Hide and Seek

(Sunday Evening, August 11th)

Ben sees the caller id and answers, "Hey."

Charming comments, "Good. I was about to go see you."

"You already saw me once today," Ben reminds him. "I don't want to be a nuisance."

"Tell me what happened earlier," Charming counters, "and I won't need to."

Ben takes a minute, "It was stupid, but I'm good now. I'm with Evie."

"I'd still like to know what you were so upset about."

Ben half laughs, "You know, I don't even know. Just… all of these small things happened at once. You know how I get."

"I know you call big things small things," he insinuates.

Ben takes a minute, "Charming. I need you to trust me. I'm okay."

He pauses, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ben hesitates, "Don't take it personally if I don't answer your calls tomorrow. I have something going on."

"Why would I need to call you?"

Ben falters, "Never mind. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

When he hangs up, Evie mentions, "You gave him enough information to find you."

"That's the plan," Ben evenly expresses, before he eyes over her. "Wait. You understood all that?"

"Not everything," Evie smiles, "but enough."

Ben sighs, "At least I'll be able to talk to you in French next summer."

Evie walks closer, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I just…" A breath escapes him, "I love Mal, and I don't want language to get between us." He folds his hands and rubs them together. "I can't help but think… if she loved me, she'd be wanting to learn my language." He quickly advises, "I know it's hard for her. I get that. I understand that. But…"

Evie finishes, "Right now you're doing the work, and she's not making it easy. You would feel better knowing it won't always be this hard."

"I can hardly—" Ben's brows furrow, "Hard. Hard—ly. Easily. Wait. No."

"You were right the first time," Evie nods. "It's 'hardly'."

Ben takes a moment, "So, adding 'ly' to 'hard' makes it mean you can't do something?"

"No," Evie slowly evaluates. "It means it's hard."

His mouth gapes, "Why can't people just say that?"

"Don't think about it too much," Evie suggests. "You were saying?"

"I can hardly talk to her," Ben continues, "and it's like nothing happened. I'm having a hard time talking to her, and she's still asking if I want to try anything new."

"I told you," Evie reminds him, "you need to tell her you don't want to."

"Tell me she takes it well," Ben commands. "Can you promise me that?"

"I can promise she will take it better than you pushing her away," Evie asserts.

Ben shakes his head, "I don't want to talk about this."

"Okay." Evie thinks, "How about we talk about Beth? If you want her social media to look real, you're going to need pictures."

"I know," Ben sighs. "A human hair wig… and I can't wear sunglasses forever." He faces her, "Charming is going to want to have me—Beth—over for dinner, once Chad and Beth start dating again. You know, labels and stuff."

"You need to make it so that the man who practically raised you won't figure out he knows you," she understands.

"My voice," Ben concerns, "as middle staff as it is, it's still..."

"It needs to be higher," Evie agrees.

"If I try to do it," Ben frowns, "it's not going to sound real."

"There's a potion for that," Evie reassures, before she gets her purse and takes a notebook from it. "Doug and I found a bunch of my mother's stuff in a cave at the reservation on my birthday," she smiles. "A special present from my dad. He's been helping me translate it into English." She opens it and searches for the page, before she points, "This one." She sits next to Ben, "It makes you sound younger. A few sprays of this in the throat and you could have the voice of your dreams."

Ben wets his lips, "What's the… you know. The problems."

She glances at the bottom of the page, "If you use it too much, you can temporarily lose your voice." before she notes his worry. "It would come back, though."

Ben nods, "Let's try it."

"I don't have all the ingredients," Evie informs. "It will be a few days."

"That's fine," Ben's frown deepens. "I can't get a wig until my account is unfroze anyway. And I need to keep the money I have if I'm getting it."

"Are you going to talk to Chad tonight?" Evie inquires.

"Probably should." Ben excuses, "In case Charming tells him I'm missing tomorrow."

"What do you mean, Ben's been released?" Charming disbelieves.

"His mother picked him up yesterday," she informs, "signed him out."

Charming walks out of the hospital and pulls out his phone. He calls Ben, the ringing is brought to the voicemail, and he sighs. Ben said he wouldn't be able to answer calls today. Charming tries Belle's cell and waits for her to answer. "Good afternoon. When were you going to tell me you signed Ben out of the hospital?"

"What?" Belle appalls. "I didn't sign him out."

"Well, the receptionist seems to think you did," he enforces. He hears the phone mic get covered, as mumbling whispers scrape in the background. "Belle. What's going on?"

She uncovers the phone, "Are you still at the hospital?"

"Currently," Charming comments.

"Adam and I are on our way," she informs. "Don't go anywhere."

After the call ends, Charming tries Ben's phone again; however, there's still no answer. He takes a moment, before he calls Chad, "Hey. You haven't heard from Ben, have you?"

"Uh," Chad thinks. "Ben? No."

"Chad," he seriously replies, "if he talked to you, I need to know."

Chad takes a minute, "He sent a message, but I'm not allowed to talk to him."

"Right." Charming questions, "What did the message say?"

