After Jay had left to go downstairs, Mal fought to sit herself up straight but ended up leaning painfully against the bed. Carlos warned her to take it easy, but she pushed him away with a glare. She needed to look as 'okay' as she could for Ember. Immediately, the pressure in her chest built again and her back screamed at her. If the gasp of pain didn't have Carlos worrying over her, then it was the sharp cry that somehow slipped past her lips.
"Hey, Mal, maybe we should wait," he warned, but the next glare she gave him shut him up instantly.
"I'm fine," she growled through gritted teeth. She had waited too long for this, and she was going to get through it no matter what it took.
"You're not fine, but I need you to be honest with us if it gets to be too much, okay?" The small nod she gave him was enough to get him to back off, but he stayed right beside her just in case.
A few minutes later, Mal's heart toddled through the door and took off at a sprint when she saw her mother, all warnings from Jay immediately forgotten in her little two year old mind. The huge grin Ember had on her face was replaced with worry as the little girl started to cry; she had noticed the bruising and cuts on Mal's face. Ember never missed a thing as long as she had been on this earth. Mal tensed painfully at the running girl, but she was saved from being tackled when Carlos reached out and pulled Ember into his arms, playfully trying to tickle the girl to keep her from crashing into Mal. She squirmed away from him and finally made it into Mal's arms more gently, who successfully kept any indication of pain away from the little girl.
"Em, baby girl!" she whispered hoarsely as she held onto her Ember for dear life. She held her tight as if suddenly she would be ripped from her arms and tried wiping the tears from her daughter's eyes. It had been a little over three months since they had last seen each other, and the emotions were too much for the little girl as she whimpered and buried her head into Mal who held her even tighter. "Shhh, baby it's okay. I won't leave you ever again," she soothed, gently rocking the girl as she pushed her pain to the back of her mind. Her stomach screamed at her from the pressure Ember was putting on it but she couldn't care less about that right now.
"Em' what did I say?" Jay warned as he rushed to them and plopped down beside them all. When Ember nestled even deeper into Mal's arms, he dropped his serious demeanor and then ran his fingers up her arm, tickling her and inadvertently causing her to jerk in Mal's embrace. When Mal's eyes slammed shut, he realized that he had messed up and reached for the girl who refused to let go of her mother.
"Sorry, Mal," she heard him apologize through the roar in her ears, but she dissolved her discomfort the moment she felt Ember turn to look up at her. Mal couldn't believe that she was finally here. Not one second had passed that she hadn't been thinking about the little girl in her arms. She never wanted to let her go. How they were going to bring her and Kenzi to Auradon was going to be a challenge, but there was no way in hell that she was going to leave her behind again. If her mother got ahold of this little innocent, defenseless baby, then she would burn the Isle to the ground looking for her. She wouldn't hesitate to kill her own mother if it came down to it either. Ember had gotten so big, and tears sprang to Mal's eyes when she realized that she had missed so much in the few months that they were apart. She was in agony as Ember pressed into her wounds, but she could handle that as long as the girl was safe in her arms. She would bear all the pain in the world, and even die for her baby girl.
Jay and Carlos wanted to give the pair a moment so they busied themselves by retreating to the couch and quietly discussing what they needed to do to prepare the crew for their departure. The rest of them still didn't know what Dahlia had overheard over in Hun territory, but Jay told Carlos that he would hold a meeting before they sent out the next patrol. They kept their eye on Mal and Ember as they talked, but to Mal, they didn't even exist at the moment. She was smiling and trying to keep the girl distracted from her injuries, but even the 2 year old could tell that her mother was hurt, and it was emotional overload for the girl. Tears had sprung into her lavender eyes as she snuggled her face into her Mal for comfort.
After a few minutes, Jay began to notice Mal's eyes slipping open and shut. Everytime Ember shifted in her arms, Mal would bite her lip and tremble in agony. He knew that it was too much to have Ember hanging all over her, but he also knew that she didn't want to let her go either. "Shit," he sighed, and then hoisted himself up from the couch and made his way back over to them. When Mal shot him a death glare, he sneered back at her but reached for Ember just the same.
"Noooo, mommy!" Ember cried, holding onto Mal for dear life and refused to let go.
Well that's not going to work, he thought. He looked to Mal for help, but she offered none. "Ten seconds Em'?" he asked, offering his pinky towards the young girl. "Ten seconds and you can have mommy back, okay?" He knew she wouldn't be able to resist pinky promises. He was right and after a brief hesitation, the girl hooked her tiny pinky around his and released her grip on Mal just enough for Jay to pull her away.
He sat her next to them and then froze when he noticed the heat radiating from Mal. "Geeze Mal you're still burning up…"
"Seven seconds left, Jay," she warned weakly, daring him to break the promise he gave to Ember and waiting for whatever he was about to do.
"Bitch-" he started, but Mal loudly cleared her throat to keep him from finishing that word. "Shit, sorry," he finished with a sly smile as he scooted closer and scooped her up, frowning when Mal's nails dug into his skin in an effort to keep from crying out.
When she was back in his lap like the night they patched up her back, Ember climbed between them and buried her head back into Mal's chest. Mal allowed Jay to hold her, because it was the most comfortable position for her to relax with Ember and actually feel a bit of relief. She couldn't help but sigh as some of her pain began to dissolve and her breathing evened back out.
"What would Ben say if he could see us now?" Jay snorted as Mal rested her head on his shoulder.
"Jay, don't," Mal all but begged, her exhausted voice sounding so broken.
"Don't what?" he asked, a little confused to what she meant...and then it clicked. "Mal do you...do you love him?" The tears that began running down his neck answered for her. "Mal I-"
"What would he say to all this, Jay?" she cried as her chest heaved from the effort. "He has no idea what it's like over here; none of them do. People are dying every day; being tortured, abused, and kicked around. There is nothing he could do until he is king. Until then, King Adam couldn't give two shits about us." When Ember began pulling at Mal's shirt at her chest, she gently pushed her hand away and softened her tone. "No baby," she soothed as her demeanor changed instantly for Ember, "you're too old for that, okay?" she cried silently.
"Mal, we can still get the wand and tear the barrier down. We don't have to wait for that," he reminded her.
Mal choked on a small sob before pulling herself back together. "No, we can't Jay. That would release every evil villain on this Isle and then the rest of the world will suffer like we have. I can't let my mother get out of here; there has to be another way. I won't expose Auradon to that." Ember began pulling on her again, and Mal grabbed her hand and brought it to her lips, kissing it instead. "No Em'," she told her again.
Jay laughed quietly at her. "She missed you Mal; she's scared."
