Hey, I'm sorry that it's been a while, but I was really busy with schoolwork and I had to prioritize. But now I'm back and ready to continue.

For this chapter, we're gonna be taking a break from the new VKs and see how the Descendants generation we knew and loved from the books and movies react to the current situation. Like I said, Ben is gonna get hell for what he allowed, conflicted or not. Enjoy.

Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.

I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the previous chapter: DragonEmperor999, MaliceMalAmyMalevFaery, Descendants4, Drbook, CaligurlOlivia, StunZeed, Robyn

To MaliceMalAmyMalevFaery, Drbook, and StunZeed: I know Uma and Harry getting divorced is unexpected and very sad, but as said CaliguriOlivia's review said, it adds more to the story. In all my entries in this series, there's never just one story. There are always subplots that give other characters some focus and development. This story isn't just about Mal going missing.

To Robyn: Thank you so much for commenting on the flashback and the relationships between the Descendants and their children. I understand everyone's worried about Uma/Harry, but I'm really glad you mentioned the flashback.

Six years ago...

Jay has a plastic fencing sword in hand and is eager to use it today. He was going to teach his son Jacob another lesson on sword-fighting. He and his wife have been teaching him how to fence since he was five. They started with wooden swords. Now, they've moved to plastic swords. Lonnie wants to wait until Jacob is 13 before he can use an actual sword. Despite Jay's stories of using an actual sword when he was Jacob's age, Lonnie insists that they take it slow. So, that's why Jay is holding a plastic sword.

As he approaches the living room, he hears the sound of a flute. He arrives at the living room to see that it was Jacob playing the flute. Lonnie was sitting next to Jacob, listening to him play. Jay couldn't help but be impressed. Jacob is playing the flute like a child pro.

"That was beautiful, Jacob. You're getting better and better," said Lonnie.

"Thanks, mom," said Jacob.

"Hey, kid," Jay called, announcing his presence. "Time for fencing with your old man. We said we would do this today, right?"

"Oh, right. But I wanted Mom to teach me how to play the Huqin," said Jacob.

"Well, if that's what you want, sweetie, then we'll go do that," said Lonnie. "Maybe you and Jacob can train tomorrow, Jay."

"Oh, well... if that's what he wants," Jay said sadly.

"Aw, don't be mad that I'm our son's favorite," Lonnie teased.

"Hey, you are not his favorite. He just likes music more than fencing," said Jay.

"But I love you both," said Jacob.

"We know you do, sweetie," said Lonnie. She then whispers, "It's okay if Mommy is your favorite."

"Hey, I can hear you," Jay said.

Lonnie can only giggle. She loves getting under Jay's skin about who is their son's favorite parent. It's not a competition for her. She just likes how jealous he gets when Jacob chooses to spend more time with her than his father. It does worry her a bit that Jacob always practices music with her. Jay is trying his best to be the best dad he can be and the best fencing teacher, but Jacob is barely giving him the time of day.

Maybe I should join him on fencing practice tomorrow, Lonnie thought.

Ben could not sleep. Well, he did, but barely. He slept for two hours and suddenly woke up. He stayed up for half an hour before going back to sleep, only to wake up an hour later. After an hour of sitting up and staring out his window, he went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes passed and his eyes opened again. He decided to stop trying to go to sleep and stay up. He couldn't sleep and he knew why. Not only is his daughter ventured to the dangerous unknown on her own but he has also allowed the children of his friends to go after her despite the knowledge that it's a life-threatening journey.

He couldn't stop beating himself up for his decision. He could've stopped them. He was right there to bust them. But he knew that they would not take no for an answer, not when Malevolyn was out there all by herself. Like he said last night, they would've gone after her anyway even if he told their parents on them. Their parents. He's gonna have to tell them eventually. They will not be happy.

He planned to tell them after breakfast, but they barged into the dining room before Mrs. Potts was even done cooking. Evie, Carlos, Jay, Lonnie, and Uma all arrived at the same time. Small world, isn't it?

"Ben, something is wrong," said Evie.

"Uh oh," Ben muttered quietly.

"Carly sent us this letter," Carlos said as he showed said letter. "It sounds like she and Malevolyn are in trouble."

"Hartley's message to me tells me that he's gone somewhere dangerous," said Uma.

"Jay and I think that Jacob's strange behavior is linked to this," said Lonnie.

"I didn't even think he was acting strange," said Jay.

Lonnie lightly smacks him in the chest.

"B-But I had my suspicions," Jay corrected himself.

"And Jane said that our kids are not present today," said Evie.

"I know," said Ben.

"Wait, what?" Jay reacted.

"Malevolyn thinks she found out where Mal is. She's going to one of the forbidden islands. Carly, Jacob, and Hartley followed her," said Ben.

"You knew about this?" Evie asked suspiciously.

"I did, because I'm the one who let them go," Ben revealed.

