It's What's True

(Monday Night, July 29th)

When Ben opens the double doors, his parents stand from the alcove, and his father steps forward, "It's about time. Where have you been?"

Ben's mouth gapes, "I was at work. What—"

"Do you even realize what you've done?" he furiously questions.

"Adam," Ben's mother stands from the couch.

"You should have seen how your friend disgraced us in his interview," he continues. "About what terrible parents we are and how you'd be better off in prison than under our care."

Ben's brows furrow, "Do you mean Chad?"

"They're on a break," Belle reminds him.

"They say that," he doubts.

"You've seen how upset Ben's been over this," she steps forward.

"They take a break all the time," he dismisses, before he turns back to Ben. "The matter here is that you knew how unstable your relationship with him was, and you vented whatever misconstrued complaints you have on us to him."

Ben's heart beats faster, "You're saying it's my fault."

"We have told you to keep these things private," his mother backs up. "When you vouch for someone, you have to accept the consequences of those who fail you."

He feels something sink within him, "What?"

"Because of you, you could get taken from us," he yells. "Do you really think you have it that bad here? You go where you want, when you want. You have as much space you need for as much stuff you want, and you're protected." He stretches an arm out to the wall, "Do you really think you're going to be as safe or as protected as you are in this castle?"

Ben evenly expresses, "That implies I'm safe here now." and when his father strides forward, Ben stumbles back and falls to the floor.

He huffs, turning to Belle, "I didn't even touch him."

She takes his lifted hand into hers and whispers, "I know." before she moves towards Ben and kneels. "Are you okay?"

He scoots against the door, "Ben. You're perfectly safe here."

"If I'm safe," his eyes widen, "then you'll let me to my room."

She slowly nods, "Of course." before she stands, clasps her hands, and he runs past them.

"You're just letting him get away?" Adam sneers.

"He just got home," Belle reasons. "He needs to rest and be alone."

"He wanted you to think I pushed him," he persists.

"He fell," Belle's voice raises, "because he hasn't eaten and can't keep his footing."

Adam settles, "I still think we should be making him eat."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Well, uh, we could," he begins.

She takes his hands, "We need to give him space."

"But he's not even drinking." Adam reminds her, "The calendar—"

"I know what the calendar says."

"It's been over two weeks," Adam hisses.

"I know." She recalls, "He hasn't had any, since Mal tried to get him to kill her."

"That's not why he's not eating," he insists.

"Adam," she promises, "we'll figure this out." A small noise emits from his throat, and she hugs him, "I can get Ben to eat. I'll just have to… persuade him a little."

He pushes her from him, "You better not be planning on giving that boy any ideas."

"You want him to survive," her eyes narrow, "don't you?"

Adam grumbles and crosses his arms, as he looks away, "I don't like it."

She steps towards him and places a hand to his cheek, so he faces her, "Everything's going to be okay. You'll see."

"The last time you told me that," he cautiously comments, "I was about to die."

She solemnly answers, "I'm afraid if I don't do this, Ben might."

How could Chad do this to him? How does someone claim they care about you, deny any future relationship with you, and sabotage your living situation all in one interview? Ben replays the part about what he'd have to do to get him back. Snow White assumed getting down on his knees was meant as an apology, but Ben knows better. Chad's asking for a blow job. If he shows Chad he likes him just as much as Chad likes him, he'll get another chance. Except, he's not interested in doing that with Chad, and he can't lie about that. So, he'll never have him again.

The door creeks open, and Mal sees him shaking as he lies on the bed, "Ben?" She hears him cry, and she shuts the door before slowly making her way to him. "Ben?"

When she sits next to him, he says, "I'm never going to have Chad again."

Mal sits near his legs, "You don't know that."

"No," Ben insists. "He made it clear. If I don't make him feel wanted, I'm not wanted." Mal fails to speak, and he clarifies, "What's it like, giving a blow job, you think?"

"I don't know," Mal admits.

"You offered me one," Ben remembers. "Why?"

"I wanted to do it for you."

"Maybe I should want to do it for Chad," he evenly expresses.

Mal hesitates, "Do you want to?"

"He gave me his blood, and all he wanted was… in return."

Mal's face scrunches, and she feels his skin, "Ben. You're hot."

He pauses, "We're not together."

"And who's fault is that?" Mal huffs, "You broke up with me. Remember?" He stays quiet, and she shakes her head, "Let me help you." She moves to his side and scoots under the sheet, before she moves him onto his back.

"Just hold me," he tiredly states. "Please." He turns back onto his side, and Mal wraps an arm around him as she nuzzles his neck. He sighs, "That's nice."

She clings closer to him, and he winces. She lets go, "Ben. Did I hurt you?"

"No," he sighs. "I just… I was being stupid."

"Ben," Mal asserts. "Let me see."

