Chapter Eight
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Every one else is owned by either Disney or the Greek Myths.
*blows celebratory horn* Guys can you believe we've gotten over 100 reviews? And we're not even at ten chapters yet! Thank you all so much for your continued support! It honestly means the world to me and I hope I continue to write chapters you like! :D
Wrighting'GIRL3000: Sure! You never have to ask to PM me—go ahead and send it on through!
Guest: Yeah well CJ may be a savy Isle kid but she's still a fourteen year old! :D
danifan3000: you do have a point there! Also I'm going to be calling Leah 'Pink Yzma' now!
61394: Good for Ben indeed! And trust me, Freddy will be punished!
AmethystDragon14: Oh yay! And I agree, Freddy does not count as 'someone'. Poor CJ, she's just going to have to wait to get someone to explain.
AliceCullen3: Oh I'm so glad!
Tracie Adams: Freddy definitely deserved the punch!
Snowwhite45: Trust me I would love it if I could smite him sooner rather than later! But the plot needs him to hold on for a bit more!
shortanamx: I'm so glad you liked the chapter!
OceanBlueSeaEyes: Harry and Harriet would definitely throw a gasket if CJ found out too early! And Ryan too!
Anonymous Reader: Oh I'm so glad! :D
billyandkimfan1994: Glad you liked the chapter!
twilightgirl587: Yeah the bikes do make it difficult, don't they? I think I mentioned it in the beginning but Persephone taught Mal and Uma how to teleport. And sorry! Didn't realize it was a shorter chapter!
Urmimala Hazra: Freddy definitely deserved it!
ScoutGinevera: Even though it may spoil something, I can promise that Henry and Ryan are safe.
Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
The four of them arrived at the front door of Ben's castle, the purple smoke fading from view.
"Everyone okay?" Mal asked and then paused as she did a headcount. "Hold on, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Uma exclaimed but Mal didn't answer as she enveloped herself in another cloud of purple smoke. Thankfully she seemed to be gone only five minutes as the cloud returned. When it faded from view, Uma shook her head in amusement.
"Of course you brought Estelle," she chuckled.
"Hey, if we need to track down Freddy, he's got the nose for the job," Mal shrugged. "Now let's go. We're burning cloud."
Uma nodded and the five of them made their way into Ben's castle, Mal rushing down the hall ahead of the others. Only Estelle was able to keep pace with her.
"Ben? Ben?!"
"Mal! We're in here," Beast said as he opened the door to Ben's office, poking his head out.
Mal sighed in relief as they made their way into Ben's office, Jay closing the door behind them.
"Ben!" Mal exclaimed, rushing toward him.
"Mal!" Ben sighed in relief and made his way toward her. The two met each other in the middle, almost slamming their lips into each other as they met. They completely forgot that they had an audience of their parents and friends as Uma, Jay, Harry, and Estelle had followed Mal into the office.
Is it me or is there a slight possessive edge to Ben's kiss? Mal thought. It was almost as if it was screaming 'mine'. Then again, there was a relieved edge to Mal's kiss, as if she was telling him thank the Gods you're alright. Not that Ben wasn't sending her those vibes as well.
"Ahem," Jay coughed after about five minutes of the rest of them awkwardly standing there as Mal and Ben kissed.
"Cap'n, as glad as we all are that Benny's alright, we really don't have time for this," Harry chimed in before adding with a slight mutter, "also we really don't want to see that."
Mal was like a third sister to him and if someone had told Mal years ago that she would run straight for the King of Auradon's arms and kiss him, she would have told Harry to pitch them from the docks.
"Mal! Geez, come up for air! Do we need to pull you two apart?" Uma exclaimed as the two continued. Gods, if you had told me that my cousin would be openly kissing her fiancé in front of both of their parents…I probably would have thought you'd gone mad.
Estelle gave a small yip and began to gently pull on Mal's sleeve.
"Okay, okay, sheesh. Just wait until you four get significant others," Mal sighed as she pulled back, Estelle nudging his way in-between them and sitting down in front of Mal.
"Easy boy, you know Ben," Mal said with a chuckle.
"I think Estelle's just trying to warn you that time's not on our side here," Persephone pointed out with an amused smile. "Also, hi Mal."
