Okay here is a new chapter of Connections! I know! Almost a year later! I am sorry!
Like I said in Two Worlds, I will be taking a small break after the 17th of April. Maybe a month to a month and a half, until the semester in over.
Urmimala Hazra: Thank you so much!
brimason0201: thank you!
shortanamx: thank you! I am hoping to get more out soon, but I have to finish this semester first
AmethystDragon14: I know soon turned out to be a year late, but I finally did lol! I hope you like this update!
Tracie Adams: you know what happens lol!
Nikster7123: It will be a story. I only post one chapter stories in my one shots and that is also where I post my sneak peaks to see how people like them.
InuKagLove22: thank you so much! That really means a lot to me!
darkpegasuzz: I am hoping so too, thank you so much!
QueenOfHearts143: thank you so much! I really love reading nice comments and I am sorry about 50. I want to get it done, but I have to finish this semester first. Bleh
Guest: I will try lol
Flameheart Is A Crazy Butterfl: yes! I will be updating as fast as I can. I am very busy with school, work, and other things. I will be taking a small break to finish this semester, but I will be back!
As always...
I DO NOT OWN DESCENDATES!
It had been a week. A week since Mal and the other VKs came over from the Isle, and the most frustrating week of Ben's life. Every time he would see Mal around school he wanted to hug her or kiss her, but he couldn't. He promised that he wouldn't say they were boyfriend and girlfriend until she was comfortable, but it was hard. He would see her in class, sitting at lunch with her friends and new friends she and the rest were making, sketching in the courtyard, or reading in the library. She acted like it was so easy, pretending not to be his girlfriend, and he didn't know why it was so hard for him.
"You look aggravated," Mal said through their mind link.
"Huh?" He asked, breaking out of his thoughts.
He turned his head, not knowing where Mal was. He was sitting at a bench, under a tree, with coronation and school paperwork surrounding the table.
"And now you look like you're in a panic," she said.
"Where are you?" He asked as he scanned the courtyard.
"I'm around," she said in a teasing voice. "Now, why do you look so aggravated?"
"I don't look aggravated," he said.
"Say that to your wrinkled forehead," she said, making Ben shake his head.
"Where are you? I want to ask you something."
He heard a rustling coming from above his head, and when he looked up he saw his girlfriend sitting on a branch, resting against the trunk.
"What are you doing up there?" He asked aloud.
"I'm sketching in my book," she told him as she held her book up.
"Would you like to come down and work with me?" He asked as he started to move his papers around.
"I don't know," she said as she started to swing her leg back and forth. "What would people think of the future king befriending a villain."
"Well, being as I am the one who brought you over from the Isle, I don't think anyone's opinion matters," he stated as continued to move his papers around. "Now, why don't you come down before you fall and break your neck."
She shook her head at her boyfriend, and chuckled. She knew he was having a hard time, not being able to act like a normal couple. If she was honest with herself, it was harder than she first anticipated. Seeing him around, and watching girls look at him as he passed made her blood boil. There had been a few times she had seen Audrey, and a couple of other girls, trying to flirt with him and she had to fight the urge to not go up to him and kiss him so that they would leave him alone. She claimed down, throwing her backpack over her shoulder, so that it wouldn't fall.
"Be careful," he said as he watched her climb down.
"I'm always careful," she said as she jumped the last five feet and put her backpack on the table. "What are you working on?" She asked as she sat down across from him.
"Just some homework and some finalizations for my coronation," he said as he looked at her and smiled slightly. "How are classes so far?"
"They're going," she said as she flipped open her sketchbook to a blank page. "But, I have to ask again. Who wanted us to be in a Remedial Goodness class?"
"That would be the work of the student council, or aka Audrey's decision," he said. "She basically guilt tripped the student council and FG to adding that class."
"How?"
"I'm not sure. I was busy getting other things ready for your arrival that I wasn't able to attend the meeting," he explained.
"We're not mad, we just think that it's a super easy A," she said with a smirk on her face. "I mean, the four of us were raised by Gods. Literally."
"I know," he said as he smirked at her. "I told Fairy Godmother and she said that it was only going to be for this year, and no more after that."
"Good to know," she said. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"
"Oh! Right," he said as he started to get nervous.
How was he going to ask her to be his date to the coronation, but was scared to ask if she didn't want people to know they were dating. He didn't want to take anyone else. He wanted to take his girlfriend.
"I… um… I was…"
"Hey guys!" Chad said as he walked over and sat down next to Ben.
Ben rolled his eyes. Why did Chad have to interrupt now?
"What are we talking about?" he asked as he looked between the both of them.
Ben looked at him in confusion. He didn't know why Chad was acting so polite and nice. He was the one of the people who didn't want the VKs to even come.
"Homework," Mal said. "Ben was asking me how things were going for our first week."
"That's good," he said as he smiled brightly at Mal.
Ben grew even more confused. Chad was overly friendly with Mal right now, and he didn't know why, but his tune did change when he met them.
"How have things been? Is everything okay? Are people being nice to you?" He asked in a haste.
Now, Mal was the one growing confused. Chad had been friendly to the VKs since he first met them, but he was a little overly friendly for Mal's and Ben's liking.
"Um… yeah," she said as she looked at Ben who was giving Chad a just as confused look as she was.
"He is way too friendly," Mal said through their mind link.
"Yeah. I don't like it," Ben said as he kept his eyes on Chad.
"So, Mal," Chad said as he leaned on the table to focus on her. "I was wondering…"
"What that fuck?!" Ben thought.
"What?" Mal asked.
"He's going to ask you out," Ben said in an aggravated tone and his face started to turn sour.
"He's going to what?" She asked in disbelief.
"I was wondering if you, I don't know, wanted to go out with me?" He asked, making Mal go into shock.
"What?" She asked.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date with me?" He asked again.
