list"
Mal: "I can't believe I'm saying this but... you are right Evie"
They spent the rest of the evening making the list, it was 2 a.m. when they went to bed
Ben passed in front of their room, looked at the door, hwn he tried to reach for Mal and could feel she was still sleeping, he smiled and shook his head and kept walking
He found Jane in the cafeteria with FG
Ben: "Goodmorning"
Jane: "Hey Ben, how are you?"
Ben: "I'm good. How are you?"
Jane: "Fine"
FG: "Pretty good, thank you" she took a sip of coffee "Where are the children?"
She had started calling them like that a while ago, she didn't like calling them "vks"
Ben smiled: "Still sleeping" he got up and went to pick his breakfast
The staff of Auradon Prep had gone home that morning
FG smiled: "Well... I guess we can wait a little while before calling the limo"
Jane was smiling too
10 a.m.The vks's room
Evie and Jay got up first, they got dressed then proceeded to wake up Mal and Carlos
Evie smiled and whispered: "Look at them"
Jay turned to look at the twins and smiled
Mal and Carlos had fallen asleep on the floor while Evie was writing the list, they were facing each other, Jay had put a heavy blanket on them as it was really cold
Evie: "Sometimes I miss it"
Jay sighed: "Me too..."
Evie looked at him, her eyes were watering: "I miss our home"
Jay: "E... we can't go back" he shook his head "It's hell"
Evie started sobbing a little: "I know.. It's just.. I don't know"
Jay hugged her: "I know. It's ok"
Mal and Carlos were still sleeping
Jay put his hands on his sister's shoulders: "Hey, we will be able to go and visit the Isle. And who knows...maybe one day we could go back and stay there" he smiled at her "Let's wake this two up and go have breakfast"
Evie nodded and they woke up the younger twins
Mal tried to keep sleeping but finally had to surrender
Once everyone was ready they left the room to go to the cafeteria, they picked their breakfast and sat at their table
Mal: "Why couldn't we sleep a little more?"
Evie: "Because we have to go to Castle Beast"
Mal and Carlos huffed in annoyance and kept eating
They had already packed their things of course (Evie's doing) so they just had to wait
Jay: "Let's go find Ben and Jane"
They found them outside, building a snowman. They were still a little confused by these traditions, what was the point of putting all that white stuff together? It was cold outside, not like on the Isle but it wasn't exactly pleasant
Ben noticed them and waved, Jane turned with a smile
Evie: "Hey guys"
Ben: "Wanna help built the snowman?"
Jane: "We could do the angel!"
Ben's smile got bigger: "Yeah!"
The vks were looking at them with fake enthusiasm
Mal: "What's the angel?"
Ben: "It's easier to show you. Ready Jane?"
Jane nodded: "1, 2, 3... go!"
And then Ben and Jane let themselves fall in the snow, the vks looked at them alarmed
Carlos went to Jane: "Jane are you ok?"
Jane's laugh made Carlos and the others relaxed immediately
Jane: "Yeah, but you should move over"
Carlos frowned but did as told
Jane and Ben started to move their arms and legs and the vks saw that with their movement they were moving the snow making some kind of figure
Evie: "Are we suppose to do something?" the others shrugged
When Ben and Jane got up and looked at them with enthusiasm, the vks were confused
Jay: "Was something suppose to happen?"
Ben and Jane frowned
Ben: "No, look at the snow"
The vks looked at the snow for a few moments
Mal: "I'm sorry. I don't understand. I see the snow and nothing else"
Evie: "There is some kind of figure.."
Carlos: "It seems like a bell"
Jay: "Nah. It's a ghost"
Mal: "Oh yeah! It is a ghost!"
Evie: "Uhm... yeah I see it"
Ben yelled: "No! It isn't a ghost!"
Evie and Jay looked at him surprised while Mal and Carlos got scared by his tone
Mal whispered: "Sorry"
Ben looked at her and relaxed: "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry"
Jane: "It's an angel"
The vks looked at figure and inclined their head
Evie: "What exactly is an angel?"