"Hey mom," Mal smiled as she went to go hug her mom. "Hadie doing okay?"
"Your grandmother said he's pouting since he's not allowed to help us with whatever's happening down here," Persephone shook her head. "Your brother is the third most stubborn person I know."
"Who are the other two?"
Persephone gave her daughter a look. "You and your father."
"Ah…that…wait a minute I'm not stubborn!" Mal exclaimed.
"Topic for another time dear," Persephone told her. "Topic for another time."
Mal nodded. "Right."
"Cap'n, I hate to ruin this happy moment, but do we have time for this?" Harry asked. "You know, crazy witch boy is out there with Benny's ex girlfriend who is now…oh what's the phrase I'm looking for?"
"Scary beyond all reason?" Jay offered.
"That's the one!" Harry nodded.
"Right, right. Plan?" Mal nodded, looking at the adults.
"I've got guards passing out as many gas masks as they can to prevent a mass sleeping curse," Ben said, slipping into his role as 'King'. "Audrey knows Maleficent's story cover to cover and if she's got her scepter, she might go for something big. I was trying to get my father to go to the safe castle when you arrived Mal."
Beast rolled his eyes. "Ben, we've got bigger issues than—."
"Actually, Beast, he's right," Persephone spoke up. "Yes, Princess Emma is the unofficial heir and Mal is King Ben's fiancee, but there's no official heir who can take over in the event something happens to Ben. As former King, you'd be the person the kingdom looks to if Gods forbid something happen to King Ben and Princess Emma."
"See?" Ben said, looking at his father. "Now, dad, will you please go be with mom?!"
"Ben, if I hadn't been here when Audrey and Freddy attacked, would you have been able to duck in time?"
"Probably," Ben shrugged. "I do have some of your Beast reflexes after all."
"But with how quick Audrey was with the scepter, you might have gotten cursed," Beast stated.
Ben paled slightly—Audrey knew his worst nightmare was somehow turning into a Beast like his father. Knowing her, that would be exactly what she'd go for.
"Hey, hey," Mal said, noticing the change in Ben. "It's okay. You're still you and clearly Audrey didn't get a chance to curse you again. And she's not going to get that chance. Not if I can help it. Dad gave me his ember, it's the only thing stronger than Maleficent's scepter or Freddy's craziness. You'll be fine, I promise."
"Thank you Mal," Ben said softly, nodding his head before switching gears and turning to look at his dad. "Dad, please. If you won't go for your own safety, would you at least go to make sure mom'll be alright?"
Beast sighed and Ben bit his lip.
"Dad…please don't make me pull rank," Ben told him. "We both know I can do it but it feel weird to give my dad orders."
"…Alright Ben but I don't like it," Beast said with another sigh.
"Neither do I dad, but at least I know you and mom are safe," Ben said with a sigh of his own. "If I thought I could, I'd send Chip with you too. I'll be fine but please just go!"
Beast nodded and rested a hand on Ben's shoulder. "The minute this is over, you call me, Ben."
"I will," Ben promised.
Beast nodded and gave a small bow of his head to Persephone and Mal before following one of the guards out.
"Right…Mom I think we need to employ some defensive measures," Mal said as soon as Beast was out of earshot.
"I agree completely Mal," Persephone nodded.
"I'll leave it up to you but whatever's the closest plant growing around the castle, get it so that it's surrounding the castle," Mal stated. "If we have to take a page from Maleficent's book and have a giant grove of thorns, all the better! Because if we're taking from Maleficent, you know Audrey will too—I want this castle tight enough to no mist can get through!"
"Actually Mal, I think she's already started," Ben said softly. "Audrey said, she'd reverse the curse she started to put on the kingdom before hinting she was going to go see an old friend…"
"…Jane!" Mal and Ben exclaimed at the same time, locking eyes with each other.
"Lonnie!" Jay pointed out. "Audrey used to be friends with Lonnie too."
Mal shook her head. "As much as I want to agree with you Jay, Jane's the one throwing the birthday party. It's the largest collection of AKs in one area—perfect for Audrey to launch a full scale attack."