"He just asked if I was up," Chad dismisses. "I ignored him." Charming takes a minute, and Chad asks, "Why? What's going on?"

"Ben's not in the hospital," he informs, "and his parents don't know where he is."

"He's missing?" Chad slowly doubts.

"If you hear from him, let me know," Charming asserts, before he sees the car pull in the lot. "I have to go."

When they walk over to him, Belle informs, "He's not answering his phone."

Charming nods, "When I talked to him yesterday, he said not to take it personally if he didn't answer today."

"And you didn't think to question that?" Adam interrupts.

Charming evenly faces him, "I asked him why I would need to call him. He said I was right and that we would talk today."

"So, he lied," Adam enforces, and Charming sighs again.

Belle walks through them, "Come on. I want to see that signature." They walk inside, and Belle walks over to the front desk. "I'd like to see proof that I signed my son out yesterday."

She pulls out a tablet and searches through it, before she hands it to her, "Here."

Adam comments, "It looks like your signature."

"But it's not," Belle turns to them. "Ben forged it."

"But she said she saw you," Charming counters, "so how did he make her believe that?"

"Magic," Adam infuriates. "That pixie—"

"Adam," Belle takes his arm, before she faces the receptionist. "I want camera footage. I need to know if anyone was with him."

"You're going to need to talk to someone else." She explains, "I don't have access."

"Then get someone who does," Adam sternly responds.

She picks up the landline, makes the call, and nods. She turns back to them, "He said it will take a while to find it, but you're welcome to—"

Belle nearly rolls her eyes, "Where's Dr. Roberts?"

"From my understanding," Dr. Roberts informs, "his temperature went back to normal and the nurse said he could call someone to get him."

Adam rubs his neck, and Charming informs, "He called me to see if I was still in town."

"But he should have called me," Belle takes out her phone. "If you weren't in town, then…" She sees the call log, before she turns to him, "Adam? Did Ben call me yesterday?"

"He was interrupting our date," he excuses.

"Seriously?" her jaw drops.

"Look." He reasons, "I asked him if he needed anything. He said he didn't."

"In any case," Dr. Roberts continues, "Ben had to pick up his medication before he left."

"Thank you," she says, before she walks out of the room, and Charming and Adam give one another an irritated look before following her.

"Yes," he confirms. "King Ben picked up his prescription yesterday, but, I guess, his pockets aren't as big as people think they are."

"What do you mean?" Charming interrupts.

"Well," he explains, "the king's card was declined, and he didn't have enough cash to pay for it."

"So, he didn't get the medication?" Belle worries.

"No. He did." The man hurries, "Luckily, he was only a few cents short, so I took some coins from the community pot for him."

Belle breathes in relief, before she faces Adam, "You wouldn't know why Ben's brand-new account isn't working, would you?"

"I can't pay for the castle on a peasant's income," he puts forth.

She laughs, "So, it's about the money. Again."

"We need the protection," he insists.

"And now our son is somewhere on this Earth with no money, alone, and with less than a month's worth of medication to keep him alive," she angers.

"Ben's resourceful," Adam disagrees. "He has ways of getting the things he needs, but that's not even going to matter. Because, this is nothing more than another one of his sick tactics to break us apart."

Belle stares into his eyes, "You do that just fine on your own."

"Um," the pharmacist interrupts. "Do you have any more questions?"

The room silences, and someone voices from the lobby, "Queen Belle?"

They turn around, and another man mentions, "I have that footage for you."

"Well," Adam intrudes. "Let us see it."

He walks over to them and turns the large tablet towards them. Mal and Ben stand in front of the front desk, Ben signs the paper, and Mal looks into her eyes. "Is there any audio for this?" Belle requests.

"Uh," he turns the tablet back and taps the screen a few times. "Here."

The camera footage changes view, and Mal's eyes glow, "You don't remember Ben signed himself out. You remember that Belle came here, she signed it, and they left together. You are tired, too tired to watch us leave."

"That's enough." Belle takes a deep breath, "Let's talk to Mal."

"We saw you on camera, escorting Ben out of the hospital," Belle urges. "Where is he?"

Mal's eyebrows raise, "I'm not telling you anything."

Adam pushes her into the room until she hits the bathroom door, and he wraps a hand around her neck, "Tell me where my son is."

"You act like this," Mal spats, "and you wonder why Ben doesn't want to come home?"

He squeezes her throat, "Tell me. Now!" and her eyes glow. She stares into his blue eyes, and his hand relaxes. He steps back, and Mal's eyes fade.

When Adam strides out of the room, Belle inquires, "What did you do?"

She hesitates, "I don't really know."

Charming notices the red water on her leg, "Are you bleeding?"

Mal glances down, before she sadly smiles, "I was just in a lot of pain. Excuse me." She turns the knob and steps into the bathroom. "I have a bath to finish."

When the door closes, Belle analyzes, "We interrupted a cutting session."

"Should we stop her?" Charming asks.

Her eyes widen, "Adam." before she hurries out of the room.

Charming follows her, "What are you doing?"