Ben and Jane's eyes got wide open, then tried to play it cool, Ben tried to explain it to them
Ben: "An angel, it's like a person with wings"
Mal frowned: "So, my mom and I are... angels? That doesn't sound that scary"
The vks looked at him curiously
Ben shook his head: "No. You are fairy. Angels are celestial beings, their wings are white and with feathers"
Jane: "They are messangers"
Jay: "Feathers? Like birds?"
Ben: "Yeah kinda. But their wings are way bigger" he opened his arms to show how big the wings were
The vks hummed and looked at the figure on the snow
Mal sighed: "I'm sorry, but all I can see it's a ghost" the others nodded
Ben sighed
Jane smiled: "So? You wanna do more ghosts?"
The vks looked at each other and shrugged, then they let themselves fall on the snow and started to move their legs and arms, they got up and watch the figure
Mal, Carlos, and Jay smiled and run around doing more ghosts while Evie stayed with Jane and Ben and helped them built another snowman
Then around 14 pm the limo arrived, they went inside to call FG and pick their stuff and then they all got in the car
Belle and Adam were waiting the kids in the living room with Grimhilde and Jafar
Belle: "You don't have to worry"
Grimhilde: "But we feel so stupid... we really didn't think about it..."
Belle smiled at the couple: "You don't celebrate it, of course you didn't think about it. This is your first Christmas, and we will make sure that you enjoy it, right Adam?"
Adam nodded: "I don't know how to express how sorry I am..." he was really ashamed of himself
Jafar smiled reassuringly: "We forgave you a long time ago, Adam"
Lumiere arrived in the room and announced the arrival of the guests
Ben, Jane, and FG entered quickly
Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos took their time to show up, they were watching all the decorations and were amazed by them
Once they entered the room, Evie and Jay spotted easily their parents and went to hug them
Mal and Carlos were looking at the gigantic tree in the middle of the room when Belle went to hug them
They talked for a while, the teens went to watch a movie while the parents stayed in the living room
The next day
Mal, Carlos, Jay, and Evie were looking for Belle, they decided to separate and look around
Mal went to the library, Carlos in the kitchen, Jay in the living room, and Evie in her studio
Mal was the one who found the Queen: I found her
Her brother and friends arrived and they entered
Mal: "Belle?"
Belle looked up surprised to see them, she smiled: "Hey kids, can I help you with something?"
Mal looked at the others and then turned towards the Queen: "Well.. you know that this is our first Christmas.. ever.. and well we found out just a few days ago that you have this tradition of exchanging gifts? But the thing is.. we don't know how it works or how to pick the right gift... so we were wondering if you could help us? And for the money we would repay you, Jay already found a place where we could work"
Belle was surprised that they had even come out with a plan, she didn't think they would want to follow the tradition of exchanging gifts.. not because they were selfish but because they didn't really were into these kind of things
Belle: "You don't have to participate if you don't want to, you know that?"
Evie: "But we want to"
Belle smiled: "Well in that case, let me call the limo, we are going to the mall"
Evie clapped her hands in excitement, then her smile dropped
Belle got worried: "What is it?"
Evie: "We can't go to the mall looking like this!"
Mal, Jay, and Carlos rolled their eyes while Belle laughed
Belle: "Go on and change. I'll see you in the living room"
Evie dragged the others in their room
Evie: "Let's go and take a quick shower"
They showered, Evie finished first and went ahead to pick the outfits
Evie was wearing a long-sleeves knee-length dress, black stockings, red ankle boots, red gloves, and a black heavy long coat, she put on some mascara and red lipstick
Jay got out second and found his outfit on his bed, he got dressed, he was wearing a pair of red jeans, a black shirt and a brown sweater, a pair of black boots, his favorite hat, and black coat
Mal got out third, she found her outfit and got dressed, she was wearing a purple sweater and a black dungarees, her favorite combat boots, black gloves and black coat
Carlos got out last, he got dressed, he was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, a red hoodie, a pair of red gloves and a black coat
They looked at the mirror and Mal, Carlos, and Jay raised an eyebrow
Mal: "So... are we spies?"
Carlos and Jay chuckled, Evie glared at them
Evie: "Very funny"
Mal: "Come on E... we look like those men from the movie we watched yesterday... those that deal with aliens?"