"WHAT?!" The other parents exclaimed, shocked.

Ben stands up and says, "Believe me, I wanted to send them to their rooms and tell you about the stunt they tried to pull. But I didn't. I let them go after Malevolyn."

"Ben, you did this without consulting us first," said Evie.

"You and Mal said that those islands have some hidden dangers. Our kids could be hurt or worse," Carlos said, worried about his daughter and the other kids.

"You don't think I know that?" Ben replied. "Like I said, I didn't want to do it."

"Then why did you do it?" asked Lonnie.

"Because they would've gone either way," said Ben. "Malevolyn is not just their friend. To them, she's their family. They're no different from us."

Everyone knew he was right. Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and all their friends were not bound by blood, but they considered each other family. Their kids are the same with each other. They treat each other like siblings, like they're one big happy family. Growing up together, playing together, pulling pranks on each other, it's made their connection very strong, just as strong as the connections between their parents.

"Still, you had no right to do this without letting us know," Evie scolded.

"Evie, there is nothing you all can say that I haven't said to myself all night," said Ben. "Our kids are in mortal danger. I know that. I have to live with that. But Malevolyn would go no matter what we do. Someone has to go after her, and I can't ask you guys to risk your lives."

"But you're okay risking our kids' lives?" Uma questioned.

"No, I'm not," said Ben. "And if anything happens to them, that is all on me. But this is the only way to make sure they're all safe."

"Why do you think that?" asked Evie.

"Because no one succeeds on their own," said Ben. "Don't you remember all that we've been through together? Against CJ, against Uma..."

"Yeah, I remember clearly," Uma sassed.

"After all the broken trust, all the shattered hope, we were able to rebuild all that because we chose to stick together," said Ben. "Malevolyn wants to find Mal on her own. She has Mal's magic, her determination, and her stubbornness, but she can't do this by herself. She needs her friends. We all know that she's been obsessed with finding clues to where Mal is. And now that she's found one, she won't rest until she brings her home. I know our kids aren't exactly like us. I know that they shouldn't be doing this at their age..."

"But we were forced into those wars at their age," said Carlos.

"Unlike us, they had a choice. Stay here and live life to the fullest or go out there and fight," said Jay.

"Do you really think it's possible, Ben? Can she bring Mal home?" Evie asked curiously.

"I hope so, but for now, I'm more worried about my little girl coming home," said Ben. "I am truly sorry for sending your kids to danger. But I just can't rest at night knowing that my daughter is willing to risk her own life just to find Mal. We've fought through so much. But our time is over. Whether we like it or not, it's their turn. I'm just as worried as the rest of you. I know you can never forgive me. If you wanna punch me in the face and give me nosebleed, you can do it now."

Evie walks closer, but all she does is lightly tap her fist against Ben's face. She wanted to throw a harder punch, but she wasn't angry enough at the moment.

"We'll settle this if they come back safe and sound," Evie said calmly.

"We don't approve, Ben, but we understand," said Carlos. "We would have done the same for Mal. We just chose not to."

"All because she told us not to," said Jay.

"I don't know if I should say this, but I hope they find out what happened to her," said Lonnie. "I know we all miss her."

"I know," Uma admitted.

Sadness and concern take over as all the parents think about their children and if they can find Mal. They want the kids back right now, but they also wonder if Malevolyn's lead is good. Only time will tell. They can only hope and pray that they come back safely.

"One thing," said Jay.

Jay punches Ben on the shoulder. It wasn't as hard as he wanted it to be, but he too was calmed a little by Ben's words. Still, it was nice to get it out of his system.

After walking pass and waving at a crowd of students, Evie goes to the dorm that belongs to her daughter and Malevolyn. Coincidentally, the dorm was the exact same dorm where Mal and Evie roomed together. Maybe Jane did it on purpose... who knows? The walls are still pink, which reminds her of how disgusted Mal felt when she laid eyes on this room for the first time. It made her smile and frown at the same time. It was a lovely memory, but it only reminded her that Mal left her and everyone 10 years ago.

Evie sits down on her daughter's bed and reads the letter again. The confusion and concern she and Carlos felt they read the letter, it was nothing compared to now. She understood why Carly would do this, but she still didn't like the idea of her daughter putting herself in danger, even if it is for Malevolyn's sake.

"I'm worried about her, too."

Carlos walks in, eyeing what was once the dorm of Mal and Evie. The times he spent Jay and the girls in here, it's really hard not to think about.

"I want to be furious with her... but like Jay said, we would've done the same for Mal," said Evie.

"But we chose to listen to her instead," Carlos said sadly as he sat down next to his wife.

"Only because she sounded more serious than before. The way she said goodbye, we knew that she meant it even if it hurt," said Evie. "We didn't want her to feel like we're a burden, so we decided to just move on, even if it felt impossible."