Ben's breath started to get heavy, hearing Chad ask out his girlfriend. Sure, he couldn't be pissed at Chad for it, but he could still be upset about it.
"Oh!" Mal said in surprise, but was now focused on how Ben was feeling. "Calm down."
"Nope."
"You know," she said. "I'm sorry. I bet you are a great guy, but I have only been here for a week, and I really do not want this to sound offensive, but I don't think we would make a good match."
"Well you don't know that," he said as he took her hand. "We could be the best match Auradon has ever seen."
"I'm going to claw his face, if you don't set him straight."
"Okay," Mal said as she put her hand over his and gave him a sweet smile. "I let you down nicely, but I guess I am going to have to let my Isle out," she said, making Chad grow confused. "No. Never. Not in a million years. I would rather have a shopping day with Audrey in your mothers glass slippers. Plus, those slippers are broken and cutting up my feet."
Chad went into shock at Mal's words, making him freeze. She stood up, taking her hand out of Chad's and threw her backpack over her shoulder.
"I'll talk to you later, Ben," she said before she walked away from the table. "Better?"
"Much."
"Meet me in my dorm?"
"Be there in 20."
Ben turned back to Chad, after Mal was out of sight, to see him still sitting there in shock. He loved how Mal set Chad straight, but he didn't understand the sudden switch in Chad's tune.
"Sorry, man," Ben said as he clasped Chad on the shoulder. He wasn't really sorry, but he had to act the part. "VK girls. What do you expect?"
"She's just playing hard to get," Chad said as he shook his head and brushed his fingers through his hair.
Ben gave Chad a dumbfounded look, not understanding how Chad could think Mal was playing hard to get.
"What?" He asked.
"She's playing hard to get," Chad said again. "Look, it would be intimidating to be dating a prince after a week of being here. That's obvious. I mean, think of it if she were dating you," he said. "How much pressure do you think she would feel if she were to be dating you?"
"I don't know, but you should just leave her alone," Ben said as he started to think.
Is that another reason why Mal wanted to keep their relationship a secret? He thought.
"She'll come around," Chad said with confidence.
"Dude," Ben said in a more aggravated tone. "Quit your shit. She doesn't want to date you. You're not her type."
"Oh?" Chad asked as he turned to look at Ben. "And what is her type? You?" He asked.
"I didn't say that, but…"
"But you want to be?" He asked. "Do you have a thing for Mal?"
"She's beautiful, but I am not going to pressure her like you are," he said.
"Well, I'm going to try until she says yes, or until she isn't single."
She isn't now, Ben thought.
"Whatever, man," Ben said as he gathered up all of his papers. "I would stop while you're behind, because she is very high strung, and Jay and Carlos are not going to like you pushing yourself on her."
"What are they going to do?" He asked.
"We're going to kick your ass," someone said from behind Chad, making him jump.
He turned around to see Jay and Carlos standing behind him with their arms crossed over their chest. He looked up at them in fear, before swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Oh… um… hey, guys," he said as he slowly stood up and gave them a small wave. "How's it going?"
"Better, if you would stop drooling over our sister," Carlos said.
"I wasn't…"
"Okay, listen blondie," Jay said as he held his hand up, making Jay stop talking. "Here are some things you need to know. One, you're never going to be good enough for our sister. Two, if she said to stop, stop. Three, Mal has someone waiting for her, and she is very fond of him. And four, if you don't stop, I know that there are some gods who would do more damage than I would."
Ben smiled, knowing that Jay was talking about him. It made him feel better about their situation, and he was going to talk to Mal about a couple of things later.
"Got it?" Carlos asked, making Chad nod his head.
"Got it," he said, before he hurried away from the table, leaving Mal's brothers with Ben.
"Thanks," Ben said as he put his papers into his folders. "Chad is stubborn, and I hope you know that he isn't going to stop."
"We know," they said simultaneously.
"It would be easier if you both would just come out and say you were dating," Jay said.
"Tell me about it," Ben said as he put his papers in his backpack. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a girlfriend to meet up with," he said as he gave them a small wave and walked away from the table.
He walked through the halls, and was about to walk up the stairs to the floor where his dorm room was on when he almost bumped into Audrey.
"Oh, there you are Bennyboo," she said as she smiled up at him. "I was just looking for you, I actually just checked to see if you were in your room."
"Hey, Audrey," he said, trying to be polite to her. "What did you need?"
"Grammy would like to have lunch with the both of us this week," she said with a bright and tight smile.
"Why?" He asked.
"She wanted to go over a couple of things," she said as she started to sway back and forth, smiling up at him.
"If they are kingdom related, she needs to talk with my father or both of my parents," he said. "I'm not king for three more months."
"I know, silly," she said as she playfully swatted his chest. "She wants to talk about a contract."
"What contract?"
"A betrothal contract."
Ben froze in shock. Queen Leah wanted to talk about what?
"I sense anger," Mal said jokingly through their mink link.
"Oh, you have no idea."
"Can't wait to hear. Hopefully she doesn't get your fur ruffled."
"She's doing more than ruffling."
"What do you mean, your grandmother wants to talk to me about a betrothal contract?" He asked, trying not to sound aggravated.
"Well, what else do you think she means?" She asked as if it was the most obvious thing to understand. "OUR betrothal contract."
"We don't, nor will we ever have, a betrothal contact," he said as he looked down at her. "We are not in a relationship, we are not engaged, and we are never getting married."
"Ben, there is going to come a time when you realize that I am the best match for you," she said in a sweet and stern tone. "It's only a matter of time before you see it too."
"Audrey, if I wanted to be in a relationship with you, don't you think I would have asked you a long time ago?" He asked. "And not to sound rude but I like someone else," he said.
"Who?" She asked. "You never mentioned liking anyone before."
"Because it is nobody's business but mine," he told her. "I don't have to go around advertising that I am interested in someone."