Evie huffed and got out, the others followed her laughing, they met Belle in the living room
Ben: "Hey guys! We were looking for you" he looked at them and frowned "You going somewhere?"
Mal: "Hi little Prince, we are going out with your mom" she got closer to him and put her arms around his neck "We are going on a secret mission" she kissed him
Ben: "But..." she kissed him again "But I want to know.." she gave him another kiss "Ok fine, I got it"
Mal smiled at him: "See you when we come back, and we can spend some alone time"
Ben: "Yeah, I'd like that"
Belle: "Well, here we are. Let's get to work"
They spent almost 3 hours shopping, once they had finished buying everything they needed Belle decided they were going to have lunch there
Mal: "This sandwich is awesome"
Carlos and Jay nodded enthusiastically while Evie nodded calmly, Belle chuckled
Once they had lunch Belle called the limo
They arrived at the Castle and the vks went straight to their room, they wrapped the gifts
Mal went to spend the afternoon with Ben, Carlos with Jane, Evie and Jay spent it with their parents
Christmas came and the party was big
They ate a lot and laughed a lot
It was evening and it started snowing
In the last few weeks they never got to see it, when they woke up the snow was already there
But during the dinner Mal and Carlos were looking outside the window confused
Belle noticed it: "Mal? Carlos? Is everything all right?"
Mal said in a worried tone: "I think the clouds are falling"
Everyone got alarmed and they looked outside, Belle, Adam, FG, Ben,Grimhilde, and Jane started laughing
Jafar, Jay, Evie, Mal, and Carlos looked at them confused
FG: "Sweetie, that's snow"
Mal and Carlos ran outside without saying anything, they wanted to see it better, once they were outside they started to jump and run around trying to catch the snowflakes
The others followed them outside and started laughing
Mal: "I got one!" Carlos ran to her and watched the snowflake she had caught
Ben was surprised: "That's impossible. The snowflakes melt immediately when you touch them"
Jane looked at him: "Magic Ben. It's magic"
Carlos: "I caught one too!"
They stayed outside for a while and then got back inside, they finished the dinner, they gave a lot of compliments to Mrs Potts and then went to bed
It was New Years Eve, a lot of people had arrived at the Castle
Evie and Mal were in their room getting ready
Evie was wearing a dark blue dress with blue stilettos, her hair was loose, she was wearing some make up, and she was currently helping Mal
Mal: "I don't understand"
Evie: "Mal, you are the future Queen, you have to look perfect. Always"
Mal: "No, i don't. I'm a human.. Well, not exactly human but you get it. I don't want people to think that I'm perfect. I can make mistakes, I won't be the perfect Queen"
Lonnie: "I think Mal is right"
Mal and Evie turned to look at the door
Mal smiled: "You are here!"
Audrey: "Everyone is here"
Mal: "There she is, my favorite niece"
Audrey rolled her eyes and said something about being her only niece
The girls got in and closed the door
Evie: "Well girls you look stunning"
Jane was wearing a turquoise long dress, with a pair of stilettos, her hair was loose and she was wearing very little make up
Audrey was wearing an antique pink dress, with a pair of pink ballerinas, and her usual make up
Lonnie was wearing just the mascara, and a long black dress with converse
Mal: "So Little Princess, where is your girlfriend?"
Audrey: "With her grandparents"
Jane: "So Mal... that dress is something"
Mal smirked: "I know. Evie doesn't approve"
Lonnie laughed: "I guess that sealed the deal"
Mal laughed
Evie: "Please, tell her it's not a good idea"
Audrey: "Why don't you like it? It's so her"
Evie: "I don't want people to.."
Mal: "She thinks people will talk. But I don't care. Evie, I know you want to protect me but... you don't have to"
Evie: "I just... I don't want them to... hurt you"
Mal smiled at her: "I know. But I'm Mal, daughter of Maleficent and Hades. And I'm like this, I'm an Isle kid. I won't hide"
Evie thought about it for a while: "Well in that case. Let's gave them what they don't know they need"
Mal: "Yes!"