"Ten years later, we barely have," said Carlos. "I miss her, too."

Carlos wraps one arm around Evie and pulls her closer. They lean on each other, their temples pressing against the other. When Mal disappeared, they sought comfort from each other and their daughter. But now, with their daughter out risking her life to save her friend, Evie and Carlos can only find comfort in one another. Carlos kisses Evie's blue-colored locks as he rubs her shoulder. Evie responds by affectionately squeezing his hand with hers.

"Is there something else on your mind?" asked Carlos.

"Carly emphasized bravery in her letter," said Evie. "I don't think she's doing this just to save Malevolyn. I mean, she cares, obviously, but there's more to this."

"Of all the ways for her to prove that she can be brave, this isn't what you and I had in mind," Carlos said worriedly.

"I'm just afraid she'll let false bravado get the best of her," said Evie. "You know how she was growing up. She was always trying to act tough and brave. You and I would always laugh, but now..."

"Our little girl. The one who was scared of her own shadow as a baby, scared of a spider as a child, now risking everything to make herself braver," said Carlos. "So much for all those lectures."

"You never had to pretend to be brave, Carlos. But Carly... she's just worried about Malevolyn. But she's also being careless," Evie said with concern.

"She, Jacob, and Hartley are supposed to be saving Malevolyn. Can't help but think it's our daughter who needs saving," said Carlos.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ROTTEN TO THE CORE ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Jay was in the amphitheater sparring with Jane's daughter Emilia. Emilia is one of the most skilled members of the school's all-female R.O.A.R. team and Jay looks impressed. Jay may be getting older, but he's still pretty spry. Emilia is impressed by how fast he is. She even tries one of her special low attacks, but he blocks her sword with excellent timing.

"Wow."

That was Lonnie, who has been watching the whole fight. She too is impressed with Emilia. Why isn't she the captain, she wondered.

"Well, thanks for the sparring match, Uncle Jay," said Emilia. "I'm gonna go have an early lunch. Oh, and I'm sorry about Jacob..."

"Don't be. I just kinda wish you were with them," said Jay.

"Is it because Emilia always beats Jacob in R.O.A.R.?" Lonnie asked.

"Hey, he just needs more time to be the best," Jay said defensively.

Emilia exits the amphitheater, leaving Jay alone with his wife. No secret that the married couple feel nostalgic just stepping in here. They haven't been in Auradon Prep's amphitheater for almost a decade and they can't stop thinking about all the team practices they went through in here, from the simple and fun to the bone-crushing and spine-bruising (ask Chad about the latter).

"Jacob will be fine. He's not gonna be fighting alone, assuming there will be a fight," said Lonnie.

Jay just swings his sword in the air casually with a worried look on his face. Lonnie shakes her head as she holds the hand that holds the sword.

"You think that Jacob should've spent more time practicing with you than focusing on his music," Lonnie guessed.

"Hey, hey, let's not go there again," said Jay. "Look, I'm happy he loves music. You helped him a lot. I never had a problem with him not being the best. I knew it wasn't just gonna happen overnight. But now he and his friends are on this dangerous journey and... I wish he was like me."

"He's your son, Jay, not your clone," said Lonnie. "He's chosen to be his own man. He loves R.O.A.R., but he loves music and studying just as much. You can't fault him for that."

"I know," said Jay. "I just want him to be okay. We both know that Malevolyn is so much like Mal when it comes to being difficult. I don't want her to make trouble for him or him for her."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ROTTEN TO THE CORE ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Uma goes to the Isle of the Lost and stops at the improved Hook's Inlet. The baddest villains on the Isle are forever imprisoned there, mostly because of their refusal to change their ways, but Mal offered them better businesses. Captain Hook's fishing shop no longer just selling fishing supplies. It's basically a pirate-themed establishment. From pirate stuff to a children's playhouse, Hook's Inlet is one of the most successful businesses in the Isle.

Why is Uma here? Her son's letter mentioned his father. Harry Hook.

The divorce was tough for the three of them, all because CJ disappeared. Only Mal's circle knows the truth behind why CJ's disappearance facilitated Uma and Harry's separation. Hartley expressed in his letter on how much he wished that he, Uma, and Harry can be a normal family again. And now that Hartley is out there on a life-threatening cruise, Uma can only try to fulfill her son's wishes... somehow.

First, she approaches one of the inlet's employees.

"Where's Harry?" She asked.

"He went home, I think," said the pirate.

Uma goes to Harry's home (on the Isle, that is). This is where Harry retreated to after the divorce. It is why Uma had Hartley attend Auradon Prep. She wanted him to be around friends instead of his dysfunctional family. Instead of barging in, she decides to talk to Harry through the intercom, which came in the form of used pipes of tube-like instruments. Despite mustering the strength to even come here to the Isle to see him, she couldn't face him. Not yet.