Mal sighed as Ember squirmed against her. She had to admit that her chest hurt, but now was as good a time as ever to train Ember not to rely on her in that way for comfort anymore. She and Jay both knew what Ember wanted, but Mal had spelled herself as well as Evie when they went to Auradon to make their lives easier. Now that they were back under the barrier, nature had resumed its course as if it never stopped. Ember of course did not rely on her in that way anymore to survive, it was more of a comfort thing. Kenzi on the other hand needed Evie.
Mal was prepared to say no once again when Ember began whimpering, but her heart crumbled under those sounds.
"It's fine, Mal," Jay assured her as he grabbed the blanket next to them and pulled it around them.
A few more moments passed as Ember's cries filled the room and Mal's heart broke. "Fine," Mal sighed as she gave in to her daughter's demands and lifted her shirt for her, "but Ben can never know," she teased, earning a light laugh from Jay.
"What, his half naked girlfriend straddling my lap not once, but twice?" he joked. There was absolutely nothing sexual about his and Mal's relationship, or any of the core fours for that matter. Everything they did for each other was a matter of survival or need. They had all seen things about each other that would make Auradon blush, but to the VKs, it was completely natural. "Has it been worth it, Mal?" Jay asked after a long pause.
Mal lifted her head and looked up at him in confusion. "Was what worth it?" she asked, a million different possibilities swirling through her head.
Jay sighed. Did he even want to know? Maybe he could live alone with his own feelings for a while, just pretend that it could all work out. But, he was tired of that. Him and Mal used to talk about everything. "Ben," he said finally, grimacing as he awaited her answer.
Instead of answering right away, she laid her head back on his shoulder for a moment, but she answered easily because it was easy. "Every moment of it." She then figured out what Jay was asking went a little bit deeper than that, and she smiled at what must be going through his head right now. Lonnie. "He makes me feel...safe," she continued, knowing that he was looking for hope in this crazy world. "I feel things that I've never felt before. He sees me, and he doesn't even know my story. Jay, he knew that I spelled him to love me, and when it was broken, he still loved me anyways. Ben is different…and I think that I love him."
Jay smiled at that. "You love him. Man, if you can love someone, then maybe I can too. What are your thoughts on...ummm-"
Mal smiled against him, but then frowned because the way he was wording his sentence made it seem like he was asking for her permission. "Lonnie seems great, Jay. You don't need my permission to follow your heart. None of you do."
"Look at me, Mal," Jay said in frustration as he threw his head back. "I'm not exactly what the HK's look for in a person."
"You?" Mal asked sleepily. "Look at me. I don't think they are looking for perfection, but they do deserve someone who respects them enough to be honest. I guess I could work more on that as well with Ben. We just… we need to let them in."
It was easy for Jay to relax then. His jumbled head felt a bit lighter as he held Mal and Ember. Their conversation started to grow short when Mal started to breathe a little harder. Her lungs were tired from their overuse, so Jay let her save her breath as he filled her in on what had gone down since she had been out. Later, Jay wasn't sure if Mal had drifted to sleep or not, but he stayed quiet as the once familiar sounds of sleep were coming from Ember. He was hoping that Mal's stab wound was okay. Evie eventually made her way back into the room with Kenzi asleep in her arms and her face was void of sadness. Peace had replaced it, and she checked on a for sure sleeping Mal for Jay since he wasn't in a position to see her without moving her. A soft giggle escaped Evie's lips as she looked in on her, and then rushed over to the couch and kicked the sleeping leg of Carlos. He jumped with a start, but then relaxed when he saw that it was Evie, and she was handing Kenzi to him. He took her easily and then looked back over to Jay who didn't seem very concerned. Carlos relaxed, and then settled back into the couch with Kenzi now fast asleep on his chest.
Evie unraveled the blankets once again from around Mal and Jay, and the smile softened on her lips into a grin. "I thought she was done with this," she mentioned with another giggle as she delicately pulled Ember away from Mal, her hair crazy after being under the Dragon's shirt.
"Ember got emotional when she saw the state Mal was in. She tried to tell her no, but she gave in," he explained. "No one can tell that little girl 'no'."
Jay didn't need to explain it to her; who knew what was running through Ember's head. She held the sleeping toddler close and looped around to the bed, placing her in the middle and covering her with the warm blankets. Ember's contagious yawn got to her, and she lazily sauntered back over to Carlos and grabbed Kenzi. Carlos groaned when the warm baby was taken from him, but Evie gestured for him to get into bed with them for a nap. "Jay?" she asked as she passed them again. The bed was not big enough for all of them, but that usually didn't stop them all from piling in together anyways. The tangle of limbs were always warm and welcoming, especially in the latter parts of the year when the world began to freeze around them.
"I'm fine," Jay promised, wanting Mal to get some sleep now that she was finally out again. He knew she hated being so weak, so for her to allow him to hold her this way told him that she was really hurting, and that scared him.
Carlos climbed in next to Ember, and Evie placed Kenzi next to her between them. The babies were sandwiched in the middle and Ember immediately curled into Carlos for more warmth. It was almost like it used to be, and it was enough for them to relax once again and nap peacefully.
Jay fought his eyes to stay awake. There was so much that he needed to do, especially now that he knew of some of the Huns plans. Dahlia had overheard so many unnerving things, and he needed to address the crew since he had put it off long enough. It was just going to have to wait an hour or so because Mal was finally resting. She had been through more than any of them.
In the end, Jay lost to the sleep that washed over him. The only thing that woke him a few hours later was the heat that had him sweating. "What the hell?" he mumbled in a daze as pressure had pinned him to the soft surface behind him. He found the edges of a blanket and pulled it off, realizing quickly that it wasn't the source of the heat. Reality snapped him back to full consciousness when he realized that it was Mal that was on him, and that he had drifted to sleep. "Shit!" he exclaimed, almost waking both Evie and Carlos behind him when he realized that it was Mal who was radiating the heat, even more so than before. He pushed Mal from his chest and held her limp form in his arms, freezing in alarm when he noticed the blood that was now staining the front of not only her shirt, but his as well. It was coming from her mouth and nose, and she wasn't waking up. She couldn't support her head and Jay caught her, pulling her back towards him for a second as he tried to reign in his panic. "No, no, no, no, no," he repeated as he gently but quickly laid her down on the floor and shot up, rushing over to the medical supplies trying to find something that would help.
"Wake up!" he yelled in a panic at Carlos and Evie, not even knowing what he was looking for to begin with on the mess of the table. He gave up and rushed back over to Mal just as Evie and Carlos made it to the floor next to him.
"What happened?" Evie asked in a strained voice, although she was a bit more level headed than he was.