"Well, who is she?" Audrey asked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Is she pretty? Is she smart? Is she a princess? What's her name? Do I know her? Does she go to this school? Is she in any of our classes?"
"Not that it is any of your business," he said as he rolled his eyes. "But to be honest; yes she is gorgeous, yes she is smart, technically she is a princess, not going to tell you, yes, yes, and yes."
"Is it Lonnie?" She asked. "Because if it is, she has been flirting with that dirty no good Isle guy Jay."
"That's great," Ben said with a smile. "Jay is a great guy. He and Lonnie would make a wonderful couple."
"Well, if it's not Lonnie, then who is it?" She asked again.
"It is none of your business," he said again.
"Is it someone from Auradon, a different kingdom,j or the Isle?" She asked as she started to get aggravated.
Ben stayed quiet, not wanting to answer her question.
"Listen Audrey, I have to get going," he said, trying to get out of the conversation. "Dinner is going to be in about an hour and Doug, Jane, Lonnie and I are having dinner with the VKs."
"It's Evie or Mal isn't it?" She asked as he walked past her.
"It's none of your business," he said again.
This time he walked away from her, leaving her to be mad. He didn't care if she threw a fit, or if she went running to her grandmother about not getting her way. His relationship status was his, and his to make known if he wanted to.
He rounded the corner, just as Mal walked out of her room, and leaned against the door.
"What happened?" She asked.
He stopped at his door, and nudged his head for her to follow him inside. She followed him into his room, and closed the door behind them as he threw himself on his bed. He buried his face into his pillow, and started to mumble as she sat down on the edge of his bed.
"I can't understand you," she said.
He groaned before turning around and facing her.
"Audrey's grandmother wanted to have lunch this week to discuss our 'betrothal contract'," he said as he threw his hands up in frustration.
Mal burst out in laughter, making Ben groan and pulled her to lay down with him.
"It's not funny," he said as he held her close. "You don't know what it's like to have girls pining over you like you are some prize to be won."
"Be that as it may," she said as she turned to place her chin on his chest. "I don't have girls pinning over me, but I did have a couple of guys on the Isle who didn't like hearing no."
"Ah," Ben said as he started to remember. "Those four idiots. Gaston Jr, Gaston the third, Anthony Tremaine, and Zevon. Do they know you're gone?"
"Oh yeah," Mal said as she smiled and scrunched her nose. "I got a letter from my dad, and he said that he had to drag the twins back to their dad because they were so pissed I left the Isle."
"Good," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "Cause you're not going back unless you are coming back to me."
"Damn," she said as he tightened his hold on her. "If I didn't know any better I would say that you like me, Prince Benjamin."
"I like you a lot," he said as she snuggled into his chest.
She chuckled and smiled as she turned her head to look at him. After seven years of getting to know him, she knew she loved him. He was someone she would die for.
"So," she said, making him look at her with a kind smile. "What did you want to ask me when we were out there?"
"Oh," he said, making his eyes widen. "I was going to ask you… if you wanted to be my date to my coronation in three months?"
Mal furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She assumed that they were going to go together, and didn't know why he was asking.
"I thought I was already your date," she said.
"Well, I didn't just want to assume, because you are my girlfriend," he said. "I wanted to ask, because we are keeping our relationship a secret."
"I see," she said as she nodded her head. "Yes, I will be your date to your coronation."
"Really?" He asked, even though she said she assumed they were going together already.
"Yes."
"You know people will think we are dating after that right?"
"Let them," she said as she smiled at him.
He leaned his head down to give her a kiss on the lips, after hearing her say that. He was happy that in three months or maybe a little sooner than that, they would be able to publically be a couple.
Another week later, Mal was sitting in the library writing a paper for her Good VS. Evil class, and she was actually enjoying it.
"You look very happy, writing that paper," Ben said.
"Well, seeing that some people think my friends and I are evil, I think that writing this essay will put a little perspective into light."
"Can I read it later?"
"Nope," she said. "You will just have to wait until I present it in class on Monday."
"Ugh! Fine," Ben said, making Mal laugh to herself. "You look pretty today."
Mal shook her head and ducked her head, trying to hide her now red cheeks.
"Where are you?"
"I'm a couple of tables away. I was more than half tempted to sit next to you, but I didn't want people to assume things. Especially with the big mouthed gossip sitting at the table in front of you."
Mal looked up to see Audrey sitting at a table reading a tabloid magazine. She had her textbooks sitting in front of her, her purse lying on its side with her stuff falling out, and her pink sparkly cup sitting next to it. She shook her head before continuing to work on her paper.
"How much have you done?" Ben asked.
"It is almost done. I am just going to have your mother read over it later tonight."
"What time do you guys want to leave?"
"Probably, when Evie is done studying with Doug, and Carlos is done with his therapy session. Plus, I still need to get a couple of things for the weekend."
"Okay," Ben said. "I don't want to ask him, but how is he doing?"
"He was the roughest out of the four of us. Mom and dad tried to help as much as they could, but Cruella did some number on him. He seems a lot better, and I am glad that you offered therapy for him. I think it is going to help a lot."
"Well, whenever you got worried I did too, and I learned how to distinguish when you were worried about Carlos."
"He's so sweet, smart, caring, and nice. I do not understand why Cruella was such…"
"I know," Ben said. "But you don't have to worry about her, and honestly you didn't have to for the past 5 years, but I am happy that he is finally getting the chance to better himself."
"I know. I am too. He got better when my parents took us in, but he seems to be getting even better."
"That is all I want for you all."
"I know," she told him. "You are making so many good changes for people. I can't wait to see what you do when you become king."
"Just a little over two more months," he said.
"I know. I wonder what it is going to be like dating the king."
"The same as dating the prince," he said, making her chuckle to herself. "I'm excited for this weekend."
"Why?"