"Harry, I know you're in there," Uma started. "I know you got my message. I just talked to Ben and he told us that Hartley is helping his friends find Mal. Malevolyn thinks she found her. In case... in case something goes... wrong... he left us that message. Harry, I know you're broken from what happened with CJ. I know that I'm the one who forced you away from our son, but now I'm asking you one thing. Call me. Let me know when you want to talk. I don't wanna assume the worst for our son. We taught him everything he knew. He can and will survive, but just in case... I don't want us to stop talking forever. I... I love you, Harry. And I know you still love me. Just, please, think about Hartley. He's our son. Our son."

Uma turns the tube away from her face as she sheds a tear. She sometimes hates it that she's mellowed in the past 20 years, but she knows that becoming Mal's friend comes with the breaking down of her emotional walls.

"Come see me, when you want," Uma said before departing.

Inside the Hook household, Harry is in his room with two empty bottles of cider. Despite feeling more than down, he listened to every single word that Uma said to him through the tube. The way she talked, how emotional she sounded, she made it extremely clear how Hartley's departure has affected her feelings and decisions. A part of him wished she saw him face to face, but she still came to him. They have not talked to each other for the past couple of years, not even in their "family reunions" and holidays. This was the first time either one of them spoke to each other.

All because of their son.

"Hartley, boy, what have you done?" Harry muttered.

Ben is in one of Beast Castle's living rooms, just sulking as he stares out the window. The sunlight can't drive away the dark emotions that are overwhelming him. The guilt over sending his friends' teenage children out there on a dangerous quest to save his daughter. The fear that something will happen to them. The anxiety of having to face his friends should something indeed happen to the kids. All he wants is to get his daughter back, but to do that required the unspeakable.

"Ben!"

HeadmistressJane comes bursting in through the door with her glasses hanging off her right ear and a couple papers flying off her clipboard. She adjusts her glasses and picks up the papers.

"Ben, there's something..."

Jane stops herself when she sees the sad look on Ben's face.

"Oh, right. I should've known better. You lett"

"The others told you," Ben guessed.

"Hey, I'm not judging you," said Jane. "It was foolish, stupid, reckless, irresponsible..."

"Jane," Ben interrupted.

"But they wanted to go after Malevolyn with or without your permission, I know," said Jane. "And I understand why they want to. You never abandon family, even if you have to follow them to a dangerous"

Ben, for some reason, smiled a little.

"Some things never change," Ben commented.

"I guess I can't tune down my motor mouth with age, huh?" Jane agreed, mildly amused with herself. "When I told my Mom to let me take her position at Auradon Prep, I thought I could toughen up my lips and my spirit. I only did one of two. I'm glad she's free to explore and assist the kingdom and beyond, but I still wish I had her guide."

"Jane, we may grow older, but we'll always be the same. There's nothing wrong with that," said Ben. "No matter how mature we become, we retain parts of what make us who we are."

"But letting those kids go off to danger isn't like you," said Jane. "It's more like..."

"Mal," Ben knew. "I had no other choice. But at least Emilia is still here."

"I'm glad, but at the same time, I wish she went with them," said Jane. "You only know about the purple flowers. Mal knows all the dangers on Blackfire Island. I can't even imagine what."

"Look, we can talk about this another time," said Ben. "What was it you were going to tell me?"

"Oh, that," Jane remembered. "Ben, the royal yacht, it's been stolen. And I think I know who..."

Ben nodded. Of course they did, he thought. They take after their parents.

In the middle of the ocean, dozens of miles from Auradon, a speedboat floats slowly across with the blue waves. The driver had fallen asleep. The driver is the blonde (with one purple streak) daughter of Auradon's queen. Malevolyn has been driving all night and trying to stay up, only to doze off hours ago. Her forehead rests on the steering wheel as she snores. The speedboat won't move unless she's awake to control is manually or magically. How many hours has it been? She probably wouldn't know even if she woke up.

As she slept, a large shadow looms over her and the speedboat. The shadow was cast by a large ship. It was a shiny white with some blue and gold painting.

"Over there! There she is!" Someone on the boat shouted.

I'm pretty sure you guys know who found Malevolyn. But that will have to be addressed in the next chapter. It was really nice to have this chapter focus on the previous generation and explore their feelings on everything that is happening. Ben definitely deserves a shoulder-breaking punch, but right now, the parents have other things to worry about. They're not part of the action, but I am not gonna ignore them. It wouldn't be a Descendants story without the characters we grew to love from the movies (and books... and the short animated series).

So, what do you think of this chapter?

If you do leave a review, tell what you think of this chapter other than the Uma/Harry divorce. I know it's very, very sad, but I want to know what you think of the other stuff in this story. I suppose I have to say, I'm sorry, for the divorce storyline. But like I said at the top of this page, a story needs subplots and CJ is somehow linked to all this.