"I don't know," Jay admitted, "I just woke up and she was like this. My shirt is covered in blood…"
"Jay calm down, you'll wake the kids," Carlos scolded as his words served to knock some sense into him. "Ember can't see her like this."
It looked like the life had been sucked out of the girl. The dark circles under Mal's eyes stood out against the crimson flowing from her nose. A small stream of blood also ran from the corner of her lips, and the sheen of sweat covering her body told them that her fever had grown immensely since morning. Evie nudged Jay out of the way so that she could see better and lowered her ear to Mal's barely moving chest.
"Turn her onto her side," Evie instructed and the boys did as they were told. "Come on, M," Evie whispered as she went to rub Mal's back, stopping when she remembered the carnage there. In the end, she had no choice and massaged her back in an effort to get her lungs to expel the blood that was collected there. Mal didn't even flinch as she did it, but the small stream running from her nose and mouth turned into a torrent before Evie finally got Mal to start coughing it all up. Again, blood sprayed from her lips as the injured girl choked on it. Evie didn't let up until she was sure that Mal had gotten it all. Through the entire ordeal, Mal never fully gained consciousness and concern gripped the Dragons as to what that could mean. Her body shook from the fever and some of her wounds seeped with blood at having been jostled in the ordeal.
"What the hell happened?" Jay asked as he slid back in defeat, feeling as if this was his fault. He should have noticed it sooner. Both of their shirts were drenched in blood and he hadn't even noticed if she struggled as he slept. He stared down at her and the blood covering the floor, cringing when he realized exactly how much was there. Regret grabbed him when he suddenly noticed that it wasn't just their eyes on Mal, but Ember's was as well. She had crawled to the foot of the bed and kneeled there as she hung onto a pillow for dear life. Her terrified eyes were transfixed on her mother as Evie worked on her, and tiny sobs shook her body as she cried in fear. "Oh no, Em," he breathed and all eyes snapped up to the young girl above them. Carlos was the only one not covered in as much blood and rushed to her in an attempt to tear her gaze away from Mal.
"Ember, sweetheart," Carlos soothed as he picked up the girl. "Lets go downstairs and get something to eat? How does that sound?"
"Nooo," she protested, pushing her tiny arms against him in an effort to get him to let her go. She reached for Mal, a heartbreaking sight as both Evie and Jay did their best to shield her from her.
Carlos wouldn't budge and instead gripped her tighter as he hurried from the room. Ember fought the whole way as Carlos did his best to soothe the terrified girl. When he made it to the next floor, his eyes raked over his crew who had amassed, hoping to hear some sort of update as to what was happening with Mal, what was overheard with the Huns, and what their next move would be. Carlos had no answers for them and was saved when Dahlia and Roan rushed from the back and reached for Ember.
"What's going on?" Dahlia whispered to him as she took in the blood just as Ember began screaming at being taken from Carlos.
Carlos bit his tongue for a moment as he tried to steady his own panic. "Mal went downhill. Ember saw it."
The color drained from the girl's face as she gripped Ember to her. She soothingly brushed her fingers through her hair as she tried to shush the girl. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked as her eyes shot up to the floor above them.
Again, Carlos had no answers as he gave her a sheepish smile.
"We need an update, Carlos," Roan said as he shuffled uncomfortably in front of him.
The deVille boy watched as Dahlia backed away with Ember, most likely to a more quiet area of the safehouse so that she could calm her down. "I know," he responded as he began backing away himself. "Jay will be down soon. For now, just hang tight. We can't get Mal to stay stable; she seemed fine a few hours ago and then this happened. I just don't know what to…"
"Hey," Roan soothed, "it's Mal. When has she ever given up?"
Carlos scoffed; he was right. "I'm sure Jay's first move is going to be to get everything useful packed up incase we need to split. That will keep everyone busy until he gets down here. Pack up the food and supplies, leave the weapons out for quick access."
Roan winked at him and cocked his head towards the supplies area. "I've already got them on it."
Carlos realized that everyone was busy doing something, and those who weren't packing were checking over weapons or crafting new ones. Roan was a great leader, and he knew that the crew would be in good hands when they left for Auradon once again. He gave the boy a thankful nod, and then hurried back up the stairs to see what was going on with Mal.
"I dont know Jay!" Evie exclaimed loudly as soon as Carlos came back in, cringing as she looked over onto the bed to see if she woke Kenzi. When the baby did nothing more than jerk in her sleep, Evie lowered her voice and continued rewrapping Mal's shoulder. "I'm not a doctor. Her lungs keep filling with blood and all I can do is guess as to why. She has some kind of infection as well which is why we can't get her fever down."
"Evie, I didn't mean it that way," Jay threw back at her as he gently wiped the blood from Mal's face and neck. He was hating the tension between them, so he tried to cut it. "I'm going to be going shirtless pretty soon if you guys don't quit stealing and ruining my clothes." The sly smile he gave Evie did cause her to drop her anger, but she still didn't smile.
"I'll make you some more," she said sadly. The silence between them grew until Evie couldn't stand it anymore. "But I am going to need another one of your shirts."
Jay gave a small laugh that in turn finally caused Evie to smile, and then they both burst into uncontrollable laughter. All Carlos could do was roll his eyes and get to Kenzi, who was now startled awake and beginning to cry. "Now you've done it," he giggled with them as the baby started to quiet.
In unison, both Jay and Evie mumbled apologies as they finished their tasks. They grew solemn again once they peeled back the bandage covering the stab wound on Mal's stomach. The wound looked angry, but Evie did the best she could to clean it and get it dressed once again. She used the state Mal was in to reassess her injuries, and the boys couldn't help but watch.
"She has a few broken ribs," she relayed after realizing that they didn't know the full extent of her injuries as she and Dahlia did. "Her collarbone is broken, but the swelling on her dislocated shoulder is starting to go down." They boys didn't quite believe her from what they could see and how Mal had been acting, and the deep purple bruising was hiding the brunt of it. "She also has a broken knuckle, and I think her wrist is fractured. And of course she has abrasions all over her knuckles; she fought someone hard."
"Steel," Jay confirmed with a snarl from what Roan had told him. "He was beaten to a pulp. His throat was slit and a knife was driven through his back when they found her."
He knew some of Mal's early history and she even shared some of it with him in the very beginning; it made his blood boil. There was one night that he just knew something was wrong, and he had saved her that day. They had only known each other for a few months then. His entire mentality about her shattered when he saw her that night. It was one of the scarce times he saw her so utterly afraid and vulnerable. Pure terror had reflected back at him, enough to shake him to his core. Mal threatened him not to do anything to Steel in retaliation, and he could only imagine why. He told her he would kill the man if she ever went back to her home, but that was a perfect enough excuse for her to leave there forever. He figured somehow that Maleficent had threatened her, because who else would have been brave enough to touch her daughter. He was her favorite henchman after all.