"Because I get to act like an actual boyfriend to you. I don't just have to stare at you as you walk past or when we are in class."
"It's harder than I thought it was going to be, but I said for a couple of months not our entire lives."
"Still, two weeks has felt like a year."
"Okay, let's not over exaggerate."
Ben's phone went off, making him break their lync and took it out of his pocket. He saw a text from coach, asking him to meet him at the tourney field.
"Hey. I'll meet you guys later. Coach wants to talk with me. Just text me when you guys will be ready." He said to her as he gathered his things.
"You got it, babe." Mal said.
"Not making things easier if you are giving me pet names."
"I like watching you squirm."
Ben huffed to himself, before he walked out of the library. Mal was finishing up her conclusion when someone sat in front of her, making her look up to see that Audrey switched tables.
"I just wanted to come and say you need to back off," Audrey said.
"Okay…" Mal said as she placed her pencil down and closed her notebook. "And I am going to ask this nicely. What are you talking about?"
"Ben."
"What about Ben?"
"You need to back off," she said. "I see him staring at you and I don't know what you are doing to make him do that, but it needs to stop."
"What makes you think I am doing something?" Mal asked as she leaned back in her chair. "You think I spelled him or something?"
"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "You could have done anything. You are the daughter of Maleficent. You are evil. You're bad. You would probably do anything to get on Ben's good side to break your mother free. And I bet no one told you that magic is banned from Auradon, but you know what they say. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree and mother knows best."
"I do agree with you on that," Mal said calmly and pointed at Audrey. "Mother does know best. My mother is the best, but you also have mine confused. My mother is Lady Persephone. Queen of the Underworld. The goddess of agriculture. You are right in the fact that Maleficent is my biological mother, but she is not my mother."
"You can't…"
"Mal," Carlos said as he tapped on her shoulder. "Evie is done, and I just got out of my session. You ready?"
"Yeah," Mal said as she gave him a smile and turned to grab her things, but stopped to look back at Audrey. "And another thing," she said as she picked up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. "I cannot control what Ben does, who he looks at, or who he finds attractive. He is his own person, and I am not spelling him. I do not have to justify myself to you, but just for your information, we were informed that magic is illegal, and I am allowed to use my magic," she said as she pulled her student ID card to show Audrey the stamp embedded into the card. It was a magic usage approved stamp, and only King Adam was allowed to approve them. She looked up at Mal, not knowing what to say. "I don't use it often, because I do not need it, but unfortunately I have to so I do not hurt myself by letting it build up. Now, if you will please excuse Carlos and I. The King and Queen invited us to spend the weekend at Castle Beast."
She didn't give Audrey a chance to say anything, before she turned on her heels and walked out of the library with Carlos next to her.
"You were very calm," he said as they made their way up to their dorms.
"Eh," she said with a shrug. "I want to have a good weekend, and if I let her get under my skin I will be bothered the entire time."
Ben ran all the way to the tourney field. He didn't know what coach wanted to talk about, but he knew he wanted to make it snappy so he could start to enjoy his weekend.
"Hey, coach," Ben said as he stopped in front of the older man. "What's up?"
Coach smiled at Ben, before passing him a new jersey. "Here you go."
"What's this for?"
"It's for Jay," he said. "You were right about him. He is quick, smart, and one hell of a player. He may need to learn what a rule book is, but he would be a great addition to the team."
Ben smiled brightly at him, before nodding his head. "That's great! He and the rest of the VKs are going to be spending the weekend with my parents and I. I can't wait to tell him."
"I bet he'll be happy, but I asked Carlos if he wanted a spot, and he said no," Coach said. "I was good, not as good as Jay, but he was slick and quick. He said that he wanted to focus on school, the computer club, and himself."
"Yeah," Ben said. "He is adjusting so I think he just wants to get comfortable."
Coach nodded his head, understanding that this must be a big change for the VKs. "Well, don't let me keep you. Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday, after school."
"You got it, coach," Ben said, before he threw Jay's sweater over his shoulder and started to run back toward the dorms.
Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos were waiting outside for Ben. Jay had texted him and told him that they were ready, but he didn't respond. Mal was about to go and check his dorm again, but saw him running toward them.
"Sorry," he said as he stopped in front of them a little out of breath. "Coach just wanted me to pass this along."
He grabbed the jersey off of his shoulder and held it out for Jay.
"No way!" He said as he took the jersey into his hand.
"Coach said you'll be great," Ben said. "Monday is going to be your first practice."
"Cool," he said with a nod, before he dropped his bag and put his jersey on.
"Are we ready?" Ben asked. "I brought my Jeep instead of my bike today."
"You're driving?" Evie asked. "I thought that we were going to be taking a limo."
"Yeah, I have been driving for almost a year," he said as he took Evie and Mal's bags from their hands. "And I thought it would be more fun if I drove."
"I'm game," Mal said with a shrug, before she started to walk toward the parking lot.
"Shotgun!" Jay said, but Mal snapped her fingers and she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
"She's already there isn't she?" Ben asked as he chuckled and shook his head.
"Unfortunately," Jay said as he shook his head. "I should have known better."
"You really should have," Evie said as she shook her head and the three of them followed Ben to the parking lot.
When they got there, Mal was sitting in the passenger seat playing on her phone. She smiled and waved at her siblings and boyfriend, making them laugh before they piled everything into the back of Ben's car and headed to Castle Beast.
"Wow," Mal said as she walked into the large castle. "This place is huge."
"How many rooms are in this place?" Jay asked as he placed his bags on the ground and looked at the high ceilings.
"I want to say 26," Ben said. "We don't stay here often. We mostly stay at Auradon Castle."
"This place is beautiful," Mal said as she started to walk forward. "I would stay here whenever I could. It's… absolutely breathtaking."
