Boundaries

(Sunday Afternoon, July 15th)

"You're sure she speaks French?" Ben worries.

"She says she can," his mother reassures, as they exit the castle. "Just keep it simple. It will make it harder for people to misinterpret you that way too."

Ben frowns, "I don't like this."

"Would you rather have Roberts?"

Ben's eyes widen, "That's not funny."

"Why would Dr. Roberts do an interview?" his father questions.

"Not doctor Roberts," Ben stresses. "Reporter Roberts. The one time I had him, he stepped on every sentence I had. He would answer his questions for me."

"Snow's a former royal," Belle evenly responds. "Surely, she will be more respectful." She places a hand on her husband's shoulder, "Adam. I'd like you to ride up front with Travis."

"What?" he disbelieves. "Why?"

"I need an honest discussion with Ben," she explains.

"And I can't hear it?" his brows furrow.

She gives him a look, "I'm sure you will hear it."

"Then why can't I be a part of it?"

Belle purses her lips, "Because, it's of a personal matter involving Ben's wellbeing, and I don't want you influencing his answers." He eyes off, and she sighs, "Adam. Please."

"You think I don't know what this is about?" he accuses. "I'm your husband. Don't you think I should have a say in this?" Belle silences, and he straightens, "I see."

"Adam," she slowly shakes her head. "It's really not—"

"You're my wife," he shouts. "And, yes, Belle, you entertaining our son's sick fantasy is a big deal."

She sternly eyes him, "There are worse things."

"Like what?" he challenges.

"He could have fallen in love with an animal," she shouts, and he quiets. "I know what it's like to be sex shamed, and I am not about to let you do the same to our son."

"Did you, uh," he scratches his cheek, "like me better as the beast?"

"You're not much different now than you were then," she bypasses.

"So, did you or…" he insecurely questions.

"That's really not the point, Adam."

He takes a deep breath, "Then what is the point?"

"I'm not going to let you sex shame our son," she repeats.

"Oh. Come on," Adam points to him. "You can't compare incest to—"

"To bestiality?" she finishes.

"Well," he adjusts his glasses.

"I shall compare the two if I please," Belle crosses her arms. "And you are going to sit up front so that Ben and I can discuss his wellbeing without you shaming him for it."

His head lowers, "If that's what you really want."

"It is," she asserts.

He nods, "Okay, then." before he opens the car door.

Ben's mother sighs before stepping into the back, "Come on, honey." Ben follows her inside the car but stays quiet, until she composes herself. "I need to ask you, after everything that's happened the last few days, is there any possibility that you don't think of me in the romantical sense?"

Ben wets his lips, "Probably not."

She nods, releasing a breath, "Perhaps, you would like to reconsider my offer to…"

"To date you?" He shakes his head, "Mother. I can't keep thinking of you like this. I have to get over you."

"And if you can't?" she inquires, and he eyes the floor. "Ben. Every son deserves to have some relationship with his mother. It's not fair to have you isolate yourself because of this."

"What if spending time with you makes it harder?" Ben tears up. "What if no matter what we do, it's never enough for me?" He nods, "One day I could want something you would not be comfortable with giving."

"Or," Belle counters, "one day you will be with someone better for you than me."

Ben half laughs, "And how am I supposed to explain this? In ten years when I find the perfect girl and we have our own place, how am I supposed to explain these feelings to her?"

"Ben." His mother frowns.

"She wouldn't accept it," he interrupts. "She would ask why she can't meet you or why I've pushed you away, and the only thing I would want to say is the one thing she wouldn't be able to hear." He takes her hands, "I love you. And that may not change the way I feel about some other girl, but it will change the way she feels about me." Ben lets go, "Maybe it's because you understand, I guess, but I'm not going to find anyone as unjudgmental about this than you." He leans back and folds his arms, "Except, maybe, Evie, but we don't like each other like that."

"Ben," his mother reassures, "there's someone out there for everybody. I mean, just look at your father and me." He rests an arm across his legs, scratching the back of his head in stress, and she sighs, "So, perhaps that's not the best comparison, but Ben." He looks up, and she explains, "I hate to see you in so much anguish. There must be something I can do."

"Yeah." Ben faces her, "You can cover up and wear a scarf." She doesn't speak, and he glances at her neck before eyeing the floor and folding his hands, "I'm sorry. I have no right to tell you how to dress. It's not your fault I get these thoughts."

She hesitates, "Ben." before she takes a breath. "I hate to ask."

"I don't think of you sexually," he answers, before he thinks. "Not really, anyway. When I think of people I like, it's really more just their hair and general frame, being close to them." His eyes shift, "It's rare for me to actually think of sex when I think of sex."

"Then how do you know you love me more than, uh, typical?" she inquires.

"Because," Ben frowns. "I think about you the same way I think of Mal." His eyes lower, "I think about touching and holding you in ways I shouldn't. I think about taking you close and… drink." He sadly laughs, "Your scent drives me crazy. Sometimes it's so hard just being in the same room as you."

"I will look into a scarf," she promises.

"It's not just that." He meets her warm brown eyes, "You're so beautiful."

"Ben," she disbelieves. "I'm nearly fifty."

"You're beautiful," Ben emphasizes. "You're beautiful and intelligent and—"

"You're going to outlive me," her brows furrow.

Ben's frown deepens, "We don't know that."

"And we don't know you won't," she asserts. "Now, I'm willing to give you whatever it is you need of me right now, but this is a temporary solution. In twenty years, I want you to have a wife you can grow old with, and for heaven's sake, I'd like grandchildren, you know. I want you to be able to have children. The kingdom is going to want you to have children."

"There is no temporary solution," Ben irritably counters. "Haven't you heard me? I'm not taking your offer."

"Honey," she shuts her eyes.

