I own absolutely nothing.
Mal and Ruby have a song together in this chapter.
Ruby - Italic
Mal- Bold
Both- Bold & Italic
Ruby was in the courtyard going over the plans for the Cotillion for Jane, since Mal was busy, when Ben came stomping through.
"Ben!" Ruby shouted surprised as she ran after him. "Ben!" She grabbed his arm. "What happened where's Mal?"
"This is what happened." Ben said whipping out the spell book. "Did you know? Did you know she's been lying to me this whole time?" he snapped.
"Ben, it's not like that."
"So what is it Ruby?" At her silence he shoved the book to her which she scrambled to catch. "Yeah that's what I thought."
"Ben, where is she?"
"I don't know okay?" he responded walking away. "She ran off."
Ruby sighed and looked down at the book before taking off towards their room.
"Mal!" She shouted bursting into their room, only to find it empty. She moved over to Mal's desk and saw the note that she left Ben's beast ring on top of it, then glancing over at where lizard Maleficent was kept only to find that empty as well.
Ruby grabbed her bag and ran from the room.
"Mal!" Ruby shouted one again once she reached the edge of Auradon to see Mal there in front of the water frantically searching through her bag. Presumably for the spell book.
Mal glanced up at the unexpected voice, but she should have known that Ruby would find her.
"Looking for this?" Ruby asked holding up the book.
Mal nodded and broke down once again and Ruby immediately moved closer to her and enveloped her into a hug.
"I ruined everything Ruby. I can't stay here. I don't belong here." Mal said drawing away.
"I know." Ruby said understandingly wiping Mal's tears. She took out the spell book and opened it up to the spell she'd found just the night before.
"Noble steed proud and fair, you shall take her anywhere." Mal looked at her in shock and Ruby just nodded teary-eyed and handed her the book before taking a step back.
Mal revved her engine and pulled down her goggles before taking off. Ruby let a tear of two fall as she watched her go.
Mal had barely made it halfway across the ocean separating Auradon from the Isle of the Lost when she suddenly turned back around.
She came to a stop in front of Ruby once again, and a single look was passed between them before Ruby climbed onto the bike behind her. Then they were both off, leaving Auradon behind.
They shot through the barricade then into the marketplace of the Isle, people in front of them diving out of the way to avoid being hit.
Mal came to a stop in front of a poster advertising the Royal Cotillion that had X's over her and Ben's faces. Ruby scoffed and tore it down before tossing it over her shoulder. Then Mal took off once again to one of their hideouts.
Ruby got off while Mal parked the bike and saw the familiar banged up sign. Mal smirked before grabbing a rock and tossing it at the 'Danger Flying Rocks' sign which opened the gate to their hideout.
"First thing's first." Ruby said leading Mal through the Isle by her hand. "We have to get rid of this hair."
She stopped them in front of 'Lady Tremaine's, Curl & Dye' hair salon. 'Closed until midnight.' The sign on the door read. Ruby quickly glanced around and of course no one was paying any attention so they both slipping inside.
The place looked like a rainbow paint can exploded, in only the best of ways there was paint splattered literally everywhere, save for the wigs on display. The little girl currently sweeping up hair from the floor's dress was also splattered.
"Mal! Ruby!" She exclaimed upon looking up and seeing them standing in the doorway. "Did Evie come too?" she asked removing her headphones.
"As if." Mal scoffed and the little girls smile dropped in the slightest. "We forgot that you guys don't open until midnight. The place looks good." Mal complimented and the girl's smile came back.
"So what's your deal?" Ruby asked as they strolled further into the store. "Is your grandmother giving you any customers yet?"
"Just a witch here and there." The girl sighed. "Mostly it's a lot of scrubbing, scouring and sweeping. Lots and lots of sweeping." She said showing the broom for emphasis.
"Sounds like the old Cinderella treatment huh?"
"Yeah. She's gone from wicked step-mother, to wicked grandmother." She said.
"That's not much of a switch." Mal said.
"So Dizzy," Ruby said. "You used to do Evie right?"
"Yeah." I thought of the little braids." Dizzy beamed.
"You have any ideas for, this." Ruby said gesturing in Mal's direction.
Dizzy immediately turned a critical eye on Mal before stepping closer and examining her purple tipped ends.
"The washed out blonde with purple tips? The best of no world! You can't see where your face ends and your hair begins!" She exclaimed dragging Mal over to a chair. "Oh what is this? Bored to death pink?" Dizzy said now examining Mal's nails. "How far can I go?"
"The works?" Mal said shrugging. "I mean, you know whatever makes me feel like me. But you know. The works."
"Yay!" Dizzy said all but skipping over to the work table and grabbing a huge pair of scissors. She turned back around and Mal looked at the comically huge pair of scissors before glancing at Ruby with despair. Ruby merely nodded and gave her and encouraging pat.
From there Dizzy coloured, washed, and started to cut Mal's hair, then Ruby got up from where she was sitting chewing on a piece of gum and whispered something in Dizzy's ear. The girl nodded frantically before going back in with the scissors.
Then it was more cutting, curling, drying, nail painted. Then finally it was done.
"Hey!" Mal exclaimed looking in the mirror. "There I am."
"Voila." Dizzy said beaming at her work.
"Voila." Mal echoed before handing Dizzy some money.
"For me?" Dizzy said shocked.
"Yeah you've earned it." Mal said easily.
Dizzy squealed before going to add it to her register when an accented voice stopped her.
"Fork it over, ya' little runt." Ruby turned around to see her ex-boyfriend Harry Hook standing there holding out his hand for Dizzy's earnings. He then tapped his hook on the register. "And the rest of it." Dizzy pouted but did as she was told and took out what little she had and dropped it into his waiting hand. "Thank you."