It was another cold night, deeper into the heart of winter. Mal had no crew yet, and her closest 'friend' wasn't even considered a friend yet as they had only met a few months ago. Her and Jay had been prowling the Isle, looking for something to do when he made the call to turn in for the night. It was freezing, but Mal didn't want to go home just yet. She was supposed to be home hours ago, and she knew that her mother would be furious with her. She was terrified of her mother, terrified because of the things she let happen under her own roof. Whether it was punishment for giving her a hard time, or she just hated her daughter so much that she used her for payment, she didn't know. Steel was going to be staying that night and her stomach churned at the thought of his hands all over her. That night, Jay knew that something was off with Mal. It just wasn't his place to ask and had regretted it ever since. They were only 7.
When they finally went their separate ways for the night, he offered to walk her home, but she only glared at him for even thinking that she couldn't handle herself. Of course she could handle herself, it was just when personal demons came out to play that everything she thought she knew danced away from her. She was threatened not to fight back against Steel. She was threatened not to kill him. Her mother knew and allowed it, and Maleficent threatened her with the repercussions. She couldn't afford to lose her favorite henchman. He was one of the most ruthless on the Isle. No wonder Maleficent gave him everything he wanted, and Mal would even bet that there was something going on between them.
Maleficent must have been more angry at Mal than she thought, because instead of waiting for her to come home, she sent Steel out to find her instead. He grabbed her several blocks from her home, slamming her small body to the ground before dragging her into the shadows. She could still remember how her nails bent and broke as her fingers dug into the stone, leaving a bloodied trail into the darkness. Her head was slammed into the wet ground, and from there, she was glad things stayed fuzzy. She did still remember the feel of his body pressing into hers. She remembered the pain that followed each time she tried to get away. And she remembered the feeling of hands traveling all up and down her small frame. She also remembered that she found the strength to fight that night, but it was no use, he was so much bigger than she was.
Jay only managed to find her because of the bloody trail that led into the alley, and he almost missed it as he blew warm air into his frozen hands. There was just something in Mal's eyes that told him that he needed to check in on her. He saw those eyes often, and usually the day after she was covered in bruises, shutting him out to the point of threatening violence if he kept pressing. So, about halfway to his own home, he made up his mind to check up on her. Why? He wasn't quite sure, but she was his partner out there in the cruel world, and he wanted to have her back. He just never imagined the hell that she had been going through.
His investigation into the bloody trail led him to a small, unmoving figure lying in her own blood. It was the hair that told him it was her, and he felt as if he were floating as he ran to her and dropped to the blood covered stone. Her clothing was tattered and practically ripped from her body as a sob built in his throat. He wasted no time in shrugging off his backpack and ripping off his coat, covering her with it as his mind raced at who could have, or would have, done the unspeakable to Maleficent's daughter. She couldn't go home; for someone to do this to her, Maleficent had to be in on it as horrible as that sounded. So, he gathered her beaten form in his arms, grabbed his bag, and ran.
He came upon the old, abandoned building that he and Mal had been scoping out and burst through the door for the first time. The dust that swirled around him told him that it was unoccupied, so he slammed the door closed with his foot and raced up the decrepit stairs. He needed to get as high as he could lest someone looking for Mal found them. They would be safer as they could hear anyone creaking into the old building. An old, ratty couch had been left in the upper loft. Immediately he lowered the unconscious girl onto it and worried over her injuries. It was only a matter of time before she came to, and he knew that once she did, she wouldn't let him help her. He ripped off his shirt and used it to hold pressure to a nasty gash on her forehead. His coat had slipped some off of her, and he cringed at the knowing signs of hand and fingerprints that had dug into her skin as they fought to get her to submit. Her raw knuckles told him that she didn't go down without a fight, but in the end, it didn't matter because whoever it was had gotten what they wanted.
There was really nothing else he could do for her. He made sure his coat was covering her to chase away some of the chill, and then he rummaged in his backpack until he pulled out his favorite sweatshirt and a pair of sweats. He contemplated putting them on to warm himself, but he sat them next to Mal within arms reach and then laid on the frigid floor. After a solid ten minutes of shivering, he got back up and made his way down the stairs; it was too cold. He vaguely remembered the ugly curtains hanging in the window of the middle floor, and he was right as he grabbed them and ripped them from their rings, choking on the dust that billowed around him. He wrapped them around himself and snuck back up the stairs only to find Mal awake, gripping his coat around herself as she stared wildly around at the unfamiliar surroundings. When she saw him though, she relaxed and narrowed her eyes for a moment before she began connecting the dots, and then she slammed her walls up like he knew she would.
"I'm fine," she stated as she pulled the coat around her a little bit tighter. She was acting like this sort of thing had happened all the time.
"I know," Jay said simply as he made his way back over and plopped down at her feet on the couch as if nothing had happened. "I thought we could stay the night here at least. I drug your ass all the way up here, the least we could do is explore this place tomorrow. Maybe even make it a safehouse or something. You aren't going back home, ever, so this place is a good start."
That was the last thing Mal was expecting to come from him, but she was thankful for it. "Excuse me?" she asked in an amused tone, realizing that it was curtains that Jay had wrapped around him. How had he figured out that what had just happened to her had a connection with her home life? But she knew Jay wasn't stupid. She also knew that tonight she had fought back, hard, against Steel. She had used his own knife at one point to jam into his arm before he managed to hit her so hard that she saw stars. Maleficent would be retaliating soon, an attempt on her life ordered most likely.
"Who was it, Mal?" he asked, switching the conversation so abruptly that she almost got whiplash.
Should she tell him? Would it make any difference? If she did, then he would most likely try and take matters into his own hands and kill the guy. That would be bad for him, and it would be worse for her. But why would he even do that in the first place? "Does it even matter?" she asked, suddenly feeling self conscious as she realized that it was his coat she was buried under. She could feel the tiny cuts and bruises on her skin, telling her that most of her clothes were gone.
"Of course it matters. Mal...I care about you, okay?
What? That phrase sounded so foreign in her ears. No one in their right mind would care about her. No one should care about her. She was damaged goods, her mothers slave. To care about her would be to go against Maleficent, and no one sane would do that. "Why?"
All Jay did was shrug and turn to look at her before offering her one of his signature goofy smiles. "Why not?"
