Family Maintenance

Author's Note

I feel like I haven't updated in forever, and I am genuinely so sorry about that! I was on vacation for the past two weeks (celebrating my boyfriend's graduation, he reads these sometimes, so if he's here, congratulations again, my love.) Anyways, I'm back now and I present to you the thirteenth chapter of FM. It is also the chapter everyone has been dreading. Anticipating, maybe. I do hope you enjoy!

Leave the reviews, please, I've missed seeing those!

Belle smiled as she watched Este hold Ben's hand as he brought her around, almost like a proud dad, greeting everyone else who came to the event, her and Adam seated at a table with Mal, who was chatting with Evie and Lonnie.

Este's laugh filled the air when Emir introduced her to Rajah. Jasmine and Aladdin were all smiles as Emir placed Este carefully atop the tiger and paraded them around, him and Akiho humming a silly tune as if they were gracing everyone with the presence of a mighty princess.

Ben was taking pictures, his thumb tapping his phone like crazy, and Mal's phone started pinging. Belle glanced at her, smiling fondly when Mal's face brightened at the sight of her daughter, showing the photos to the others.

As the queen turned back to watching her son interact with Este, she realized she'd never seen her son so carefree, so attentive. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought Mal and Ben were together, based on the way he paid more attention to her and Este than anyone else and how she'd glance at him with shining green eyes whenever he took Este from her.

Mal was a polite girl, much nicer than Audrey, Belle had thought inwardly, and while she could be putting on a facade for her and Adam, the way Ben took great care of her and her daughter told Belle better.

It made Belle a little bit happy that the two girls were bringing something to Ben's plate.

Something that made him seem much happier.

She was about to turn to Mal to speak with her, but she was interrupted when a shrill voice and a cry cut through the air. She looked up, her eyes widening to see Este crying on the floor next to a tall woman in a pastel pink ensemble. Ben was bending down to pick her up, his eyes flooding with concern, as the other woman stared in disain.

Mal shot up like a rocket, almost tripping over her feet as she ran towards Ben, who was cradling Este to his chest as she trembled, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Grammy! Are you okay?" Audrey exclaimed as she rushed to the woman's side, placing a hand on the elderly woman's shoulder. The woman paid no mind, her eyebrows ruffling when she saw Mal.

"You! How are you here? What are you… Who is this?" she pointed furiously at Este, who wailed louder at the stern voice Leah addressed her with.

"Queen Leah, please! Calm is Mal and her daughter. They're from the Island. Do you remember my proclamation?"

Leah gasped, staring at Mal, who stared back at her, and then it clicked.

The purple hair.

The green eyes.

The dragon-based jacket wrapped around her waist.

"You! You're the… You're the daughter of that evil fairy! The one who ruined my family," Leah said, her voice going even more high-pitched."I remember now. Benjamin, how could you? How could you bring these people to our peaceful land? They are evil, they're on the Isle for a reason!"

Ben handed Este to Mal, whose eyes were filling with the realization that Queen Leah was Aurora's mother.

Audrey's grandmother.

The woman her mother hated with all of her magical being.

The woman that made Ben, the purest person she'd ever met, rant and pace.

"Queen Leah, they're not evil. They deserve the second chance, all they ever did was be born! They are not their parents." Ben enunciated.

Leah's voice got more squeakier. "What do you mean? Do you people not remember all the spells? The stealing? The apples? All of it!" Leah looked around at everyone, who could only stare. Mal's friends had inched towards them, taking a protective stance around Mal and Ben.

"And her," Leah glared at Mal, her eyes filled with disgust, and Este whimpered, burying her face in Ben's neck. "She's obviously a bad influence. My Audrey was right! What person has a daughter at this age? So irresponsible. I still don't understand why you broke up with Audrey over-"

"That's enough!" Ben roared.

Silence.

Belle and Adam stared at him, their faces etched with surprise. Their son wasn't one for loud outbursts, preferring to solve things without conflict as much as possible.

The other guests stared in surprise, as well. Even Este stopped crying, glancing up at Ben with wide eyes.

"You don't know them," Ben said, his voice softer when Este's lip quivered. He squeezed her tighter. "You don't know them the way I do."

"Please." Chad scoffed.

"Yeah, you know them because you spent more time with them than your future queen!" Audrey exclaimed, crossing her arms. "You obviously liked her, who knows what you two were up to while we were still together? Oh Gods, Ben, it's like I don't even know you anymore. You're a completely different person."

"Yeah, a completely different person in a good way." Akiho shot back.

Ben was quiet, his face looking almost lethal, and Mal placed a hand on Ben's arm, squeezing it as she noticed Este's eyes filling up with tears again.

"Ben," she murmured softly. "It's alright, calm down. You're worrying Este-"

Leah spoke up again. "She obviously has you under her influence!" she exclaimed, her hands waving around like a madman.

Mal winced, her hand dropping from Ben as Leah stepped closer to her and swiftly slapped her across the face. Este stopped whimpering for a moment, her eyebrows ruffling as she stared at her mother's cheek, tinged pink from the blow.

Audrey smirked and Chad's lips curved into a smug smile.

"Hey!" Jay yelled and Akiho grabbed him, holding him back before he could get himself in trouble. He was tempted to let him go, though.

Ben's eyes narrowed at Leah, who didn't notice and continued rambling.

"That's what you deserve, for what your mother put my family through-"

"I said, that's enough!" Ben growled, his eyes glinting with anger.

Mal wasn't sure, but him shielding her and Este from Leah's rampage was doing things to her insides. Este reached for her, her thoughts coming to a pause as she tucked Este into her embrace.

"I can't believe you're protecting her, Benjamin! What kind of king will you be to us, bringing villains over?" Leah said. "It's unthink-"

"Queen Leah, if you continue to talk rudely about them, I will not hesitate to have guards escort you from the premises." Ben stated pointedly.

"You'd think once Leah even opened her mouth he'd say that." Emir said, shaking his head.

"Wrong time, Emir." Carlos whispered back.

Leah gaped at him. "You wouldn't! Benjamin, my kingdom has been your closest allies-"

"It won't be once I'm king if you continue speaking like that. You're not only insulting Mal, you're insulting a three-year old. I don't want to be allies with a queen who will do that to people in public nonetheless."

"She's a villa-"

"She's done nothing to prove that she's a villain. She was sitting at the table, chatting with her friends. Just as everyone else here was. Would you say that is evil? That everyone here… They are just as evil as she is?" Ben gestured to the other guests, who cowered back under his unfamiliar heavy gaze. "Would you say that a little girl who was playing and accidentally bumped into you was evil? I'm sure if it was any other Auradonian child you wouldn't have reacted the way you did with Este."

Leah was speechless.

"And Mal isn't her mother. She didn't even exist when Maleficent cursed Aurora. She's done nothing but be born and hope for a better life for her daughter, and all you're doing is making it worse." Ben spat and Audrey hmphed.

"Honestly, Ben! Do you really want to be with her? She's-"

"She's much more genuine than you ever will be, Audrey."

Audrey gasped.

"Now, excuse me while I try to comfort the little girl you just berated for being evil and her mother, who you just slapped. A real queen doesn't do that. You don't know their background, you only know who they were from." Ben glanced around the lawn, daring anyone to counter him.

With one final glare at Leah, he placed his hand on the small of Mal's back and ushered her and Este away, shielding her from the prying eyes of everyone else.