"Still running errands for Uma?" Mal called out to him as he turned to leave making him stop in his tracks. "Or do you actually get to keep what you steal?"
"Well, well, well." Harry said turning around. "What a nice surprise." He said looking right at Ruby with a smirk.
"Hi Harry." She and Mal said together.
"Hello starfish." He said to Ruby. "Just wait until Uma hears you two are back." He said glancing at Mal. "She's never gonna' give you back your old turf."
"Oh, well that's okay." Mal started.
"Because we'll be taking it." Ruby finished.
"I don't want to hurt you, starfish." He said using his hook to push some of Ruby's hair off her shoulder.
Ruby grabbed his wrist then took her gum and stuck it on the end of his hook. "You wouldn't without her permission I bet?" Ruby said.
He glanced at her then back at his hook before his lip twitched and he removed his arm from her grasp and put the gum in his own mouth. As he left he knocked everything off Dizzy's counter then bowed mockingly before leaving.
"Great," Dizzy said sarcastically looking down at the mess. "More sweeping."
"Hey Ruby?" Mal said that night when they we're back in their hideout. Mal was spray painting the walls while Ruby was going through their old stuff.
"Hmm?" Ruby answered.
"I just wanted to say thank you."
Ruby put down the box she was holding. "For what?"
"You know," Mal waved her hand nonchalant. "Everything." Mal hesitated but continued. "You're the only person who really knew what I was going through, and how I was feeling. And you understood. You didn't have to come back here."
"Yes I did." Ruby insisted. "Mal, you and I have been through everything together. Side by side. You and me. And nothing is ever going to change that. You're my sister Mal. And family doesn't quit."
"Family doesn't quit." Mal repeated smiling.
Ruby smiled back.
I used to be so happy
But without you there I felt so low
I watched you as you left but I can never seem to let you go
'Cause once upon a time you were my everything
It's clear to see that time hasn't changed a thing
It's buried deep inside me but I feel there's something you should know
I will never forget you
You'll always be by my side
From the day that I met you
I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die
And I will never want much more
And in my heart I will always be sure
I will never forget you
And you will always be by my side 'til the day I die
Mal grabbed both of Ruby's hands in hers
Funny how we both end up here but everything seems alright
I wonder what would happen
If we went back and put up a fight
'Cause once upon a time you were my everything
It's clear to see that time hasn't changed a thing
So what in this world do you think could ever take you off my mind
I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side
From the day that I met you
I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die
And I will never want much more
And in my heart I will always be sure
I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side 'til the day I die
Feeling it, loving it
Everything that we do
And all along, I knew I had something special with you
But sometimes you just gotta know that these things fall through
But I'm still tired and I can't hide my connection with you
Feeling it, loving it
Everything that we do
And all along, I knew I had something special with you
But sometimes you just gotta know that these things fall through
I can't hide my connection with you
They pressed their foreheads together.
I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side
From the day that I met you
I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die
And I will never want much more
And in my heart I will always be sure
That I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side 'til the day I die
'Til the day I die...
I will never forget you...
'Til the day I die.
They smiled and hugged each other tight for a long moment.
"Thank you Ruby."
"You're welcome."
Mal then turned and finished her painting, Ruby went back to digging through their old stuff when a completely unexpected voice interrupted them.
"At least I don't see a picture of me with horns and a pitchfork." Ben said.
Mal spun around and Ruby stood in shock. "Ben." Mal stammered.
Ben went to move closer to Mal but Ruby quickly blocked his path the same time Mal held up her hands to stop him.
"Ruby, I'm sorry for what I said to you." Ben said genuinely. "And Mal, I'm sorry about our fight. It was all my fault. Please come home." He said holding out his ring hopefully.
"Ruby?" Mal said stepping down.
"I'll give you two a minute." Ruby said went over to the loft area.
Ruby went back when she heard Mal start spray painting once again.
"Ben," she called out to him. "Will you please tell Jay that I'm sorry?" Ben nodded sadly then left. "You okay?" Ruby asked approaching Mal who shook her head and allowed Ruby to pull her into another hug.
The metal stairs clanking signaling Ben's return had Evie, Carlos and Jay standing.
"So?" Evie asked, "What happened?"
"She's not coming back." Ben said sadly, his head hanging low. "Ruby said she's sorry." He told Jay before moving off to the side.
"What? I'll talk to them." Evie went over to the microphone.
"M? Ruby?" She asked into it. "Guy's its Evie. Let me just talk to you for a second." She was desperate. "Guys come on."
"Go away." Mal yelled back and Jay went over to Evie and grabbed her arm.
"Let's just give her a couple hours to cool off." Jay nodded and Evie agreed.
"Guys? Where's Ben?" Carlos asked looking down the long pathway.
"Ben?" Evie said, "Ben. Ben!" She got louder with each time she said his name. Finally a figure approached and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Ben. Don't scare us like that."
"Don't scare you?" A mocking accented voice that was most definitely not Ben's said. "That's my specialty." Harry Hook said raising his head and grinning.
"Harry." Evie all but growled.
"What did you do with Ben?!" Jay nearly shouted.
"Oh him?" He asked pointing back to where they last saw Ben, "Yeah we nicked him. Mhm. Yep. And if you want to see him again have Mal come to the chip shop. Tonight. Alone. But with my starfish. Uma wants a little visit. But I've missed my starfish ." At that Jay lunged for him but Evie held him back. "Aw, Jay. Looks like you've lost your touch." Harry mocked as he laughed then turned to Carlos and barked making him jump, before turning around and whistling as he left.
Hey folks, so I'll be travelling for the next two weeks and won't have access to a computer so this will be the final update for a while. But I did end on a bit of a cliffhanger for you guys.
As always I've appreciated the love and support so far. Please let me know what you guys think.
Bon Voyage.