Jay's 'why not' was so effortless. Maybe she didn't have to be so alone in this world. Maybe there were other things out there besides listening to her mothers every demand. Something other than fearing sleeping in her own bed on the nights Steel stayed over. Something other than the hopelessness the Isle offered them every single day.
Jay noticed the far away look Mal got and elected to not push any further. Hell, he wasn't even sure why he said half of the things he did. I mean, make a future that didn't include their parents? That would mean caring for someone other than themselves in order to stay alive. They would have someone else watching their backs; could they trust that? Could he trust Mal to have his back because he sure as hell had hers. "Mal," he tried again, "who-"
"Drop it, Jay," she said with a tired sigh, and he did. He knew he would get the truth over who had touched her sooner or later, but he didn't mind waiting for later as long as she was safe now.
Jay shivered against the cold in the room; at least they were out of the wind. "You need to change," he said as he nodded to his clothes still bundled next to her. "It's too cold to be half naked in this weather." As he said it, he rose to leave until a broken voice called him back. He only wanted to give her some privacy.
"Stay," it said softly, "please?"
He turned back to look at her and found her to be shocked that she even said it. Her eyes slipped to the floor in embarrassment, but he knew that this had to be the first time in history that she asked for anything like this. He nodded and gave her a soft smile; of course he would stay.
By the time morning had come, they found themselves tangled in each other's limbs as they crowded onto the small couch and buried themselves under the coat and curtains in an effort to chase away the cold. Jay had helped her change, and found even more bruises, older ones, covering her body. As she slept against him, he heard the name that plagued even her nightmares, and he knew exactly who Steel was. He told her as much when he braved bringing it up the next morning, but she told him not to touch him or they would both be dead. Jay was horrified to learn that it had happened more than once… way more. It was as if she were Steel's payment for his henchman skills. It killed him to do nothing, but if Mal wanted that, he would give it to her. He could only imagine why Maleficent allowed it. Maybe she thought that the fear would keep Mal loyal to her, but that majorly backfired when she never slept under her mothers roof ever again; she had a new home now.
That ratty old building turned into their safehouse and became the home and sanctuary to many more VK's. They fixed it up and kept it a secret from rival gangs that began to pop up around them. Jay and Mal became a force to reckon with on the Isle, and no one dared to cross them. The Dragons were formed, but the horrors of the Isle still popped up in everyday life. It was just a little easier now to handle what life threw at them, because they were not alone anymore.
At the information that Steel was found with Mal, Evie froze. She made a mental note to check Mal a little more thoroughly once they boys were gone. Mal frequently had nightmares about what that man had done to her as a child, and hoped with everything in her that he hadn't touched her again. With a shake to her voice, she relayed everything else she and Dahlia had found before banishing the boys with Kenzi from the room so that she could get Mal into some clean clothes.
With a slight shudder to her body, Evie gently removed Mal's shirt and barely caught the sob that had crept up her throat. Somehow, the bruising looked even deeper than before, but she knew that it was because all of them had finally set. As gently as she could, she pulled on another of Jay's shirts, and then began running her hands over Mal's broken body, searching for any injuries that she may have missed. Out of everything they had done since Jay had woken them up, Mal was reacting to this over everything else. A slight tremble had overtaken her body as her brow furrowed in a mixture of pain and panic. Evie tried to hurry, but that seemed to make it worse. When she got to Mal's legs, she saw evidence of what she had feared. Finger shaped bruising had appeared around her thighs and Mal suddenly jerked away from her in a panic.
"Get off me," she cried in a fever induced haze as she struggled weakly to get away from Evie.
Evie had heard that phrase dozens of times over the years after a nightmare. "Mal, Mal honey it's okay. It's Evie," she pleaded as she withdrew her hands from Mal's body.
That was enough to get her to open her eyes, but it seemed as if the light was hurting her as they drifted back closed. "What are you doing?" she muttered weakley as her body shivered.
"Mal, you had some kind of episode and we couldn't wake you up. How are you feeling?" When Mal didn't answer, she thought she had fallen back asleep. She scooted closer and put her hand on her thigh to which caused Mal's green eyes to shoot open once more as fear filled her gaze. When she saw that it was Evie, she relaxed once again and let her eyes drift closed. "Mal?" Evie asked, needing an answer to her burning question. "Roan said that he found you with Steel." The immediate tensing of Mal's body told Evie that she was still awake. "Did he...Mal did he…"
"No," she answered, releasing a shaky breath that she had been holding. "I killed him before he…" and then she broke down into sobs which caused her to curl into herself from the pain. She was so relieved though. Steel was finally dead, and she hoped that her nightmares would go along with him.
"Hey, Mal, it's okay," Evie soothed as she gently untangled Mal's arms from around herself and instead wrapped them around her. Mal clung to her and released some of the pain and sorrow that she had been holding in for so many years. Everytime something like this happened, or Maleficent got ahold of her, Evie was always there to make it all better. Even the toughest Isle warrior needed someone to hold them while they broke down every once in a while. Mal just couldn't believe that it was finally over with Steel.
After several minutes, Mal relaxed slightly and then settled back into the foot of the bed. She looked like she was half dead as her eyes drooped. "Okay Eve's your turn," she told her weakly as she stumbled over her words.
"I'm fine, M," she lied. Mal was not in a good place for her to lose it right now. "Do you want to get into bed? I think you need to lay down for a change. We can prop you up if that feels better." Evie wasn't even sure that Mal heard her since she didn't respond. Her head was drooping down and her eyes were closed once more. Before she moved her, she swiped some more medicine from the table and tried to give them to the girl. "Mal," she said gently as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Take these for me, please?" Mal jerked with a start as if she didn't know where she was for a moment. Evie didn't like how easily it was for the girl to be drifting off like she was.
"I don't-'' she started before Evie cut her off.
"Mal, take these and then I'm getting your ass into bed. It's just Tylenol and antibiotics this time, I know you don't want the strong pain stuff." She shook the pills into Mal's hand and then smiled triumphantly when she took them on her own, chasing it down with more water that she desperately needed. When she went to put the water down, Evie tipped it back to her lips in an effort to get her drink a little more. "Good girl." The glare Mal gave at that comment served to chase away some of her anxieties. "Now let's get you into bed. Do you want to try walking? I can get the boys back in here to help if it makes it easier." Again, Mal didn't answer her, but instead held her arm out to Evie to help her up. A pang of unease shot through her when she realized that it wasn't going to be as simple as helping her up. Evie braced herself for her own pain, and wrapped her arm around Mal and hoisted her up, almost a deadweight although she was trying.