"I like it too," Belle said as she walked down that staircase, making everyone turn to her. She was not in her normal yellow attire. She was wearing a blue chiffon knee length dress, and her hair was in a low ponytail with a matching blue bow.
"Hi, your majesty," Mal and Evie said as they smiled at Belle.
"There is absolutely no need for titles here," she said as she wrapped the girls in a hug. "It is Belle." She let go of the girls, before walking over to the boys and giving them each a hug. "Now, why don't Ben and I show you where your rooms are, give a tour of the castle, and then we can all wait for Adam to be done with his meeting."
Ben threw Mal and Evie's bags over his shoulder, before walking up to Mal and lacing his fingers through her.
"You couldn't wait an hour could you?" She asked with a chuckle.
"I could have done it in the car, but I didn't, so shush," he said as they followed his mom up the grand staircase.
They walked up to the third floor of the castle, in the east wing, where all of the bedrooms were. Jay, Evie, and Carlos were each shown to their room while Ben went to his for a moment. Belle walked to the room next door and opened it with a smile on her face.
"This is your room, Mal," she said as she walked in.
Mal stopped dead in her tracks when she saw how beautiful the room was. The room looked like it was made of gold. The bed frame looked like they were made out of gold vines with leaves. The crown moldings were so unique and elegant. Mal was in such awe.
"What do you think?" Belle asked.
"It's absolutely beautiful," Mal said as she smiled at her boyfriend's mom.
"It was mine when I first came to the castle," she said, making Mal's eyes widen. "But I was technically a prisoner then."
"And now you are queen," Mal said as she smiled at Belle.
"And now I am queen," Belle said with a nod in agreement. "I wanted to talk to you, if that is okay?' She asked.
"Absolutely," Mal said as she flowed Belle and sat on the bed.
"I know you and Ben are keeping your relationship a secret right now," Belle said, making Mal nod her head. "And I understand why. But, I just want you to know that Adam and I could not be happier that you and your siblings are here. We want you to feel like this is a second home to you, and we want you to be comfortable."
"Thank you, Belle," Mal said as she gave the queen a warm smile. "We have been comfortable for the most part. There are some certain people who…"
"Just ignore her," Belle said, cutting Mal off. "She is just jealous."
"Audrey came up to me in the library today, after Ben left, and said that I need to back off," she said with a chuckle. "She said that she doesn't know that I am going to make Ben look at me all of the time, but it needs to stop."
"How are you supposed to control that?"
"I assumed she assumed I was using magic to spell him," Mal said as she shook her head. "I thought it was funny too, because he wasn't even sitting with me. I told her I have no control over what he does or who he finds attractive. She went on to tell me that no one told me that magic was illegal, my mother is Maleficent, and other things."
"She is so bubble headed sometimes," Belle said as she shook her head. "She is such a smart young woman, but she acts like a 10-year-old. I hope she grows out of it, because she needs to be thinking of what kind of queen Aurora is going to think of her when she takes the throne."
"That's understandable, but she is 16. All that is in her head is boys boys boys."
"You're 16 too," Belle said.
"But I was raised by gods," Mal said, making Mal chuckle. "My mother taught Evie and I that we do not need a guy to make us happy. We need to be happy with who we are as people and how we treat others. I don't need Ben to make me happy, but I don't know what I would do if he wasn't a part of my life."
"When Ben first told us about you, I had to admit, I was a little worried," Belle said, making Mal laugh. "Neither Adam nor I knew what to think when he said his best friend was the daughter of Maleficent and Hades. He would talk about you and say things that made you sound like you were his imaginary friend," she said as she laughed. "We thought he was a little old for one, but as he grew older, he kept talking about you, and then we knew you weren't imaginary. We asked him so many questions about you, because we didn't know what you two talked about, and what broke me was when he started yelling in the library."
"What?"
"It was the day your mother and father took the four of you away from Maleficent, Jafar, Cruella, and Grimhild," Belle explained. "I have never seen him so mad, and I feared that he was going to do something bad or harm himself. I locked him in his room, and I sat outside of the door waiting for him to calm down. It took him a while, but when he finally calmed down and told me what happened. I could see how much he cared for you."
Mal smiled, remembering how Ben felt that day. She had told him to calm and talk him down after everything happened, but hearing it from Belle made her heart swell in her chest.
"You two have something so rare and magical. No one in the kingdom has what you and Ben have."
"You don't think it's weird?" Mal asked as she started to play with her fingernails. "I mean, I love having this connection with Ben. Please, don't get me wrong. I just don't understand it."
"It is different," Belle said as she took Mal's hands into her own. "But what is wrong with being different? I fell in love with a giant hairy beast. That is different."
Mal laughed as she shook her head. She knew that her and Ben's relationship was different, but she loved the connection.
"What are you doing here?" They heard Ben say, making them walk out of the room to see Audrey and Chad standing in the hallway.
"We came for a visit, Bennyboo," Audrey said. "That's alright, isn't it?"
"I mean, yeah, but you guys didn't let me know, and we are about to wait to have dinner with my parents."
Evie, Jay, and Carlos all came out of their rooms and walked over to where Mal and Belle were standing. Ben was standing in the hallway with his back turned to them, and was talking to Audrey and Chad.
"That's perfect," Audrey said. "I don't think your parents would mind. Do you, your majesty?" She asked as she looked past Ben and gave Belle a sweet tight smile.
Ben turned around and saw his mom, Mal, and her siblings all standing there like deer caught in the headlights.
"Um… no," Belle said as she looked at the four kids standing next to her.
Belle didn't know what to say. She couldn't be rude and kick them out, but she also knew that Audrey was trying to make things uncomfortable for Evie, Mal, Jay, and Carlos.
"I was just about to head down to help Mrs. Potts," she said as she took a couple of steps toward her.
"Would you like some help?" Mal asked, gaining Belle's attention.
"That's…"
"We insist," Evie said. "You have opened your castle to us, and made us beautiful rooms. It is the least we can do."