"And stop calling me honey," he commands. "I can't keep doing this with you."

"Ben," she takes a deep breath, "these boundaries you've set clearly aren't working for you. I'm just trying to help."

"If you wanted to help," Ben accuses, "you would be supporting my attempts to overcome this, but it hasn't even been a week. You have to at least give this a chance, Mother."

Belle opens her mouth, but then there's a voice through the intercom, "Your Highness, we've arrived."

Belle presses the button, "Thank you, Travis." before she takes a deep breath and nods. "I know you're right, but I don't want you to struggle through this if it's not something you could possibly get over."

"Like you said," he evenly responds, "I find a girl to replace you."

Belle purses her lips, "Ben. You know I love you, don't you?"

"It's hurts when you say that," he informs.

"It's just," she sighs. "Why can't things just be good between us?"

Ben quiets, "I need time, and I need space. Can you give me that?"

Belle flutters her eyes to keep the tears at bay, while she nods, "Yes. Of course."

"This broadcast will go out to Charmington's News Network, and afterwards we will translate it and put it up onto our website," Snow White informs, as she sits in a red armchair across from Ben. "Now. I will be asking questions about the video and how you and Mal have fared since then." Ben bites his lip, eyeing down. "Any questions?"

Ben notices the clock counting down, before he faces her, "How personal is this going to get? I mean…"

"We're getting your side of the story," she explains. "How you portray it is up to you."

"Right," Ben nods.

He rubs his hands, and she asks, "Do you need more water or anything?"

"No," he timidly answers. "I'm good."

"It's okay to be nervous," Snow White informs, "but given the subject matter, may I suggest that you act more worried than guilty?"

Ben frowns at her, "But I am guilty."

She frowns in return, "Just share your story. The audience can decide for themselves."

"They're going to blame Mal," he assumes.

"Then defend her," the black-haired reporter urgently suggests, before a man near the large camera raises an arm and counts down with his fingers. Snow White smiles at the camera, "Good Afternoon, Charmington. Today, I have an exclusive interview with King Ben on the viral video from the hospital." She faces him, "So, Your Highness, tell us. What exactly happened that day?"

Ben meets her amber eyes, "Well, I suppose it started in the kitchen." before he wets his lips. "I've had personal problems to sort through, so a week or two before that day I had told Mal I couldn't be with her." He nods, "We separated."

"Were you discussing this in the kitchen, then?" she prompts.

"No," Ben glances down. "Mal seemed to know I needed the space, and she seemed to be okay with that." He pauses, "I, however, didn't." before he frowns at her. "The day of the hospital video, Mal and I were in the kitchen. She was being friendly, and since she was so close, I had a hard time… just not being close to her, I guess." Ben takes a deep breath, "In short, the personal issues I had, had me break up with her so I wouldn't hurt her, but on that day I invaded her personal space as though we hadn't separated at all." His mouth stays open, but he knows it will be impossible to say just how bad it had been without sharing his secret.

"What happened next?"

Ben takes a breath, "Obviously, being so inconsistent in the terms of a relationship can mess with someone's mind badly." and he gulps. "Because of things Mal has gone through before, she thought it was her fault I invaded her space." He tightly folds his hands, "She thought there must be something wrong with her for people to keep treating her like this, so she…" He takes a deep breath and faces Snow White, "She tried to kill herself. That's why she's in the hospital. She almost died… because of me."

Snow White hesitates, "In the video Mal's friend from the Isle of the Lost accuses you of assaulting her. What do you have to say about that?"

"In a way I did," Ben admits. "I didn't pull at her clothes or kiss her, but I was so close to her I might as well have." He wets his lips, "I, uh, find what I did very inappropriate, considering I was the one that asked for space in the first place."

Ben eyes down, and Snow White comments, "Some people might ask what you've learned from this."

He looks back up at her, "Honestly, I haven't learned anything. I never meant to hurt Mal or anyone, but I have." Ben pauses, "And I'm not sure what I could do to keep this kind of thing from happening again, because I thought I was taking measures to make sure no one got hurt in the first place." He straightens, "I understand I'm the problem here, and that's why I tried to take myself out of the picture… I guess, I just didn't know how to stay out of it."

"And how's Mal doing since the hospital?"

Ben's eyes shift to the camera, "She's still in the hospital." before he looks at her. "Mal is strong, but she's had a hard life. I've tried to acknowledge that in our relationship, but somewhere I've misstepped. There are times when she thinks I don't want her, where she says I can have her any way I want." He shakes his head, "But I know that's not her. She does that when I push her away, but I push her away when I know I won't be good for her." He thinks, "I don't know how to solve this, but Mal is getting the best help we can offer."

"After you two solve your individual problems," Snow White asks, "do you think you could have a healthy relationship with her after that?"

Ben sighs, "If Mal took me back after everything I've done, I'd be the luckiest person in the world." before he lowers his head. "But I've already told her she can date whoever she wants. And as much as I love Mal, I need her to be happy… no matter what that means."

- I do plan on moving soon, so if the next post takes even longer than it has recently, I highly recommend you satisfy your anticipation by distracting yourself with my other Descendants fanfics. They're all part of the same universe, so feel free to read any... what do I have, five other stories right now? Anyway, three of them are completed and Side Problems can be read alongside this one. Like I said before, Lonnie's story has her learn about Ben's real family history. So, if you'd like to read either about her or him, then that would be the story to pick. Thank you so much for your continued support. If you're here, it probably means you already read my first fanfic of 200ch, and that's some real dedication there. Thank you so much... I think I'm going to start posting quarterly goals onto my profile page, if anyone wants to see what I plan to work on. I can't promise I'll have everything done in time, but at least you will have an idea of what I'm planning to do for the season. Have a good week.