Chapter Fourteen
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to Disney or the Greek Myths.
Smh, guys I think we're coming close to the end! I want to say maybe two more chapters are left? Maybe three since it depends on if my brain wants to cooperate with the story lol :D And yes, before anyone asks, I do think this conversation should have happened in canon. I think a lot of the issues that happened in canon happened because people could not simply talk to each other!
Thank you all so much for your support with this fic! I can't believe how much you guys have enjoyed what truly was just a random idea!
Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
While Jay was off plotting with the others, Mal had made her way over to Ben.
"Can…can we walk?" Mal asked, hating the slight hesitation in her voice. But they needed to have this conversation even if the last thing Mal wanted to hear was Ben say he was disappointed that she couldn't be perfect all the time.
"Of course," Ben nodded, giving her a small smile. The two of them walked off a ways to provide some privacy for their conversation. Not that it would stop anyone who was truly determined to listen in.
Mal couldn't help but bite her lip, ignoring the way her hair was still dripping on her neck. She hated the reminder of her trip into the Cove and yet she was oddly thankful for it too.
If she was thinking about that, then that meant she wasn't thinking about Ben making their breakup permanent.
"Mal?" Ben asked, his gentle voice breaking into Mal's thoughts.
"About our fight…" Mal said, her voice no higher than a whisper. "Ben I'm…I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have thought to try to spell you. I just…using magic was the only way I could…"
"Could?" Ben prompted as Mal's voice trailed off. "Could what?"
Mal sighed. "It was the only way I could be one of those painted Ladies of the Court," Mal said, her voice soft. "I wanted you to be proud…I wanted to be perfect for you…but I know that's no excuse. I…I know I should have talked to you but…you had so much going on and…I didn't want to add to your plate."
Ben stared at her for a minute before gently cupping her cheek with his hand. "Mal…you are perfect for me," he said gently.
"No I'm not…" Mal whispered. "You remember all those news reports about how no one thought we would last. That was until I started using my magic to become a Lady of the Court."
"And why do those reports matter?" Ben asked. "No one thought a lot of couples would last."
"Ben, I'm the girl from the Isle. I'm a VK. No one else in those other couples were dating someone who could be seen as a possible threat to the kingdom," Mal told him. "I…I don't belong here."
"Yes you do Mal," Ben said gently, his hand still cupping her cheek as his thumb began to run over it. Gods, how much had I missed? And I'm sure Natalie didn't help matters at all. "You belong in Auradon, you belong with me. We belong together. Besides Mal, you've saved Auradon."
"That won't matter," Mal sighed. "Ben, if you got hurt because of me…well it wouldn't matter what good deed I'd done. All that would matter would be that you were hurt and it'd be my fault."
Ben pulled her close to him so that he was holding Mal in his arms. "Mal, you don't need to be anyone you're not for me okay? And as for the public? I'm French, we're well familiar with dealing with upset citizenry. All that matters is that you're happy."
Mal sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Ben…why are you so good? I mean, seriously…
"…I'm sure you have questions," she said softly. "About what happened on the Isle I mean."
Ben shrugged. "I mean, I won't lie and say I'm not curious but you can tell me when you're ready."
"Is anyone ever truly ready to have a conversation like that?" Mal asked, her voice still soft.
"Then I'll wait until you are," Ben told her. "I promise Mal, I'll wait until you're ready."
Mal couldn't help but sigh as she looked up at Ben. "…how are you not mad? At me I mean?"
"Why would I be? This was my fault. You were trying to do so much and instead of being understanding as to why you were using your magic, I just went all Beast on you."
"That's a thing?" Mal asked.
"The guys on the Tourney team call it that, when I lose my temper," Ben said, his voice soft. "But anyway, I am so sorry Mal."
"It's fine Ben," Mal told him.
"No it's not Mal," Ben said. "But I'll make it up to you, I swear. I…I can start blowing off some responsibilities, taking fewer meetings—."
"Ben, no! Don't you see? This is my point! I am so bad for you! If you start blowing stuff off, it'll only make it obvious to everyone else!"
Mal sighed as Ben's hand continued to cup her cheek. She loved the feeling of his thumb rubbing against her skin but she knew…she had to do what was best for Auradon and what was best for Ben.
"Give your ring to a girl who deserves to never take it off," she whispered.
"There is only one girl I want to wear my ring," Ben told her. "Maybe I won't start blowing stuff off but I can start delegating more so we can spend more time together….and I'm pretty sure Emir and Akiho just cheered and they don't know why."