"Mal's not the only one with painful memories," Belle reminds him, before she strides through the dining room arch and heads into the kitchen. "Adam." His jacket is off, and when he turns towards them, a large knife is in his hand. "Adam. Put the knife down."

"I'm the reason he's gone," Adam divulges. "Everything I've done—"

"Was to do what you thought was right," Belle steps forward. "Ben's not gone. We can find him."

"But he won't come back." Adam confesses, "I've made too many mistakes."

She walks up to him, "Exactly. They were mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes."

"Not mistakes like mine," he disagrees. "I'm broken."

"And I will be here for you." She places a hand to his face, "No matter what."

"I can't keep hurting you, Belle," he whispers. "If I'm gone, you would be safe, and Ben could be happy." He turns towards Charming, "Just promise me you'll keep an eye on her." before he faces her. "I worry about what Ben might do to you."

"Adam," she places her other hand on his arm, as tears invade her eyes. "I love you. So much. Please. Drop the knife." She pleads, "For me." His grip loosens, the knife clatters on the floor, and she turns toward the archway. "Charming. Go home. It's going to be a long night."

"It's Mal," Evie looks up from her phone. "She says your parents found out she got you out of the hospital."

"Merde," Ben realizes. "Is she okay?"

"Well, she texted us," Evie reminds him, "so yeah. Anyway, your parents don't know you're here."

"Good," Ben nods, before he feels his phone vibrate. "It's Chad's number."

"Well, pick it up," she suggests.

Ben smiles, before he answers, "Hey, Charming."

He pauses, "It's me, Ben."

Ben lifts a shoulder, "Works either way. I didn't think you were going to let Chad call me unsupervised."

He takes a moment, "Where are you?"

"I told you." Ben looks at her, "I'm with Evie."

"So, you're at the castle," he disbelieves.

"You ditched my parents, right?" Ben assumes, "You went home and realized I never said I wouldn't answer for Chad."

He hears the disappointment in his voice. "Did Evie tell you I would?"

"No," Ben shakes his head. "I'm just observant. And I didn't have a lot of options."

"Maybe you would make it on the Isle," Charming comments.

"Thank you."

"Your parents are really worried about you," he informs.

Ben hums, "I'm sure they think they are."

"I know this is hard," Charming mentions, "but you can't hide forever."

"My life is absolute Hell," he sadly replies. "I have all the money in the world sitting in two accounts, and I can't even use it to keep me alive. Much less enjoyment." He frustrates, "All this time in the hospital and I still can't stop thinking about soda. Everything sucks right now."

Ben watches Evie leave the room, and Charming suggests, "Let's meet."

"So you can hand me over to my parents," Ben finishes.

"Do you really think that little of me?" Charming takes offense. "I know they neglect you, but they clearly have some mental health issues. You need to understand that."

"You're not helping your case," Ben irritably replies.

"Your parents never go into the East Wing?" Charming questions.

"Sometimes Mother checks on Evie," Ben evenly expresses, "but not really."

"Hold on," Charming thinks. "Are you staying in the East Wing or in Evie's room in the East Wing?"

"Mostly Evie's room," Ben answers. "Why?"

"Where do you sleep?"

"In the bed." Charming stays silent, and Ben prods, "What? Lutherans don't believe in sleepovers before marriage?"

"Mal doesn't mind you sharing a bed with her girlfriend?" Charming mentions.

"Last I checked," Ben informs, "Evie's fairly homosexually inclined."

"She kissed you," Charming comments. "You don't find sharing a room with her weird?"

"On the cheek," Ben defends, "and no. I don't."

"You get agitated without exercise," Charming recalls. "And you're used to having a lot of space."

"What do you recommend?" Ben asks, "That I talk to my parents so that I can hide in the office again? The only exercise I get is walking to the kitchen, anyway."

"Come stay with us," Charming invites. "We can say it's just until the school year, that you needed space."

"What about Chad?" Ben mentions. "I'm not allowed to even talk to him, and now you're asking me to move in."

"There's enough room," Charming counters. "And you keep different hours."

"And, yet, we're best friends and he's crushing on me." Ben states, "That's not going to work. You know it won't."

"Ben." Charming hesitates, "You know I think of you as my own son. I care about your wellbeing. If you need a safe space, I'm offering."

Evie comes back into the room, and Ben grins. Evie places the tray on the bed, and Ben switches to English, "Do you have a personal cook who knows how to feed carnivores?"

"You know we don't have a chef," Charming evenly replies.

"Well, I do." Ben grins when he faces Evie, "And she is beautiful in everything she does." He picks up the Diet Coke. "You know where I am and how to reach me."

"Ben," he emphasizes.

"I'd love to talk," Ben interrupts, "but my cookies really want to get ate. It would be sad if they got hypothermia before they died."

"Ben," Charming says again.

"Got to go." Ben hangs up and opens the soda, "I love you."

"Are you talking to me or the soda?"

He awkwardly smiles at her, "Both?"

"Aww." Evie sits next to him and gives a side hug, "I love you too."