Heya Descendants!

Oooooh... I almost forgot it was Friday!

It's a little late, but hopefully ya'll are here for it!

Lots of Love!

-Dark-

"Uh, Ben, you sure about-"

"Abso-fucking-lutely." He assures Roy.

"Damn." Roy nods, "It's like that?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." He nods firmly.

All he could think about was Mal and the others terrified, alone, and cold. He wasn't sure he'd been able to sleep for more than an hour at a time.

He was making himself sick with worry.

He couldn't imagine what they had to be feeling.

And after the last several hearings couldn't blame them for running.

He wasn't sure he'd ever been so disgusted with people. Never thought he was capable of it.

Still, there was hope.

Hope that there was still goodness in his kingdom.

For every single person who was against them, Mal and her pack, two others were picking up the mantle in their defense.

He'd always thought of Meg and Esmeralda as funny, sarcastic, and witty women. He would never have expected the veracity and fierceness that had come at this slight.

It wasn't even directed at him or his side of things, and it was still overwhelming.

Even his father couldn't get in a word edgewise.

In fact, the entirety of his mother's book club were pretty much psychotic in all the best ways.

Scary ways.

Ways he'd never wanted to be on the receiving end of.

Even Mulan. She just wasn't as… vocal as she was threatening.

Tianna too.

It was going to make his day if Queen Leah ever outright stepped on any of their toes.

Even if most of them weren't royalty, they were definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"Of course it's like that." Lonnie snorts before she looks up at him, "Don't worry, you get used to the smell after an hour or two, but here," she holds up a small jar or some kind of ointment, "this helps."

"Thanks," He smiles gratefully as he applies it under his nose, the scent of peppermint so strong it makes his eyes burn. "Ready."

"Born," Doug states with a surprising amount of force.

"Hold up, let me deck the Prince out." Lonnie huffs before she holds out a belt with several things clipped to it.

He smiles, "Clever. Though I'd expect no less from you three."

"Thank you." Lonnie nods before she points to the additions, "Flashlight, extra batteries, radio, whistle, glowsticks, markers, tightly wrapped food, water, hand sanitizer, wipes. Got it?"

"How utilitarian." He grins.

"Tch. Have you met my fucking parents? My dad would flip if he knew we were going down there unprepared." Lonnie crosses her arms.

"Same though." Roy grins as he opens the hatch to the sewers.

"My dad tried to order us hazmat suits." Doug sighs, "But we got boots out of it."

"Which I know Cogsworth appreciates."

"I'm more worried about Evie appreciating it, Ben." Doug points out as he steps down onto the ladder.

"That is so true." He nods. "So, let's go find our friends. Or you know- At least not lose Doug too." He shakes his head when he realizes Doug had already disappeared down the hole.

"No worries," Roy snorts, "Hawk Scout. Army brat. And a Survivalist at your service."

Huh. He hadn't even thought about that.

Of course Mal and the others would make friends with the survivalists.

Not that they would have realized that at the time.

He certainly hadn't.

She sighs as she leans against the wall. It had taken forever to agree, but seriously, how much energy did it really take to stand watch?

She knew they needed rest. They'd all been through so much.

Especially Mal.

She still couldn't believe she'd had to fight her mother.

Fight her mother and manage to win.

At the time, she'd been too distracted to really think about it. But- Would she have been so brave as to face her mother.

She'd love to say yes, but, in her heart, she knew she would never dare.

And her mother couldn't even transform into a dragon.

No. She was a completely different type of monster. Creature. Beast.

It would have been up to Jay and Mal.

She pulls her legs tighter to her chest and rests her chin on her knees.

There had just been so much.

It had been so much.

She still couldn't believe she'd been able to cast such large spells. But she'd been so desperate to help. To keep her pack safe. To keep her friends safe. The innocent kids that had sung so beautifully safe.

Even the less desirables.

She didn't want blood on any of their hands.

Didn't want deaths to haunt them.

And if she were honest, she was praying that there hadn't been; was praying that what they had managed had been enough.

She knew they were all thinking it.

Knew they were worried about what happened to the King.

Mal hadn't even known she could turn into a dragon, let alone how to control her strength in that form.

She wasn't sure what Mal would do if she'd accidentally killed the King in her attempt to protect him.

She resists the urge to bury her face.

Not to mention this was the longest she'd ever gone without reapplying makeup.

If her mother had escaped and found her in this state?

She would wish she had died casting those spells.

She glances over her shoulder at the pile sleeping behind her.

They'd all come so close to dying. It was still so surreal. She turns her attention back to her hand.

She hadn't been able to stop shaking since she woke up.

She knew the others were worried that it was because she was still weak.

And in a way, they weren't wrong. She was just sure they had different ideas as to why.

She didn't want to die.

Didn't want to lose any of them so permanently.

They'd all survived so much on the isle. So much pain. So much agony.

To die in Auradon? After tasting freedom? Real freedom.

It would be nothing short of-

She didn't even have words, just a gaping hole of emptiness at the thought.

She jumps when she hears something, but then it registers the noise had come from behind her. She turns and crawls closer to the pile, afraid Carlos was close to a night terror.

Surely he was too exhausted.

"E?" Jay asks as he opens an eye.

"You should be resting." She admonishes softly.

"I am. Haven't even moved a muscle."

Except she could see his lips twitching into a smile.

"Liar." She shakes her head. "How are you even awake?" She asks in disbelief.

Really how?

Out of all of them, Jay had taken the brunt of the damage.

She was so concerned that there was internal damage.

What had he been thinking?

She dismisses the question almost immediately.

He hadn't.