Evie laughed: "Let me change real quick"
Mal: "I'll call Carlos and Jay" she closed her eyes
Evie went in the bathroom, and changed in a red dress, it was knee-length, she changed her shoes too, she was wearing some black high heels, she put on blue eyeshadow, mascara and a red lipstick
Mal whistled: "Now that's what I was talking about!"
Jay: "Mal said we are going full Isle fashion mode?"
Evie: "Yeah. I thought why should we rob these people of such a privilege?"
Carlos: "Yeah I guess they should see what "cool" really means"
Audrey: "Ok, you should really tone it down"
Mal: "Ok, get out of the room and go downstairs"
Jay and Carlos changed, Mal finished her make up and put on some shoes
Mal was wearing a black short dress, it was fitted on the torso with a v-neck, the back had a see-through effect, from the waist it got loose, and a pair of black ankle boots, the outfit was perfect for her skin tone, she was wearing purple eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and a lip gloss
Jay put on a pair red loose leather pants, black boots, a black blouse and a red leather jacket, his hair was tied in a bun with a red string, he was also wearing a fine line of eyeliner
Carlos was wearing a pair black and blue loose leather pants, a blue blouse, a white blazer, and a pair of black converse
Mal: "Well, let's get this party started"
They went downstairs where Ben, Doug, Jane, Lonnie, Audrey, and Chad were waiting
Chad was the first one to see them and his mouth hang open, Doug that was talking to him saw his friend's reaction and turned around to see the cause of his shock, he was rendered speechless
Audrey was the next to notice the vks: "Woah"
Ben, Jane, and Lonnie looked at the direction she was pointing and started to blush
Evie went to hug Doug, that still hadn't recovered
Evie: "Hey babe, what do you think?" she did a little spin
Doug: "You look... I don't even know if there is a word to describe you... You are... perfect"
Evie smiled and kissed him: "And you look handsome"
Mal went near Ben who couldn't take his eyes off of her: "So, what's up?" she was smirking, clearly enjoying his reaction
Ben shook his head to try and recover but it didn't work
Mal laughed and kissed him: "Better now?"
Ben: "You are a vision"
Mal: "Why thank you Ben. You are very handsome yourself"
Jay: "You look stunning, beautiful"
Lonnie smiled: "Right back at you"
Carlos: "Jane, you are beautiful"
Jane: "You are too"
Chad: "Woah... you guys... look stunning" he looked at Mal "And you Mal... I mean.. just woah. Woah"
Mal laughed and went to give him a kiss on the cheek
Ben growled a little and hugged her from the waist, Mal put her hands on his
Carlos: "Let's go"
They went outside
Jay: "Woah... this is insane"
A lot of people had come
Carlos and Mal: "Food!!!" and they ran at the buffet, their friends followed them
They talked with a lot people, Mal especially since she was the King's girlfriend
It was 21 o'clock when they announced that there will the traditional exchange of gifts, the vks went to pick their gifts and started to give them
Mal went to the art teacher, Ms Yennifer: "Ms Yennifer, I have something for you to thank you for everything you did for us"
Ms Yennifer was really moved by this and loved her gift
Mal, Carlos, and Jay went to give the gift to the Coach, who actually started crying
Evie gave a gift to the Science teacher, who tried to hide his emotions
The whole group went to give a gift to Snow-white and Ferdinand, Aurora and Philip, Aladdin and Jasmine, Anita and Roger, they were all very pleased
Then they went to FG, Adam, and Belle and gave a present each, FG and Belle cried while Adam tried to play it cool
Of course they gave a present to Grimhilde and Jafar
Then they went separate ways
Carlos and Jane
Carlos tapped on Jane's shoulder and she turned around with a smile
Jane: "Hey you, I was looking for you everywhere" then she noticed Carlos was hiding something "What do you have there?"
Carlos gave her the package and Jane was shocked
Jane: "A gift? For me?"
Carlos: "No, for your shadow" he laughed "Of course it's for you, silly. Go on open it"
Jane: "Oh Carlos... you didn't have to" she unwrapped the gift "I hope you didn't spend to much" she opened the little box and there it was and necklace with a little turquoise gemstone "Oh my gosh! It's beautiful. Is there magic?"