"But Carlos is there," Harry pointed out. "So's Gil. You all told Jane what was happening right?"
"I cancelled with her as soon as Audrey left," Ben nodded. "That doesn't mean people are going to listen though."
"Right, I forgot that you Auradonians don't have survival instincts," Harry muttered. If either one of his sisters found their way under a sleeping curse, Audrey was going to taste his hook. It didn't matter that she was a girl!
Mal frowned. "Ben, you don't think Audrey's parents are under the sleeping curse do you? I mean you just said that she's already started…"
Ben shook his head. "Likely she went after her former cheerleading squad, minus Evie since you didn't say she was under a sleeping curse. Mal…Audrey did make a demand."
"What was it?"
"That she'd release the curse if I made her my queen."
Mal couldn't help but hiss slightly at that, causing Estelle to nudge her hand.
"I'm okay boy," Mal told him, but added with a slight growl, "but Audrey won't be."
"Easy my dragon," Ben said, trying to sooth her.
"Ben, she went after you and she teamed up with Freddy. I'm not going to go easy on her!"
"Okay…so what's our next move?" Jay asked, causing both of them to look over at the others.
"Kill Freddy for going after my sister when she was thirteen?" Harry suggested.
"No, that's move ten," Mal stated.
"Do any of our next moves involve me getting to harm Freddy in any way, shape or form?"
"If we can find them," Mal promised and then glanced over at Ben. "Guys, keep planning."
"What's wrong?" Ben asked.
"Can we talk?" Mal asked, keeping her voice soft as so the others couldn't overhear.
Ben nodded and the two of them slipped out into the hall.
"What's up?" Ben asked, gently brushing a bit of Mal's hair back around her ear. He chuckled slightly as he saw two attendants walk up and then turn back around as they saw him with Mal. Almost as if they were intruding on some private moment.
Mal sighed and gently rubbed her thumb over Ben's bruised knuckles. "Ben…why'd you punch Freddy? You're… you're not a puncher. You're an ask questions first, try to resolve peacefully second and then punch never kind of guy."
It was Ben's turn to sigh. "He made…he made some comments about how 'false Gods' can be very 'lustful'…and that I won't be around forever, and how you might want a 'real' man…instead of a beast…"
"Hey, hey, first of all ignore Freddy's dribble," Mal told him. "It holds no weight and if I need a real man, all I need to do is look at the man I'm marrying. But…while we're on the subject, have you really thought about what marrying someone who's likely immortal will mean for you?"
"Of course I thought about it Mal," Ben told her. "And it doesn't matter to me. I'm marrying the woman I love. What else matters?"
"The fact that you'll likely age and I probably won't by a certain age? The fact that we'll probably get ninety years together at most?" Mal said, her voice quiet.
Ben sighed softly and kissed the top of her head. "Mal, I've got some of the leftover Beast enchantment running through my veins. I'll likely live longer than normal and even if I didn't have that, it was one of the questions your mom asked me when I asked permission to marry you. If I minded the fact that you were immortal."
He gently cupped her cheek with his hand. "I knew exactly what I was getting into when I proposed that night and I will be happy with however long we get. Whatever comes from it, we'll work it out."
"Are…are you sure though Ben? I love you so much. I would hate for this to be an unfair relationship for you," Mal said softly. "At some point…you're not going to be here…and I still will be."
"I've never been more sure of anything other than the fact that I love you," Ben said. "And Mal, you're forgetting one thing. Who's the one person in your family who owes you a favor more than anyone? Not to be vindictive or anything but he kinda owes you one after putting you with Natalie."
"Zeus probably owes me five years worth of favors at this point," Mal muttered. After all, if Zeus had helped dad and mom, I wouldn't have been stuck with the Dragon. The idea's not bad actually and Ben's not the only one I could ask for…Jay, Harry, Carlos, Gil…Uma would already have it from Poseidon so there's nothing to worry about there. Plus it'd be a way to tick off the Fates after all the life lines they cut…
She shook her head. "But I'm Hades' daughter Ben. Zeus and dad…they're not exactly on speaking terms. I doubt he'd do anything for me."
