Family Maintenance

Author's Note

Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in-between, the fourth chapter of Family Maintenance. It is not my favorite chapter because specifically this week was quite hard, but I got it down in some sort of way and I hope you enjoy it, thank you.

P.S Some characters, specifically Akiho and Emir, are original (kind of) characters of Ginnyrules27. She is an incredible person and author who has allowed me to borrow them for the sake of humor in this story. Please check her out- she's wonderful and I adore her.

As always, leave me reviews! Those are lovely!

**This story was given to me by WanderlustandFreedom. The majority of the ideas/outline are HERS.**

"Hey, look, there are the Isle kids." Akiho nudged Ben's shoulder, nodding in the direction of where the said kids were seated at one of the tables on the great lawn.

"I'm still in shock that Maleficent's daughter has a kid." Emir commented and Ben rolled his eyes.

"Get over it. She's actually really sweet."

"Mal?"

"The little girl." Ben straightened his back. "I'm going to go say hi." her said, making his way towards them.

Emir and Akiho trailed behind him and as they approached, they saw Jay and Carlos hand-wrestling across the table and Evie bouncing a giggling Este up and down in her lap, Este clutching her bear. Mal had a math book and a few papers spread out in front of her, chewing on the end of her pencil.

"Ben!" Este shrieked happily, scrambling off of Evie's lap and running towards him, dropping Cuddles onto the table as she went. Akiho and Emir watched with tiny smiles on their faces as Ben picked her up and twirling her around, laughing when she squealed with delight. Este rested her head on Ben's and he smiled at the others.

"Hey, guys," he greeted. He made a gesture to Akiho and Emir with his free hand. "These are my best friends, Akiho, son of Anna and Kristoff, and Emir, second eldest of Aladdin and Jasmine. I think Jay and Carlos know them from tourney."

The boys fist-bumped each other and Evie smiled. "Hello!" she chirped. Mal nodded to acknowledge them, but otherwise kept her focus on what she was working on.

Este started wiggling so Ben set her down and she clung to his leg. Just as Mal was about to call for her, Akiho interrupted.

"She is so cute! Hi, little kiddo! What's your name?" Akiho waved excitedly and Este's attention turned towards him. She smiled, puffing up her chest, and pointed at herself with the hand that was not wrapped around Ben's leg. "M' name is Este."

"I'm Akiho."

"Kiko?"

"No, Ah-kee-ho."

"Kiko." Este looked Akiho up and down."You've got a fluffy vest." she observed and Akiho looked down at his shirt. He grinned. "Why, yes, yes I do."

Este laughed and reached out to touch the fake fur. While Akiho launched into a talk about reindeers (Este's eyes had gotten wide and she had plopped down on the grass to listen intently, having completely forgotten about Ben) and Emir butted in to explain why tigers were better, Ben looked over at what Mal was working on.

"Algebra?"

Mal's attention shifted from watching Este play with Ben's two friends to Ben himself, looking towards him. "Yeah."

"This one is wrong," Ben tapped the paper. "And so is this one."

Mal sighed softly. "Evie said that, too. But as long as I get a solid C I pass the class."

Ben hummed quietly to himself as he thought about the deal with the council, how all four of the villain kids had to be successful in order for him to be able to continue his program of bringing them over from the Isle. While a C would technically be a passing grade, it wouldn't be successful in the council's eyes.

"Hey, I'm pretty good at math. I could help you, tutor you."

"Aren't you busy being the future king?" Mal asked, her tone slightly mocking. Ben flushed and he smiled shyly. "Yeah, but I can still help. Just an hour or so everyday, or every other day if you'd like."

"What's the catch?" Mal inquired suspiciously, raising her eyebrows. Ben blinked in surprise.

"Nothing! I'd do this for anybody who needed help."

"It's true. Even if that person absolutely hated his existence." Emir piped up. Jay and Carlos snickered at that and Ben turned slightly red again, but he kept his eyes trained on Mal.

Evie raised her head, catching Mal's eye, and the two girls held a silent conversation through their eyes. Mal seemed to sigh in defeat, bringing her pencil down from her mouth and tapping it against her math book.

Ben held his breath as she pursed her lips, a pensive expression on her face. "I'll think about it." she finally said.

"You can just let me know.. Um, if you need the help."

Mal didn't reply, so Ben sat down with his two friends and Este, who was completely invested in climbing the boys like they were a playset, glancing up at the purple-haired girl every once in a while.

"Mal, you should take Ben up on his offer for the tutoring." Evie said softly as she set her brush down on the dresser, watching as Mal gently pulled the blankets up over a sleeping Este. Akiho and Emir had totally tired her out and as soon as she was finished with dinner, she had passed out in Ben's arms. She was still asleep by the time Mal had gotten her and whisked her off to the dorm room to put her down.

"Why should I?"

"They might send you back if you don't pass your classes."

"That's a good point." Mal sighed, a little miffed that Evie had a reasonable answer, but then again, Evie had always been the more diplomatic one.

"I think Este really likes it here." Evie commented as she rubbed the little girl's back before reaching up to close the curtains.

"I know. It'd devastate her if we had to go back," Mal said as she slipped under the covers beside Este. "I suppose I'll get the tutoring, if only so we aren't sent back and my mother finds out we completely ditched her plans for the wand."

Both girls glanced at each other and laughed quietly. "Yeah, she'd be furious."

"I'm sure she's already furious," Mal lowered her head to kiss the top of Este's head before leaning back against the headboard. "You know, Ben asked me if we wanted to go back."

"Really? Did you tell him?"

"I just told him I'd rather not go back. He asked why, but you know I don't like talking about her whenever Este's around and listening."

"He seems to really care about our wellbeing." Evie said thoughtfully.

"He's a little too goody-goody for my taste."

"Everything in Auradon is too goody-goody for you, Mal," Evie teased. "Well, at least he's nice to Este. She really likes him, I've never seen her that affectionate with people other than us."

"I know," Mal said, glancing at her sleeping baby. Her bear was in her arms like always, but had a blue cloth around it- a gift from Ben. "I don't want her to get too attached. He's nice, but he's going to be king and we'll graduate then she'll rarely see him. She doesn't deserve that."

"Is that why you don't want to be tutored by him? Because of Este?"

Mal shrugged. "I feel like everything in my life is 'because of Este'." she joked, ignoring Evie's question, and Evie snorted quietly, choosing not to acknowledge Mal's ignorance of the question.

"You'll accept his offer tomorrow, right?"

"Only because I have to."

"Whatever you say, M. Good night."

"Good night, E."

The next day, Mal approached Ben, who was standing at his locker with Audrey. Ben greeted her politely while Audrey simply stared at her with disdain.

"Hey, Mal. Did you think over my off-"

"Yeah. I'll take it. You can stop by today at three."

Ben blinked as Mal twisted around, leaving just as quickly as she arrived. He stared after her, barely noticing Audrey's confused, yet irritated, expression.