When Ben turns towards her, he lifts his shirt, and she gapes at the large bruise. "It's nothing," he lies.

"That is not nothing," she enunciates. "What the hell happened, Ben?"

He stares past her, "Stomach pain isn't new to me."

Mal's eyes narrow, "Did your father do this?" He eyes away, and she uneasily laughs, "Of course, he did." She notices his eyes flutter, and she places a hand to his face, "Ben. You need to stay awake."

"I'm so tired," he whispers. She kisses him, and he questions, "What are you doing?"

She moves her hand to his neck, "Let me help."

"What about Evie?"

"Evie knows I can't be with just one person. She doesn't like it." Mal partly smiles, "But she likes you."

"Mal," Ben whispers.

"Shh," she hushes, before she moves in to kiss him again.

"Mal," he repeats.

"Is this too much?" She realizes, "You're not… hungry?"

"I'm too tired to eat." He meets her jade eyes, "Mal. I still love you."

She nods, "I know." before she kisses him again.

When Belle answers the door, she eyes between the two officers, "May I help you?"

The brown-haired man introduces, "I'm Officer Rinehart." before he nods to the black-haired one. "This is my partner Officer Kolinski. We're here to do a welfare check on King Ben Florian."

"Again?" she takes offense. "Haven't you had enough of this?"

His brown eyes meet hers, "Between recent calls and Prince Chad's interview, we thought it would be a good idea to put their worries to rest. Don't you agree?"

She takes a deep breath, "I suppose, you should come in, then." and when she steps aside, they enter. "Why don't we take a seat?"

"That shouldn't be necessary," the grey eyed man rejects. "We only have a few questions for you."

"Is it true you've kept your son from medical care?" the first officer asks.

"What?" she disbelieves. "Of course, not."

"We've been alerted otherwise," the second informs.

"That's ridiculous," she opposes. "He gets checkups. We take him to the dentist, and he's had his vision checked."

"And what did the eye doctor say about his day blindness?" She falls silent, and he continues, "Ma'am. Is it true your husband has broken your son's sunglasses?"

She nods once, "He has done that, yes." and the officers look at each other. "But it's just when he tries wearing them in public. He's afraid that it might give people the wrong idea and that someone might want to hurt him for… being less than normal."

"If you're afraid for King Ben's safety," Officer Kolinski comments, "couldn't you just hire him a bodyguard?"

"You had one at the front gate," Officer Rinehart supports.

"Who can you really trust to keep a country's leader safe?" she uneasily excuses.

"We also heard that he has a lifelong physical illness of which you've been having him self-medicate with over-the-counter medication," Officer Rinehart adds.

"Well, that's just," she nervously starts.

"Your Highness," the other's grey eyes concern, "where is your husband right now?"

"He's been stressed," she warns. "We shouldn't bother him."

"Would you consider him dangerous?" he insinuates.

"Dangerous?" She shakes her no, "No. Of course, not." before she straightens her posture. "Visitors just make him nervous."

"If he's not doing anything wrong, then there should be no reason to be nervous," the other officer concludes, before they offer each other a nod.

Officer Rinehart continues, "We're obligated to speak with both parents, but before we do speak to your husband, there's another question we have for you."

"And what would that be?" she inquires.

"Prince Chad announced that King Ben has been suicidal for the last year," he explains. "Have you noticed anything that validates that?"

"We've recently become aware of it," she acknowledges. "Most of his attempts happened while he was away at school."

"Have you taken any steps to get him help?" Officer Kolinski questions, and she fails to answer. "Ma'am. You must know this doesn't look good on you."

She nods, tears intruding her eyes, "I'm aware."

"Is there a reason why you haven't gotten him help?" the brown-haired officer asks.

Belle gulps, "Well, uh." and she takes a deep breath before facing him. "I just figured that if antidepressants had negative effects on me, that it may have negative effects on him. And if the public found out, it would just be more people judging him and calling out his weakness."

"Depression isn't weakness," Kolinski's grey eyes stern. "It's a clinical condition and requires clinical help."

"But if it's only situational," she begins.

"Then Ben needs to be removed from his situation," he insists.

Rinehart looks from his partner to Belle, "You could have at least taken him to see a therapist. So, why didn't you?"

She holds her stomach with one hand and her arm with the other, "I don't know why… It all seems very trivial now."

"Belle?" a voice calls from the top of the stairs, and she watches as Adam descends the staircase. "Who are you?" he stares the officers down.

"Nervous, huh?" Kolinski quietly comments.

"I'm Officer Rinehart and this is Officer Kolinski," he reintroduces.

"They're here to do a welfare check on Ben," she warns.

He takes a step, and they look up at him. "You're questioning the way I parent my child, are you?"

"Adam," Belle presses on his chest. "There's no reason to get defensive." She smiles at them, "We're happy to know that there are people looking after the welfare of our son, and if there's anything we're doing wrong, we're happy to receive any suggestions."