Mal snorted and Ben smiled as he held her close. "As you repeatedly tell me, I'm just sixteen," he whispered. "No one can tell me off if I'm not in my office doing paperwork. And truthfully I'd rather be with you or our friends than in my office anyway."
Mal smiled as she looked up at him, leaning into his embrace as Ben smiled back.
"I love you Mal, did I mention that?" Ben asked, his voice soft.
"You know, I think that's been said once or twice," Mal chuckled.
"Well I wasn't sure, you know it's been a while," Ben said, smiling as he heard the chuckle.
Mal shook her head. Ben…I…I care about you too…Gods is that the best I can do? I guess it is for now…
"Hey…you don't have to say it back," Ben told her. "I know you feel the same way even if you don't say it."
"How?" Mal asked.
"Because I'm listening with my heart," Ben said before he gently kissed the top of her head. "New shampoo?"
"Lonnie gave it to me, it smells like strawberries," Mal said. "Why are you smelling my head? Also, how could you tell what my hair smells like when I took the dip in the cove?"
"Left over Beast enchantment," Ben said. "Heightened senses are one of the things I inherited from dad…along with a boat load of allergies."
"…walnuts aren't one of those are they?"
Ben chuckled. "No but Neosporin is."
"What's that?"
"You know? The stuff you put on cuts to keep it from scarring?"
Mal shook her head. "We came from different worlds Ben. We would have killed for that stuff on the Isle. The number of scrapes we got in…"
"Then the Isle'll get it," Ben promised. "They'll get everything they're supposed to have gotten for the past twenty years. I swear Mal, it'll change."
Mal sighed as she burrowed slightly into Ben's chest, smiling as she heard the words. At least the Isle would be taken care of, and she knew Ben was as good as his word. After all, this was the guy who brought four VKs over to Auradon because he thought they were being left behind.
"And Mal?" Ben said, breaking into Mal's thoughts. "I don't want a 'picture perfect painted' Lady of the Court. I want you."
"But…you deserve a 'picture perfect painted' Lady of the Court," Mal said, her voice soft even if she couldn't help but smile slightly as she heard that.
"Then it's a good thing I already have one," Ben told her. "She's just a picture painted in her own way."
"Ben…you know how much of a mess I was. I could barely eat curry with Aladdin and Jasmine without spilling it on myself. You deserve someone who won't embarrass you like that," Mal said, looking down slightly.
"Mal, do you think my mom knew everything about state dinners when she first started out? You'll learn."
"Ben, your mom is amazing…but she didn't come from an Isle with mottos like 'if you want it, take it' and 'you cry, you die'. I can't just flip a switch and be an Auradon Girl. Not after sixteen years of living on the Isle."
"And you don't need to 'flip a switch'. You just need to be you."
"But…what if being me puts you in danger?"
"Then we'll deal with that the same way we'll deal with everything else," Ben said as he gently slid his fingers through hers. "Together. But you being you saves me more than it puts me in danger."
"How? No one is going to want a villain on the arm of the King, Ben!"
"I do and Mal, are you forgetting that if it wasn't for you, the Rose family would most likely be dead and the rest of us enslaved?"
"And are you forgetting Ben that Maleficent would have never crashed your coronation in the first place if I hadn't put those doubts in Jane's brain to get Fairy Godmother's wand in the first place? It was my mistake so I had to step up!"
"You still saved us Mal. You saved Audrey and her family. You saved me," Ben said, his voice gentle.
Mal shrugged. "It was the right thing to do…"
"Exactly," Ben said. "You had the choice to steal the wand for yourself but you chose good. You turned your mother into a lizard. You…you said that being with me made you really happy…"
"It does. That part hasn't changed," Mal whispered.
"Well being with you makes me really happy too," Ben whispered back. "I'm just sorry I never said it then."
"Ben, you were on camera. You can't just go around making declarations like that."
"You were on camera too Mal and I could have told you after the fact."
Mal sighed. "Ben…you seem to be in a habit of worrying about things you can't change today."
"I'm worrying about making sure my girlfriend's happy Mal which you're clearly not and I never saw it before it was too late," Ben told her and Mal looked at him.
"Girlfriend?"
"Well yeah," Ben nodded. "What, you thought because we had one fight that was it?"
Mal shrugged. "My…my dad ran out on my mom and that's usually how it works on the Isle so…"
"Well this isn't the Isle of the Lost," Ben said, his voice having a different tone than the last time he said those words. "Am I happy you tried wiping my memory? No, but we can talk about that later. I meant what I said Mal, being with you makes me really happy and I don't want that to change."
Mal stared at Ben, more than slightly shocked. How was he the way that he was? Almost intimidatingly perfect?
"I…I'm happy with you too," Mal whispered. "But…that's also why I don't want anything happening to you."