The guttural groan that Mal gave sent waves of concern through her as Evie got her standing. She let Mal test her weight on her leg, and moved only when Mal did. Evie tried not to squeeze her too much for fear of hurting her ribs or stab wounds, but Mal took it all in stride and they made it to the edge of the bed without incident. Evie lowered her slowly and Mal immediately shifted into the soft surface, exhaling in relief when it was all over. "Wimp," Evie called with a giggle which actually made Mal smile, though her eyes were closed again. She got her settled and comfortable, and then slipped her smile back into a frown when she noticed just how hard Mal was trying to catch her breath from the event of moving from the foot of the bed, into it. She was pretty sure that she was slipping back into unconsciousness, but she wanted to keep her awake for a little longer in case it was a concussion.
"Do you want another blanket?" she asked as she grabbed one anyway and climbed next to her. "Mal?"
"God Evie, my head is pounding," she whined. "Please just be quiet."
Her comment stung, but Evie wouldn't let up. "When have you ever known me to shut up? Besides, I think you have a concussion. I've got to keep you awake somehow. Can you tell me what happened out there?" When Mal tensed, Evie got her answer and knew she wouldn't be hearing anything about it today. So, she changed tactics. "The girls have gotten so big," she said with a pang of sadness. This got Mal to open her eyes, if only for a few moments.
"Where are they?" she asked with a slur, letting her head rest on Evie's shoulder.
Evie thought about not telling her about what had happened with Ember, but she needed to prepare her for when the girl came back in emotional shambles. "You were unconscious earlier when Jay woke up; you were bleeding from your nose and mouth. We rolled you over and you coughed it all up, but Ember saw us panicking. She freaked out when Carlos took her out of here so we could try and fix you up again."
For a moment, Mal didn't answer and Evie thought about shaking her to make sure she was awake. She didn't have to, because she realized that Mal was just trying not to cry. "Hey, she's going to be okay. We just scared her for a second."
"It's not okay, E'," Mal said with a shudder. "She doesn't deserve to live in the fear that one day I may not wake up or make it back home to her."
"I know," Evie responded with a catch in her own throat. She was feeling the same way with Kenzi.
"Did Jay tell you that we are bringing...them to Auradon?" Her voice had trailed off as she swallowed her words, her head drooping once more.
"What?!" Evie yelled, Jay obviously not telling her what Mal had been planning. "How in the world are we going to pull that off?"
Mal jumped and gave a tired hum of amusement. "I don't know, but you guys get to figure that out because I-" she stopped, hand flying to her mouth and freezing for a moment.
"Mal?" she asked in concern. And then she was forced to hold the injured girl as she leaned over the side of the bed and vomited what little she had left in her stomach. "Shhhh," she soothed as Mal got it all up. When she went limp in her arms, Evie's muscles burned as she pulled her back towards her and Mal collapsed in exhaustion onto her chest. "You lost all of that medicine, didn't you," she found herself saying to the now unconscious girl. There was no waking her up from that.
Carlos walked in on the tail end of the incident and with a sigh, wasted no time in jumping into the cleaning. "How is she?" he asked in a solemn tone.
"I don't know. I really don't know." She had to admit that Mal's warm body felt nice in the frigid room, but it was also a cause of concern. "Can you get me a few more Tylenol and some antibiotics? She just threw up what I gave her earlier."
"Sure," he said as he grabbed what she wanted. "Can you get her to take them?"
"She's not putting up much of a fight," she admitted. "She's also in and out of consciousness. It could just be her fever, but she could also have a concussion...or both. We can't let up on the meds or she could slip into a hole we won't be able to get her out of."
She wasn't fully conscious, but they did manage to get the medicine back in. Carlos went back to his task as he kept an eye on the girls. "Should we slip her some more morphine while she's out?"
Evie shook her head no. "She's still letting Ember nurse. I'm not sure if it would be safe or not. Besides," she said with a sigh, "that's the one thing she never wanted us to use on her. Where's Jay?"
With a nod to the door, he told her that he was going to be down there for a while. "He's addressing the crew about everything that has happened the past few days. The alliance, the Hun meeting...Mal." He averted his nervous gaze and finished up with what he was doing.
"What did Dahlia hear?" she asked, realizing that she was a little out of the loop.
Carlos threw his supplies into the corner and then plopped gently onto the bed with a bewildered smile on his face. "Well for one, she said that Maleficent was sporting an injury to her side, courtesy of Mal."
"Wait, what!? Mal actually got a hit on that bitch?" she wondered in amazement.
"She did!" he confirmed with a smile just as big before it faltered. "That could be why she went so hard on her too."
"Worth it," Mal chimed in unexpectedly as she came back to, though her eyes remained closed. "I also called her pathetic."
"YOU DID NOT," Carlos exclaimed loudly, immediately causing Mal to flinch.
Carlos and Evie both smiled, though they lowered their voices when it became clear that Mal's head was hurting her.
When Carlos continued, they weren't sure how much of it Mal heard because she stopped responding after a few minutes. "Basically, Maleficent is working with Shan Yu, needing his army to back her once she somehow breaks the barrier. She kept saying that it would work with or without Mal, but we still aren't clear on that part. Apart from that, Jafar is back to designing weapons, and they are being run by Madame Medusa and her kids from Demon territory."
"Madame Medusa? What in the world could be in it for her?"
"I don't know," Carlos admitted, "but I bet it's something shiny. From what we know about her, she doesn't have much pull with her kids; they are probably the ones running the weapons and she's taking the credit. Another thing, Shunyuan is going to have tails on the Dragons in order to find our safehouse. They know they don't stand a chance as long as we are around, and it's too difficult to attack Uma's ship based on its location and defenses. They want to tear us apart from the inside and send us scattering."
With a growl, Evie told him that she would like to see them try. "They don't know that we have a backup safehouse either. They hit us here, we regroup there."
"Exactly," Carlos agreed. "We already have bags mostly packed that we can just grab and run. Nothing usable to them would be left, and that is if they find us here. We now know to look even harder for tails. Jay and Roan are modifying our patrols now."
Evie got lost in thought. "I still don't see how Maleficent is supposed to get out of here. She has Shan Yu's army, sure, but how is she going to use it?"
"We don't know," Carlos admitted, "but she hates Mal enough to have Shunyuan try and tear us apart to keep us busy and distracted. Mal, what do you think is going on? Did she say anything when you were, well, with her?"
Both sets of eyes shifted to their leader, but Mal gave no response.