"Very well," Belle said with a smile. "Why don't the three of us head down then."
Belle looped her arms through Evie and Mal's before walking past her son, and the other prince and princess. Chad watched as they walked past, but he watched Mal more than the other two.
"I swear," Ben said. "If he doesn't stop looking at your butt…" but Jay shoves Chad in the shoulder.
"Quit it you perv," Jay said.
"Leave him alone you dirty no good," Audrey said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "He was only looking at a girl he finds attractive."
"Who happens to be my sister," Jay snapped back as he looked down at her.
"She's not your sister," Audrey said as she rolled her eyes. "You guys don't have the same parents."
"Blood doesn't make a family, princess," Carlos said as he walked up next to Jay. "We may not be blood related, but Evie and Mal are our sisters."
"Well…"
"Chip is my brother," Ben said, making Audrey stop talking to look at him. "And we do not have the same parents. You never make comments about that. So why are you being extremely rude to Jay and Carlos?"
"Oh, Bennyboo," Jay said as kept his glare on Audrey. "It's because we are from the Isle," he said. "Princess Audrey doesn't think we deserve to be here, because 'our parents' did evil things."
"Do you blame her?" Chad asked.
"Chad, you make no sense," Carlos said. "You hate us being here, just like Audrey does, but then you are flirting with Mal and asking her out on dates. Can you make up your mind?"
"She's hot," Chad responded with a shrug.
Ben's blood started to boil. He hated Chad saying things like that about Mal and he wanted to punch him in the face.
"If you two are not going to respect Mal, Evie, Jay, or Carlos you can leave," Ben said, speaking up. "I am not going to have you disrespecting them, or making them feel uncomfortable," he said as he glared at Chad. "Do you understand me?"
Audrey and Chad nodded, before Ben fixed his posture and took a breath to steady himself.
"Now, if you will excuse us," he said. "We are going to find my father."
Ben walked past him with Jay and Carlos following.
"What are we supposed to do?" Chad said, making Ben turn to him.
"I don't know," Ben said as he shrugged. "You weren't supposed to be here, but my dad wanted to see the three of us before dinner. Why don't you go and entertain yourselves in the game room," he said.
They stood there in shock at Ben's response. He had never been this rude to them. Ben turned away from them and walked away with Jay and Carlos walking behind. He was not going to have them disrespect his girlfriend and her family. The three of them walked across the castle and into the west wing of the castle, where his dad's office was. Ben knocked on the door, and heard his dad tell them to come in.
"What's wrong?" Adam asked as the three boys walked in, and he saw the look on Ben's face.
"Chad and Audrey invited themselves over, and were being rude to Jay and I," Carlos said as he walked over to King Adam to shake his hand.
"I see," Adam said as he shook Carlos' hand. "And you do not have to be formal to me in my home, which is now your home too," he told Jay and Carlos with a kind smile.
"They need to learn to be decent people," Ben said as he slumped in one of the chairs. "Chad is trying to flirt with Mal, and I want to claw his face off. And Audrey is walking around like she owns the place, because she thinks we are dating."
Ben went on for a couple of minutes before Adam walked over and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, cub," he said, making Ben sigh and take a breath. "Don't let them get to you. Mal is dating you. She is not going to be swayed by Chad. And with Audrey… you just have to keep doing what you are doing. She will, hopefully, get the idea and stop being so forward with you."
"I hope so," Ben sighed as he rubbed his eyes with his hands. "It would just make things so much easier if Mal and I could act like a normal couple."
"It will happen sooner or later, but right now we have to head down for dinner," Adam said. "Come of you three. Before Mrs. Potts comes to hunt us down."
"I would be more afraid of Mal coming to hunt us down on Mrs. Potts' behalf," Jay said as they walked out of Adam's office laughing.
They made their way down to the dining room, and when they walked in they saw Chad and Audrey already seated, and Ben groaned when he saw Audrey sitting in the seat next to him. There goes sitting next to Mal at dinner, he thought to himself. Mrs. Potts, Belle, Evie, Mal, and chip walked out of the kitchen laughing with silver platters in their hands. They set the platters down, just as Lumier, Cogsworth, and Fifi walked into the dining room.
"Audrey, dear," Belle said, making Audrey look up at her with a curious expression. "Would you mind moving to sit next to Chip and Chad? I wanted to sit with Mal and Evie so I can talk to them about a couple of things."
Audrey was shocked by the request at first, but then thought that Belle was going to lecture them about the rules of Beauty Castle and of Auradon. She got up and walked over to Chad, who had a confused look on his face. He was on his way to pull out a chair for Mal, but Chip clasped him on the shoulder and pulled him to hit next to him.
"Here, Mal," Belle said as she took the platter out of the 16 year olds hands. "Take a seat there, and we can chat in a moment."
Mal smiled at Belle before turning to see Lumier holding out a chair for Evie to sit. She walked over and was about to pull her chair out, but Ben grabbed it first and pulled it out for her to sit in. She shook her head and laughed before thanking him and sitting down. He took a seat next to her, and Audrey couldn't help but glare at them. Everyone was seated and Mrs. Potts took the lids off the big platter she had brought in.
"We made personal filet mignon, and…"
"I am sorry," Audrey said, cutting off the elderly woman. "I am not eating red meat."
"If you would have let me continue," Mrs. Potts said as she tilted her head to the side. "We prepared a multitude of dishes."
Mal stood up and took the top off of the platter she had brought in and underneath was seasoned salmon.
"There are also a multitude of sides," she said as Belle, Evie, and Chip stood up and uncovered the last remaining platters. "We have mashed potatoes or rice, an assortment of mixed vegetables, and stuffed mushrooms."
"Everything looks spectacular," Lumier said as he smiled at the ladies.