Carlos nodded: "Yeah, whenever you are sad or upset you touch the gemstone and it activates mine" he showed her his necklace with a dark blue gemstone "So I'll know where to find you, so that I can help you..."
Jane was speechless, it was the most thoughtful present she ever received
Carlos got worried and misunderstood her silence: "You don't like it?"
Jane: "No, I don't like it. I love it!" she hugged him tightly
Carlos hugged her back a let out a relieved laugh
Jane: "I have something for you too" she gave him a bag
Carlos opened the gift and there was a photo of the two of them
Jane: "Since you never had a photo and you don't have any of your childhood I thought that you would like it..."
Carlos smiled: "I love it, thank you Fairy Jane" his voice held all the emotions he was feeling
They heard the fireworks and kissed lightly, then smiled at eachother
Jay and Lonnie
Jay was looking for Lonnie when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him, so he turned and there she was
Jay: "Hey you"
Lonnie: "I have something for you"
Jay chuckled: "I have something for you"
Lonnie was surprised: "You do?"
Jay was confused by her reaction: "Well yeah... why wouldn't I?"
Lonnie: "Well.. with the others we thought that you wouldn't be able to do the 'present thing'.."
Jay: "Well we were able. Now, do you or do you not want the present?"
Lonnie smiled: "Can I go first?"
Jay rolled his eyes: "Sure"
Lonnie handed him the box, he opened it and smiled
Jay looked at her: "You got me a beanie?"
Lonnie: "I asked Evie where your beanie obsession came from, and she told me it was the first thing she made. I made this beanie... I thought that maybe you would like it..." she was about to say something else but he interrupted her with a kiss
Jay: "I love it" he smiled at her "Now, it's my turn" he gave her the bag
It was a big bag, and heavy too
Lonnie: "Oh God, I hope you didn't spend too much"
Jay: "I didn't buy it"
Lonnie: "Ok... you made it?"
Jay nodded: "With a little help
Lonnie opened the bag, inside there was a large box, she had to put it on the table near her to open it, she opened the box and saw the gift, she brought her hand to her mouth and a sobbed escaped her lips
Jay: "You like it?"
Lonnie turned to look at him: "How?"
Jay: "Well you always say that you want your personal sword, so I decided to make it. Mal helped me melting a metal. It's light so you can move fast and easily. I put on some stuff in box to make it more heavy"
Lonnie was crying: "Damn Jay, it's amazing"
Jay smiled: "So you like it?"
Lonnie: "Of course i do!" she hugged him tightly but they parted when they heard the fireworks and then kissed
Mal and Ben
Mal found Belle and Adam again and asked where Ben was, they told her that he had went inside so went back inside the Castle
Mrs Potts saw her and walked her to the balcony
Mal: "What is he doing there?"
Mrs Potts: "When he was a kid, his grandfather brought him on the balcony to see the fireworks... since his death he goes up there every year"
Mal: "Oh..." they had arrived "Thank you Mrs Potts" she opened the doors and went outside, and there he was, looking at the stars
Ben: "It's a beautiful night, don't you think?"
Mal got closer to him and leaned on the rail, she looked up at the sky: "It is"
Ben turned to look at her: "You are super hot tonight, you know that?"
Mal chuckled and looked at her hands
Ben: "I think Chad is a little bit jealous of me tonight"
Mal laughed again
Ben: "What i don't understand is... when the hell did you bought it?"
Mal: "During one of the trips at the mall with Diaval, Aurora, and Audrey. Diaval insisted so much for me to try it, and once I saw how I looked i said 'Why not?'"
Ben: "Well, you are a dream"
Mal looked at him: "I have something for you"
Ben: "Do you?"
Mal gave him the pack: "Go on, open it"
Ben smiled and opened it, his smile dropped a little: "This is..?"
Mal kept looking at the drawning: "Your grandfather... I remember the day he.. passed... you were so hurt and sad... you said that you wished to have more photos of him... so I asked Belle to see a picture of him and I draw you two together..." she looked at him "What do you think?"