Evie leaned over and placed her hand over the girl's forehead before sighing. " I don't like this. She keeps going in and out. She's burning up and I just don't know what else to do." Mal's face was flushed and it was worrying her to no end. The impending return to Auradon was weighing heavily on her now that she knew that the babies were going to be joining them. And how they were going to get Mal back there was another problem; she could barely walk and one look from the royals would have them berating them with questions. They were all black and blue and covered in wounds. She knew that she would have to be the one to come up with the plan. Jay was too busy with preparing the crew for their departure and Carlos was most likely going to be designing and building more weapons as he was their expert. Whatever happened, at least they would be together.
"Can you see if Nova and Dahlia can watch the girls tonight?" Evie asked Carlos as she slipped beneath the covers next to Mal. "I want to make sure Mal is okay and I know she doesn't want Ember to see her like this."
Carlos gave her a nod before slipping from the room. Dahlia and Nova took on the girls without a problem, and he busied himself with organizing his supplies before starting on his projects. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he dragged his tired body back up the stairs and climbed back in bed with the girls.
Mal had finally settled into a deep sleep, one that seemed like it would never let her go. At first, she thought that it was the cold that was stirring her from the darkness with an unsettling wail. Tiny frigid tendrils of ice were licking at her body as if prodding her awake. The icy fingers ran trails across her skin and sank deep into her bones. Seconds before it could freeze her heart solid, she heard the cry. A tiny, muffled baby's wail sounded for a fraction of a second before drifting away on the sudden breeze as she bolted upright in alarm. Her warm breath formed a cloud of condensation before it too was whisked away. Green eyes scanned the out of place room, it's scenery quickly pushing the cry to the back of her mind as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and winced at the pain gripping her torso. Pushing herself up, she tested the weight on her leg and found it to be fine, cringing only at the frost that crackled beneath her feet as she again was confused at the iciness of the room. Then, that same cry drifted from behind the door, her gaze snapped to it, and a sense of urgency to reach that sound pulled her forward as if she were being controlled by a master puppeteer.
The suspiciously iron door knob burned her skin as she twisted it, unaware of the pain as her feet propelled her towards that sound that was now dancing away from her. As suddenly as it came, it stopped and Mal froze, breath once again forming tiny clouds as her panic built. The stairs to the rest of the safe house were not there, instead, a familiar icy shore laid out before her. The violent waves were frozen mid crash onto the shoreline as sound ceased to exist. Mal turned, wishing to go back the way she came but the room was no longer there. Instead, it was an area she had not visited in a few months and her heart squeezed in sadness. Her frosted lips quivered in grief as that cry sounded again, pulling her forward to its source. She now knew who that cry belonged to despite never having heard it even once. The dark sky split with a crack of lightning, illuminating the shadows but also revealing the empty earth where she was supposed to be.
The rustle of fabric behind her turned her towards the sound, and her knees hit the ground at the sight before her. Maleficent stood there staring at something with her horns glistening in the moonlight, back turned to Mal but also turned away from the tiny body shrouded beneath the ends of the villain's black cloak. Another tiny cry erupted, echoing off the frozen waves and sending shards of pain straight into Mal's soul. She fought to pull herself up and run to the hidden baby, but suddenly, all of her injuries were weighing her down and she couldn't move. Another rip of lightning fractured the midnight sky and snow began to fall, covering the dark cloak of her mother in a blanket of whites and dull greys. As it landed on Mal's skin, she realized that she couldn't feel the cold anymore. Horror struck her the same moment the smell of ash did, and her mother whipped around with her eyes blazing green. Maleficent's cloak uncovered the tiny body it was hiding, her claws reaching for her as blood dripped from her fingertips. The blood had to have come from somewhere, and Mal's horrified gaze traveled past her for a fraction of a second and saw Ember, stiff as stone and as pale as moonlight as blood covered the hole in her tiny chest. One last haunting cry echoed around her as a new grief-stricken scream took its place.
"Mal! Mal, wake up!" Evie called as any remnants of sleep were chased from her mind. Based on the absence of light in the room, save for a candle, she knew it was well past midnight. "Mal!" she called again in a panic as she shook the screaming girl next to her. Tears reflected back at her from the candlelight as movement to her other side told her that Carlos was up as well. Of course he was, the cries and screams that were tearing themselves from Mal's heart and soul were enough to wake the dead.
"What happened?!" Carlos challenged as his feet hit the floor and ran to Mal's side as Evie tried her best to wake her. Mal was desperately clawing at her arms as if trying to scrape something off.
Evie ignored him and abandoned the effort of shaking the girl as Carlos grabbed wildly at Mal's arms. Knowing that it would hurt, she pulled Mal into her arms and effectively silenced the screaming. She knew she was finally awake when Mal's arms wrapped around her and buried her face into the crook of her neck, hot tears running rivers down Evie's shirt. The screams turned into frantic sobbing as her grip tightened and Mal started to get a sense of where she was.
It was just a dream.
"What happened!?" a new voice demanded as Jay burst into the room with Roan and Dahlia hot on his tail, ready and alert for danger.
Mal shook violently in Evie's arms and Carlos had sense enough to shoo the invading party out of the room to explain what happened. Jay fought him every step of the way, but an authoritative order from Evie had him submitting instantly
"Shhh," Evie soothed as she ran her fingers through Mal's hair as the sobs quieted down. "It's okay, you're safe, we are all safe."
"Ember," Mal said simply as she didn't dare let go of Evie just yet. The princess was grounding her to this world at the moment. She was desperately trying to get the sight of Ember and Ash's lifeless bodies out of her head. Her cries still echoed in her mind and the smell of burnt ash stuck in her nose. She still felt as if it coated her skin and she was too afraid to let go to look. "I need Ember," she choked out as her lungs shrieked at her from their overuse. "Where the hell is Ember!" she tried again when Evie didn't answer fast enough.
"Mal, I need you to calm down first. What happened?" Evie tried coercing in a comforting voice.
Mal loosened her grip and a mixture of anger and panic began to fill her, but Evie wouldn't let her go. "Let me go," Mal growled dangerously as Evie tried to move even closer, if that was even possible. As quickly as it came, the anger dissipated and a helplessness filled its place. In a voice just shy of a whisper, she pleaded with the girl holding her. "Please go get my baby."
"Shhh," Evie soothed again as Mal went limp in her arms as if she had given up on life itself. It was tearing her heart out to see the fearless girl so vulnerable like this. "We can get her, but you need to calm down first. She can't see you like this." Trusting Mal to finally listen to her, she released her grip on the girl and eased her back into the pillows. She tried not to show surprise when she noticed the red and raw scratches lining her arms, but instead leaned over the girl and grabbed the antiseptic from the bedside table. Mal's chest heaved in effort to oxygenate her lungs from the recent event, but Evie could still see the panic dancing behind her eyes as she watched the door like a hawk. She gently took care of her arms while trying to keep Mal calm. She had never seen her like this. The fever she was sporting didn't have her in her right mind. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked finally, breaking the silence between them. For a moment, she wasn't sure if Mal even heard her.