"What about these taters," Chip said as he held the bowl of mashed potatoes in his hands. "They look pretty scrumshis don't you think, Loui?"
"Yes, Charles," Lumier said with a chuckle. "The potatoes look delicious."
"We went a little overboard, because we couldn't decide on what to choose," Evie said as she smiled brightly at everyone.
"And I am sure everything is delicious," Adam said as he took the bowl of mashed potatoes from Chip.
"Dig in," Belle said as she held her hands out.
Everyone started to serve themselves, and they were enjoying their dinner. There were going to be a lot of leftovers, but they were fine with it.
"How do you like the salmon?" Ben asked as he turned toward Mal as she was mid bite.
"It's very good," she said as she covered her mouth. "Do you not like fish?"
Ben and Mal had to ask random questions that they already knew the answers to, because they had to act like they were just getting to know each other.
"No, I like it, but filet mignon is my favorite meat," he said as he put a piece of meat between his teeth.
"Want to try it?" She asked as she took a piece off her plate and held it up to his mouth.
He chuckled before he finished what was in his mouth and ate what was on her fork.
"It's very good," he said as his eyes widened. "It has to be the best salmon I have had."
"Thanks," she said as she gave him a smile and took another bite of her food.
"Here," he said as he held up a piece of steak to her. "Try the steak. You didn't get any."
She rolled her eyes, before taking the bite off his fork. She had meat on the Isle and at Auradon Prep, but this one melted in her mouth.
"I understand why it's your favorite," she said as she swallowed what was in her mouth. "It just melts in your mouth."
Audrey watched Ben and Mal from across the counter, and glared at them as they laughed and talked.
"Belle?" Evie said, making the queen look at her. "I know you have all of the money in the world and could get your clothes from the best of designers, but I was wondering if I could design a dress for you?"
"I would love that, Evie," Belle said with a bright smile. "You make such beautiful clothes for your siblings. You are quite the talented one."
Evie blushed at the compliment. She knew she was good, but hearing it from someone other than her family was amazing.
"Thank you," Evie said as she smiled at Belle. "I would love to make you something beautiful, and something you could dress up or down."
"Just make sure it is in yellow," Audrey said as she kept her eyes on her plate. "Queen Belle always wears yellow."
Everyone looked at Audrey in confusion and then looked at Belle who was wearing a blue dress.
"You do know that I am wearing blue right now. Don't you?" Belle asked, making Audrey look at her and widened her eyes.
"Oh," Audrey said in surprise. "I didn't even notice."
"Clearly," Mal said under her breath.
"Well, at least you are in royal colors," Audrey said with a shrug.
"Would it be a bad thing if she wasn't?" Carlos asked out of curiosity.
Audrey rolled her eyes and scoffed before looking at Carlos. "When you are a royal, you should stay in your royal house colors," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Like the Beauty colors are pink and blue. Charming colors are baby blue and yellow. Beast colors are dark blue and gold. Get the picture?"
"So, what you are saying is that the royal families cannot go outside of their colors?" Mal asked as she propped herself on her elbow.
"Well…"
"And because Adam and Belle invited my siblings and myself into their family that we have to change our appearance?"
"Blood family."
"Okay! My dad has his own kingdom," Mal said as she crossed her arms. "You may have heard of it. It's called the Underworld. His colors are blue, black, grey, and sometimes red. Depending on his mood," she said, making Jay, Evie, and Carlos laugh. "My hair is purple. Would that be considered bad because it does not match the royal colors of his kingdom?"
"Well…"
"What if I dyed my hair yellow," she said as he pointed to her hair. Mal's hair turned yellow as sparks from her finger hit her head. "Would I be mocking Cinderellasberg or Auradon?" She asked Audrey, who didn't know what to say. "What if I changed it to pink? Would I be mocking Auroria?" She said as she pointed at her head again, making her hair turn pink.
"Change it back to purple! Change it back to purple!" Ben said, making Mal chuckle to herself.
"You see," Mal said as she changed her hair back to its original nightshade purple color. "No kingdom or anyone for that matter owns colors. Therefore anyone can wear whatever color they please. A kingdom can have a color to represent them, but the royals are not bound to wear them everyday."
Audrey sat there in silence, not knowing what to say back to her. Mal had made her point, and she was proud to see the princess dumbfounded.
"I would like a red dress, Evie," Belle said as she turned her attention to the blue haired girl. "I think it would be lovely for family day."
Evie nodded her head eagerly, as she started to take smaller bites of her food. The three other VKs knew that Evie got like this when she started to think about her designs and they couldn't help but laugh at their sister.
After dinner, the seven teenagers went into Ben's gaming room. There was a giant television, two gaming consoles, a wall of DVDs, a large sectional couch, a small refrigerator, and a popcorn maker in the corner. They watched a movie, and Mal found it so weird, because she and Ben were sitting in between Chad and Audrey. Evie was sitting in front of Mal, while Mal played with Evie's hair. Jay and Carlos were asleep on the floor and had popcorn scattered all around them.
"It's getting late," Ben said as he turned the television off. "And I am assuming that you two are staying the night now?" He asked as he looked at Chad and Audrey.
"Well, it is getting pretty late," Audrey said. "Would you mind?"
"It's not like you are giving me a choice," he said as he shook his head and got up.
"Well now it is time to wake up dumb and dumber," Mal said as she got up and walked over to her brothers. "Hey!" She screamed, making them groan. "Don't groan at me. Let's get you two up to bed."
Both boys got up and slumped their shoulders as Evie walked up to them. Evie wrapped her arm around Carlos and they walked out of the room, while Mal jumped on Jay's back.
"Carry me to your room, Jayden," she said as she pointed toward the door. "Onward!"
"Aren't you supposed to be helping me to my room?" He asked as he hoisted her higher on his back.
"Absolutely not," she said as she kicked his sides. "And don't drop me on your way up."