"Mal, who's daughter you are doesn't matter. This is about an uncle making sure his niece doesn't go through years of heartbreak," Ben said, gently rubbing Mal's cheek with his thumb. "If it comes down to it, I can speak to Hercules. I'm sure Zeus would gladly make Meg immortal if Hercules asked. Why should it be any different for you?"
"Ben, you know as well as I that the people of Auradon place importance on who's child you are. After all, Leah certainly placed importance on my being 'Maleficent's' daughter even though I wasn't. Besides, Zeus didn't even help when mom was asking him for assistance years ago. Why would he help me now? I'll keep it in mind but…I won't get my hopes up," Mal said with a sigh.
"Well whatever you decide, I'll be there with you," Ben promised, gently kissing the top of her head once more. "Also does your head smell like strawberries?"
"Lonnie got it for me, it's strawberry scented shampoo," Mal said, looking up at him and raising an eyebrow. "And why are you smelling my head?"
"I told you, left over Beast enchantment," Ben chuckled. "Enhanced senses are one of the traits."
Mal chuckled and shook her head. "You know I still can't believe you asked my parent's permission to propose."
"It's…it's what we were taught here in Auradon," Ben said. "I'm sure Chad'll ask permission whenever he find the right girl and Emir and Akiho definitely will. Besides Mal, your parents are Gods. I'd rather stay on their good side. You really think I'd be able to propose to you this young if they didn't know about it?"
"Well, when you put it that way, I'm sure dad appreciated the heads up so that way he wasn't hollering for Pain and Panic to bring him his punishment tablet."
"My thoughts exactly."
"I'm going to guess mom teared up a little when you asked?" Mal asked.
"You'd be right," Ben nodded.
"You know she's going to bawl like a baby when we get married," Mal said with a sad smile. "She always tells me that time goes too fast."
Ben smiled softly. "That it does…but all we can do is make the most of thee time that's given to us."
Mal leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I hate to be a buzzkill but we'd better get back in there. The longer we put off planning, the more time Audrey and Freddy have to cause havoc."
"You're right, you're right," Ben sighed before giving Mal a small smile. "Besides, the more time they have to plan and run wild, the less time we have to plan other things. Like our wedding."
"So true," Mal said with a playful smirk. They made their way back in there.
"So guys, got a plan?"
"We're still on killing Freddy," Uma told her.
"Come on guys, you know murder's frowned upon here," Mal sighed.
"But Mal, it's Freddy! Who would miss him?!" Harry exclaimed. "How much more damage does he have to do in order to warrant it? He's openly said how much he wants to kill you and Uma…and probably not just stop there if I'm honest. Not to mention the comment he made about CJ when she was thirteen! He broke out of the Isle, he gave your fiancé, the King of Auradon, a concussion and would have had no qualms in killing him! He's aiding the Sleeping Brat in throwing a coup! Do I need to go on?!"
At that moment, Ben's phone rang and he quickly answered; preventing Mal from responding to Harry's points.
"Hey Jane, what's up? Hang on…hold on…are you okay? You're talking too fast Jane…wait, Audrey was where? At your party? She did what? Freddy has who? Who's still conscious? Okay, send them over to Evie's okay and then get yourself to safety…try spraying who you can with the Enchanted Lake water now that I think about it. Okay…okay…talk to you soon Jane."
He ended the call and put his phone in his pocket, his hand shaking slightly though whether from shock or rage, Mal wasn't sure.
"What happened?" Mal asked.
"Audrey and Freddy just attacked Jane's party," Ben sighed. "Audrey cast another sleeping curse, probably to strengthen the one she cast before she came here."
"Well I mean, we knew that was going to happen," Uma said. "Maleficent's scepter, might as well follow Maleficent's schtick."
Mal shook her head, seeing the pained look on Ben's face. "Ben…what else did she do?"
"Mal…they took Chad," Ben said, his voice no higher than a whisper and Mal felt her heart shatter for him. No matter what Charming had done…he didn't deserve to be held captive at the hands of Freddy Frollo.
"We'll get him back Ben," Mal promised. "Just..just have hope."
Please keep your hope, Mal thought as Ben nodded. Damnit Freddy…haven't you done enough damage for one life time? Do you have to destroy Ben's hope as well?