Ben looked at her with tears in his eyes: "I love it. Thank you, Lily Love"
Mal smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips: "You are welcome" she turned to look at the stars again
Ben: "Now it's my turn"
Mal sighed: "Go on"
Ben started to look for something in his pocket, when he found it Mal saw that it was a little purple box
Mal took a step back, shocked when he kneeled in front of her: "Ben?"
Ben looked at her in the eyes: "Mal. From the first dream in which we meant i knew that we would fight a lot, but I was so curious about you. Then we started becoming friends and without noticing it, I fell in love with you, your personality, your sarcasm, your beautiful eyes... I don't know how to describe my feeling, but I don't have to because you can feel them"
Mal let out a watery laugh
Ben smiled: "I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, and you can't exactly say no because you know... the whole soul mates and True Love stuff"
Mal shook her head amused
Ben opened the box to reveal a simple golden ring with three violet stones: "Mal, will you do me the honour of becoming my super serious girlfriend?
Mal wasn't surprised that he wasn't really proposing, he knew that she wanted to go slow
Mal: "Yes!" she threw herself onto him, he catched her and hugged her tightly
Mal started kissing him everywhere before kissing him passionately on the lips, they didn't even notice the fireworks
Evie and Doug
Evie was searching Doug but couldn't find him so she used her magic Guys, have you seen Doug?
Mal Yeah, look near the lake
Evie went there and saw him, he was looking at the lake
Evie: "Hey"
Doug turned to look at her and smiled: "Hey, you find me"
Evie: "Yeah" she looked at the star "Why are you here?"
Doug: "I think it's kind of romantic. It's beautiful how the snow limits the lake and the sky"
Evie smiled: "Yeah, it is" she looked at him and grabbed his hand and put her head on his shoulder
Doug smiled happily
They stood like that for a while, in silence
Evie: "I have something for you"
Doug: "I have something for you too"
Evie: "Can I go first?"
Doug: "Of course"
Evie opened her bag and pulled out the gift and gave it to him, Doug smiled and opened it
It was a leather jacket
Evie: "I have an explanation. Every kid on the Isle has a leather jacket, it's the first thing you get when you become of age kind of. Once you put on the leather jacket you are almost considered an adult. During my childhood, you became an adult at 7 years old, and there was this tradition, you had to make your own jacket. Now there is this new thing. When somebody gives you a leather jacket is to show they care for you... and i do care for you. I hope that one day you will come with me to the Isle and wear the jacket..."
Doug was about to cry: "It's the best present anyone ever gave me" then he laughed a little "I have something similar for you"
Evie: "Are you... crying?"
Doug: "No... a little maybe"
Evie: "But you said you like it"
Doug shook his head: "I love it"
Evie smiled
Doug: "Now it's my turn" he picked up the bag he had put on the ground "I'll explain it first"
Evie nodded
Doug: "You know that my family has mines, and that I work in them during the summer with my dad, uncles, and cousins. See, my family has this tradition, once one of us finds the one, the person we want to spend our life with we gave him or her something from our mines" he gave her the gift "Every single one of us has to make something for that person... I made you this"
Evie was nervous: "Can I open it?"
Doug nodded
Evie opened it and almost screamed: "You didn't"
Doug: "I did"
A tear rolled down Evie's face
Evie: "Oh my God, Doug!"
It was a simple gold headband decorated with various stones, blue and red ones
Evie: "It's beautiful!" she looked at him and put it on "How do I look?"
Doug: "You look like a princess"
Evie kissed him: "Thank you so much, I love it"
Doug smiled at her, in that moment they heard the fireworks, the colors reflected on the lake and the snow
Doug: "Happy New Year, Evie"
Evie: "Happy New Year, Doug"
A few weeks later the Isle kids came back, they started going to school and everything was perfect
Mary and James started hanging out a lot, Azura and Audrey were the most popular couple
Ben and Mal kept working on fixing the Isle's problems
Uma went to visit Auradon and talked with Adam, Belle, and Ben and told them how the changes were affecting everyone
Years passed, people from Auradon went to visit the Isle and viceversa. Peace was made between families
It was now the last year for our protagonist...
Hey there
Here's the next to last chapter
Hope you enjoy it
Happy Christmas Eve
(Thank you Creator of Magic for correcting me and your message)