"If it'll make you more comfortable Mal, I'll start having guards with us when we go on our dates," Ben reassured her. "Hell, I'll pay Lonnie, Akiho, and Emir to be the guards though I think they'd be happy to do it for free."
"Knowing the way your friends rant about your lack of guards, I'd agree with you there," Mal said with a slight chuckle before sighing. "…we should go. We'll be late."
Ben sighed. He hated to leave this moment but he knew she had a point. "Can…can we get together after Cotillion? Maybe just curl up with each other and watch a movie or something?"
"I'd like that," Mal said, giving him a small smile.
"Okay then," Ben said, returning the smile. "You, me, a movie, and a carton of strawberries?"
"Sound good…but…what will you eat Ben?" Mal asked, teasing him slightly.
Ben barked out a small laugh. "Cookies, or popcorn. I'll make sure the strawberries are all for you."
"Okay then," Mal said, her smile growing. "I'll…I'll see you soon?"
"Okay…" Ben said as Jane came rushing over. Mal sighed and walked off, Jane was probably getting some more last minute approvals or something. She didn't need Mal eavesdropping.
Estelle followed as Mal sat down in a quiet spot, burying her face in her knees to hide her face before the tears came. Why did Uma have to kidnap her? Why did Ben and Jay have to come to the Isle to go after her? Why couldn't she have just sucked it up?
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought about the lost time with Uma and Harry, years of pretending to not miss her cousin all because of a lie…how close they came to having that back…how different her relationship with Hadie might have been…
Uma probably would have marched me down to the Underworld to talk to dad had she known we were cousins, Mal thought as Estelle gently licked her cheek. I mean I can see Jay's point but still, he should have told me. But…like I said, there's no changing the past.
Lifting her head up, Mal wiped away the tear tracks as to avoid worrying anyone. Estelle rested his heads on Mal's knee and she smiled slightly.
"If only I knew what my heart was telling me," she sang under her breath, gently petting Estelle. "Don't know what I'm feeling, is this just a dream? Oh…if only…yeah…if only…will you still be with me when the magic's all run out?"
Being with you makes me happy, Ben's voice ran though Mal's head and she couldn't help but hope that Ben meant that.
She got up, knowing that it was time she started to get ready. The sooner she got ready, the sooner she went to the Cotillion and the sooner that happened, the sooner she could leave and be with Ben.
Meanwhile, over a ways away, Ben stared at Jane in shock.
"Jay wants to what?"
"Bring Uma, Harry, and Gil over to Auradon to come to Cotillion," Jane reiterated. "Evie's working on outfits for them right now."
"I mean I'm all in favor of bringing over more VKs but…why?"
Jane sighed. "Apparently…and I don't think Jay meant for me to hear this part so don't let him know I told you but Mal's got a fear of water. And Uma, whoever she is, has control of water based magic but more importantly, her being there will keep Mal's mind off the water."
Ben paused before nodding his head slightly. That makes sense in a way…if Mal sees Uma there, she's not going to be thinking about the water…plus Mal and Uma should get to have a talk face to face. They're family after all. And Mal should have family with her when she's inducted into the court.
"Let Fairy Godmother know I've given my full approval for this," he told Jane. "If she asks of course."
"Carlos and I are adding them to the guest list…you might want to let your dad know though."
"Why?"
"Family Day ring any bells? I know you love your dad Ben, we all do, but…last thing we need is another Leah incident and since Gil's apparently the son of Gaston…?"
"Oh. Oh. Right, I'll handle it," Ben promised. Maybe I'll just have Dean on Gil duty…speaking of which I should probably check in with him…and relieve Emma of 'Leadership' duties…and just let Emir and Akiho know I'm alive.
"Go on," Jane chuckled. "We'll handle it from here, I know you're busy."
"You're the best Jane," Ben told her. "I'll see you at Cotillion…and put Carlos out of his misery and accept his invite when he finally asks?"
Jane paused. "What do you mean?"
Ben chuckled. "Jane, I might be busy but I'm not blind. Plus I overheard a bit of the conversation you two were having before I walked up the other day."
"How did you…oh right, heightened senses from the Beast enchantment. So…so you think…?"
"I do," Ben nodded and rested a hand on Jane's shoulder. "And, for what it's worth, he's a great guy Jane. I think you'd have a great time with him."
"Since when are you so good at the love stuff?" Jane asked.
"Love's what saved my dad," Ben chuckled as he turned to go and walk off. "Just genetic I guess."
Jane smiled and shook her head. She could worry about her love life later—right now, she needed to add three more names on the guest list for Cotillion.