Jay shook his head and laughed before he started to head toward his room.
"Siblings my butt," Audrey said. "It's obvious Mal and Jay are dating and Carlos and Evie are too."
"Really? Because Evie has a date with Doug on Wednesday, Jay has a date with Lonnie on Friday, and Mal has a boyfriend," Ben said, making both Chad and Audrey look at him with shocked expressions.
"What?" Chad said. "You never said she had a boyfriend. When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? Are they serious?"
"Who would ever want to date her?" Audrey asked, making Ben grow irritated.
"Because she is an amazing person with a great personality," Ben said as he started to walk out of the room. "And yes, they are serious," he said in a cold tone.
"Wow, Ben," Audrey said as she followed him out of the room. "You sound like you're the one dating her."
"I didn't say that," Ben said. "But whoever they are, they are very lucky. Now, let's head upstairs and get ready for bed, and in the morning I'll have Lumier or Cogsworth drive you both home."
"We could stay for the rest of the weekend," Audrey offered, making Ben turn to look at her with a shocked look on his face.
"No," Ben said with no hesitation.
"What? Why not?"
"Because we have plans and they do not involve you."
With that being said, Ben walked up to the floor of the castle, where the rest of the rooms were. He walked into his room, and closed the door behind him, while Audrey and Chad walked to other rooms that were next to his. Evie and Mal walked out of Jay and Carlos' rooms a couple of minutes later, and Mal noticed her bedroom door open. She and Evie walked over to her room, and they saw Audrey walking toward the closet.
"Can I help you with something?" Mal asked, making Audrey stop to look at the two girls.
"I was getting ready for bed," Audrey told them.
"In my room?" Mal asked as she walked further into the room.
"This is the room I always stay in when I stay the night at the castle," Audrey argued back. "I even have clothes in the closet."
"Okay, but Belle and Adam gave the room to me," Mal said, trying to explain to her.
"They must have been confused," Audrey told them with a shrug. "I mean why would they put you in a room next to Ben? Especially when you have a boyfriend," she said as she crossed her arms.
"You told Audrey I have a boyfriend?"
"I didn't say it was me."
"Audrey. Can you please leave my room?" Mal asked, trying to be nice.
"This is my room," Audrey argued back.
"And yet you didn't notice my purple duffle bags sitting on the bed," Mal said as she nodded her head.
"Well, you can stay in a different room. I…"
"Audrey," Belle said as she walked into the room. "This is Mal's room. We made it up for her, and it is going to be her room from this day forward. You may have stayed in here a handful of times, but this is Mal's permanent room. So, why don't I show you to a different room."
Audrey looked at Belle in shock. She didn't expect her to make her leave, but here she was, taking the side of the VKs.
"I did move the couple of things you left in here, and placed them in a box," Belle said as she held her hand out for Audrey to leave. "I will retrieve it and take it to the room where you will stay for the night."
Audrey was flabbergasted. She slowly made her way out of the room, not knowing what to say again. She didn't understand why they were being nice to the villains. She walked out of the room, and Belle turned and winked at Mal before following Audrey and leaving the two girls alone.
"What is her problem?" Evie asked as she looked at where Belle and Audrey left.
"She is in love with Ben," Mal said as she walked over to her bed and sat down. "She came up to me at school, and said I need to back off Ben."
Evie had to cover her mouth, trying not to laugh hard. She thought it was funny that Audrey was so hung up on Ben, but she wished Mal and him would act like a normal couple.
"Says the one who actually needs to back off," Ben said as he leaned against Mal's doorframe.
Both girls turned to see him with a smile on his face, and he was showered and changed into pajamas.
"You," Mal said as she pointed at her boyfriend. "You told Audrey that I have a boyfriend."
"I didn't say it was me," he said as he walked in and closed the door behind him. "Audrey said that you were dating Jay and Evie was dating Carlos."
"EW!" Both girls said as they made gross faces.
"That is gross," Evie said as she shook her head, trying to make the image in her head go away. "I mean, I love the boys, but that is gross."
Ben laughed before he sat down next to Mal and wrapped an arm around her.
"So, what did they say when you told them I had a boyfriend?"
"Chad asked me why I didn't tell him, when did it happen, and if you guys were serious," he said. "Which is stupid, becasue Jay and Carlos told him like last week that you had someone waiting for you."
"Go figures," Mal said as she rolled her and leaned her head on Ben's shoulder. "What did Audrey say?"
"Why would anyone want to date you?"
"Because she is beautiful, talented, and has the voice of an angel," Evie said.
"Thanks, E," Mal said with a small chuckle.
"No need to thank me for stating facts," Evie said as she shrugged. "But, I am off to bed. Belle wants to go over designs in the morning, and I can't wait."
"Okay," Mal said as she waved to Evie. "Goodnight."
Evie waved before she walked out of Mal's room and closed the door behind her. Mal stretched her arms up and yawned, making Ben look down at her.
"Are you tired?" He asked as he rubbed her arm.
"Yeah," she said. "I woke up early this morning to get some painting done before school."
"What were you painting?" He asked.
"Now that would be telling," she said as she looked up at him and smiled. "But I am going to kick you out because I am tired, and want to be rested for tomorrow."
"Fine," he said as he stood up and stretched. "Plus the sooner I leave, the sooner I can get out of this shirt."
"Why are you wearing it if it is uncomfortable?" She asked as they started to walk toward her door.
"Audrey is here," he said as he turned to her. "Why would I walk around without a shirt on?"
"I hate to say this, but good point," she said, making him laugh. "Goodnight."
He leaned down and gave her a small sweet kiss on her lips. "Goodnight."
He opened the door, and walked out, letting Mal close the door behind him. She leaned against the door, and touched her lips. She felt warm whenever Ben kissed her, and she never wanted that to change.
Okay! Please please please please! let me know what you think.
Until next time my lovies! xoxo GM