"It was just a dream. I'm fine," she lied as her eyes drooped in exhaustion but still remained fixed on the door.
Evie paused in disappointment before pushing the bottle of antiseptic away. "You're not fine, and you don't have to pretend to be. Not with me, and not with Jay and Carlos. Stop trying to act tough, you don't have to do that, Mal. We take care of eachother; we're family."
Again, Mal ignored her, but she knew her words reached her when Mal's hand reached for hers. Evie grabbed it readily and leaned back into the pillows with the injured girl. Mal curled into her and buried her face back into Evie, willingly letting herself become vulnerable this time as she tried getting the nightmare out of her mind.
After some time, Jay and Carlos peeked back into the room. They met Evie's tired eyes and she put her fingers to her lips to let them know that Mal had fallen back asleep. Concern was splayed across their faces as they tiptoed towards them, but Evie mouthed Ember's name, and they got the message before leaving the room again. She gave Mal one last look over and then gently pulled herself away from the girl, leaving a space between them for Ember.
A few minutes later, the boys returned with both Ember and Kenzi sound asleep in the their arms. "What time is it?" she asked in a whisper as she reached out for the tiny purple haired girl instead of for Kenzi. Jay passed her over the sleeping Mal with ease, and Evie settled her in between her and the unconscious girl. Even though Mal was out, there was still some sort of instinct there because she shifted her body so that Ember fit against her perfectly, and a small sigh of relief settled over the dragon leader.
"Last I checked," Jay began as he kneeled next to the bed to inspect the damage Mal did to her arms, "it was close to 3 in the morning."
Evie scoffed; he didn't answer her question. Carlos climbed into bed on Evie's side and offered Kenzi to her, to which she took happily. A little smile showed on her lips as she recognized her mothers scent, and she leaned into Evie comfortingly. Evie couldn't help but smile back as she traced her finger on her tiny lips before planting a kiss on her forehead.
"3:30ish," he told her as he watched Kenzi begin to squirm against Evie. He knew what was coming next, so he quietly climbed back out of bed and circled around to Jay, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him over to the couch so that Evie could feed her daughter.
In a harsh whisper, Jay demanded to know what the hell Carlos was doing. A simple nod back to the bed told him, and he softened his exhausted and stressed body as he sank into the familiar ratty couch. To say that he was tired was an understatement. He had spent most of the afternoon and night organizing the new patrol routines with Roan, and preparing the crew the best he could for when they left again. In the midst of it all, he carried Ember around since she refused to let him out of her sight after what had happened to Mal. Dahlia and Nova tried to no avail to soothe the frightened girl, but she wouldn't have it unless she was in either Jay or Carlos' arms. He elected to do most of the babysitting since Carlos was dealing with blades and chemicals as he worked on yet more bombs and weapons. He was a genius when it came to that. The things he came up with were impressive to say the least.
Jay shuddered once again as Mal's screams echoed inside of his head. It had been years since he had heard her sound so broken like that, and he was almost sure it was a nightmare about either Ember...or Ash. Ember had been sleeping on his chest with him on the couch when he heard those cries and immediately he jumped to the worst thoughts. He thought they had been invaded as his sleep deprived body gently thrust Ember into Nova's arms as he took off running, taking the stairs two at a time before bursting into the upper level. His heart broke when he took in the scene, and he was angry. He was angry that the Isle had hurt the toughest girl that ever walked this island. He was angry that there were people in this world cruel enough to do the things they did just for entertainment. Stealing a glance back over to the bed, Ember was curled up against Mal with her head resting on her previously dislocated shoulder. He knew it would be sore in the morning, but he also knew that Mal would rather have an aching shoulder than not being able to comfort her daughter. He was so thankful that Ember hadn't woken throughout the ordeal. For all that Mal had gone through in her life, he was proud to see the love she had for Ember and her crew. Yes, she was tough and could be cruel, but she had to be that way to keep them all alive. Everything that she did, every move that she made, and every punishment she dished out, was done in their best interest. Without Mal, this crew would fall apart, and he bet that over half of them wouldn't even be alive if not for her.
A glance to Evie next to her caused a sorrowful smile to split his lips before a sharp elbow from Carlos made him avert his gaze as he sneered back at him. That girl was strong as well. She loved Kenzi with all of her heart and soul, and she didn't have to. The Isle had taken away her innocence and it made him angry all over again. Never once did Jay see or hear her question whether or not she was going to keep Kenzi after she was born. If Mal and Roan hadn't taken it upon themselves to hunt down her rapist, then Jay would have done it without a second thought. It still stung that Mal hadn't asked him to go with her, but he also understood that he needed to be there for Evie. After everything the princess had been through, she remained one of the sweetest, and deadliest people he knew. His anger was chased away as thoughts of unsuspecting people trying to take advantage of the 'prim and proper' girl, right before she threw a punch that would ache for days. She prided herself in the way that she could handle herself in certain situations.
"Jay!" the sharp whisper stirring him from his thoughts. His head snapped back over to Evie, who had finished feeding Kenzi and had already laid her down next to her. "Are you or Carlos staying up here tonight?"
"No-" he started before Carlos cut him off.
"I have to get an early start," Carlos began. "My powders should be dry soon and I don't want to wake you up when I leave. Jay," he said as he started pushing himself up from the couch, "why don't you stay here and get some rest."
Jay rose with him. "I can't, there's too much-"
"No," Carlos whispered with a smirk, "everyone has their orders. They will be okay with you getting some proper sleep."
"Yeah!" Evie agreed. "Besides, I haven't seen you sleep for more than a few hours at a time. You are going to run yourself into the ground."
He thought about it for a moment and then dropped his shoulders in defeat. "Fine," he surrendered, "but don't hog the bed this time, Blue." Carlos gave him a slap on the back as he made his way from the room as a 'good luck' for mocking the girl.
Evie's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You do realize I have little children's limbs poking into me on all sides at almost all times, right?"
"No excuse," Jay shot back playfully as he shuffled over and climbed beneath the covers. For good measure, Evie snuck her foot over to his and pushed her freezing feet up the ends of his sweatpants. He jerked his leg away so fast, he thought the motion would wake everyone in the bed as it creaked in protest at the sudden movement. "Bitch," he whispered playfully as he rolled over with his back facing Kenzi and Evie on her other side. Small laughter from Evie chased away some of the anger and anxieties he had been feeling, and that was enough for him to finally fall into a deep sleep.