Officer Rinehart faces Adam, "We were just telling Belle that we recommend putting Ben into therapy for his depression."

Adam shakes his head, "No."

"They're not asking," Belle sternly remarks.

"No." He meets their gaze, "My son isn't going to have the entire country scrutinizing his personal problems, just because he let his feelings slip to some so-called professional."

"We can get them to sign that contract," she reminds him, before she faces the officers. "We're happy to find someone who's willing to speak to Ben in confidence."

Rinehart frowns, "We're also going to ask that you talk to his doctor about getting him on a proper medication for his physical illness."

"We can do that," she promises.

"You know how easy it will be for a reporter to get ahold of that?" Adam disbelieves.

Belle widens her eyes at him, "Do you want our son to be taken from us?" and he quiets. "If we believe ourselves to be the only ones who truly know his needs, then our priority should be to keep him here with us."

Adam faces the officers, "Ben is my son. It's my monarchal right to have him here."

"The monarchal right is there so the child can be trained into their royal position," Kolinski reminds him. "That right no longer qualifies now that your son's been crowned."

Rinehart looks at Belle, "We'd like to speak to him now, please."

"Of course," she accepts. "I believe he's resting in his room. I'll show you." She walks to the staircase, the officers pass Adam, and they follow her to Ben's room. She knocks on the door, "Ben? We have visitors." She looks back at the men, "He never answers." before she cracks the door open.

Loud steps are heard, and Mal opens it just enough to show her grin, "Belle. Police." Mal frowns at Belle, "What's the police doing here?"

"What are you doing in Ben's room?" she shifts.

Mal glances from the officers to her, "He wasn't feeling well."

"Is he feeling better?"

Mal shakes her head, "Yeah. Some."

"We need to talk to him," she simply says, and Mal eyes between them again before exiting the room and heading down the hall.

Officer Kolinski calls after her, "Don't leave the premises." and she turns back around. "We'll be wanting to speak with you too."

"I'll be in the East Wing," she softly says, as she points to the door dividing the wings.

The officer nods, and after Mal leaves, they enter Ben's room. "Your Majesty?"

Ben eyes between them, "What's going on?"

"We're here to check on you," Officer Rinehart informs.

Officer Kolinski turns to Belle, "We are going to have to speak to him alone."

She looks at Ben, and he nods. She shuts the door, and Ben continues in French, "I told you to get a warrant. Do you have one?"

"We don't need to have a warrant to perform a welfare check," he comments.

"You're not feeling well?" Kolinski questions. Ben opens his mouth to answer, and he informs, "Your mother's already admitted that they have you using cold medicine instead of a specific prescription." He nods to the bottle on Ben's bedside table, and Ben notices it. "We've already told her she needs to change that."

Ben shakes his head, "That's too public."

Rinehart hesitates, "Do you believe that?"

He frowns at them, "It's what's true." The officers give each other a look, and Ben watches the brown-haired man scribble something down. "What was that?"

"Nothing to worry about," he reassures.

The black-haired officer continues, "Would you say your father gets violent?"

Ben turns up his head, "He gets angry sometimes."

"And how does he express that anger?"

"It depends." He eyes between them, "I don't think my father would ever want to hurt me, if that's what you're asking."

Officer Rinehart writes something on the notepad and shows it to his partner, before Kolinski questions, "Are you afraid of your father?"

Ben awkwardly smiles, "Everyone's afraid of him. It's his legacy."

"But you, as his son," he distinguishes. "Are you afraid of him, even though you know him personally?"

He shrugs, "People I'm close to have become afraid of me. Does it mean anything?"

Rinehart makes a note, "Next question." before he faces him. "Do you feel like you would be happier somewhere else?"

Ben takes a minute, "What do you mean?"

"If you had the option to live somewhere else," he rewords, "do you think you would be happier there?"

Ben's eyes lower, "I go to a boarding school." before he meets his brown eyes. "It hasn't solved much of anything."

"Your school is fairly close to where you live," Kolinski points out. "How often do you see your parents during the year?"

"At least every Sunday," Ben admits. "We have dinner, so I can update them."

"In the situation we're suggesting," he clarifies, "you wouldn't be obligated to see your parents at all, not if you don't wish to."

"If I don't see my parents," Ben informs, "they'll come to see me."

"If you're afraid they would come after you," Rinehart offers, "you could get a restraining order."

"An order of protection would also cover any phone calls or other forms of contact," Kolinski adds.

"Thank you." Ben quietly declares, "But I'm fine where I am."

- The timeline will diverge after the next set of chapters. Keep an eye out for the new story once I post those. I'm thinking something along the lines of "Alternate Problems: Time Lapse". I hope you've enjoyed these chapters. Please leave any thoughts or predictions you may have in the comments. Thank you.