That was just the type of person he was.

Had always been.

Selfless.

Brave.

Caring.

He did his best to hide it on the Isle. To keep up his hard-ass persona but-

She'd seen through it.

Seen through the mask. It was a knack she always had.

Kind of like Deez's ability to connect dots, just not as impressive.

And it was something she never would have dared to say.

To admit out loud.

Mal would've- She wasn't sure, she knew she'd never hurt her.

At least not physically. In all the years they'd been friends she'd never so much as raised a finger towards her.

Threatened sure. But actually follow through?

Not once.

Not to her.

Not to Carlos.

It was why she'd always been so loyal to her.

"Not sure." Jay admits before he grimaces and coughs, "Maybe cause I was thirsty?"

"Oh." She blinks, "Duh." She gracefully stands up and rushes to their supply stash before she returns. She twists off the cap before she pulls it back from him. "Can you-"

"Yes E." He rolls his eyes.

She narrows her eyes.

Liar.

She carefully adjusts him to lean against her lap. "Don't be stubborn."

"Harry would tell you this was some kind of paradise," Jay grins up at her through the pain of moving, "being tended to by a Princess like this, but will a thank you from me work instead?"

"I suppose it will have to do." She teases quietly.

Harry.

She'd never had much of an opportunity to build a rapport with him. Still, if they'd been born on the right side of the barrier, she knew they would've been fast friends.

Pirate he may be, but the boy had an excellent taste in fashion and made her feel more like a real princess than almost any other on the Isle. He was usually so crude with his conquests, but when it came to her?

He somehow always curbed his more vulgar suggestions.

Though she supposed if she had been born on the right side of the barrier- She wouldn't have the family they'd built. She'd be as shallow as she pretended to be.

As judgemental.

And the thought was more than enough to make her oddly grateful for being born on the wrong side. As much as she loved to be fawned over, to be worshiped. She'd hate if her mask was more than a facade.

"Thanks, E." Jay whispers after several gulps.

"Of course." She smiles down at him, "What type of princess would I be if I didn't take care of our bold knight." She runs a hand through his hair.

God. She refused to let him walk around with knots the size of wasps nests in his hair.

On the run or not.

She kisses his forehead before she lowers him back down. "Be right back." She promises before she silently makes her way to the bags.

She'd nearly cried when she had pulled it out while she was sorting the supplies.

Jay could be so painfully thoughtful sometimes it hurt.

She smiles as she pulls out the brush before she returns and resumes her position. "There we are." She grins. "Comfy?"

Jay grins weakly, "The comfiest."

She giggles quietly before she starts slowly, carefully working it through his hair.

"So knight, huh?" He looks up at her in amusement.

"No huh about it." She states managing an air of regality. "You're my knight." She boops his nose and smiles prettily. "Fight me." She finishes in an 'I dare you' tone.

The way his eyes brightened and his smile widened was enough to ease the weight on her chest.

"I thought T was your knight?" He teases.

"He is." She shrugs daintily, "But so are you. I just knew you wouldn't approve of the title so readily on the Isle. I'm dense sometimes but not blind." She runs the brush through his hair. "But you've always been my knight. You just fill different roles. Princesses should always have more than one, you know."

"I did not know."

"That's okay. It's not a knight's job to know of such things." She teases. "They've better, nobler things to do."

"Oh really? Like what?"

"Oh, you know, protect Princesses, Pups, and Dragons."

"I thought they slayed dragons."

"Not the smart ones," Mal grumbles as she moves closer to Jay to wrap a lazy arm around him.

"Sorry, Mal," She apologizes, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." Mal sighs, "Our knight did."

"How?" Jay questions in concern. "Wait- Our knight?" His frown quickly turns to a grin.

Mal rolls her eyes before she lightly settles against his side. "Ssshh, the Pup's-"

"Awake." Carlos yawns before he scoots to press against Mal. "But not for long." He hums as he cuddles against Mal.

"Noted." Jay chuckles before he grimaces and turns back to Mal, "Seriously, our knight?"

Mal grunts. "Just take it."

"I'm so screwed if Harry or Deez ever hear about this." He smiles as he relaxes against her lap again.

"Serves you right," Mal grumbles. "Idiot."

"Who else was going to be able to go get shit, Mal? You all stand out like a demigoddess on an Isle."

"Ugh. Don't be a T."

"Whatever works, and in this situation-"

"Don't." Mal looks up to glare at him.

"You know I'm right. That's why you didn't have the nerve to tell me no."

"Ugh. Don't gloat about it. It's like unbecoming or whatever."

"I'm really not M. Just-" Jay sighs, "readjusting."

She sighs.

Again.

Readjusting again.

"Fuck." Jay whispers softly, closing his eyes before he turns his head.

"Jay…" She breathes softly. "It's just us."

"It's stupid." Jay grunts, "And I'm sure you've all already thought it."

"So? It's a stupid situation." Mal huffs. "We've all taken turns."

"I'm glad. It's good to get that shit off-" His voice slows and tapers off.

"Silly knight," She runs a hand over his smoothed-out hair. "You wear enough armor."

"Fine. I just, did anyone see, if, if David and Nani," His voice catches before he squeezes his eyes shut, "if Lonnie was okay?"

Mal shifts as she hugs Jay tighter.

"Sorry…" She breathes out softly as she continues to run her fingers through his hair, not sure she'd ever understood someone so thoroughly before.

Her heart ached.

Doug.

Snow.

Florian.

She'd just gotten them, only for them to be torn away from her.

"No worries. I mean, I'm not sure what the fuck you did, but I'm sure it worked." Jay swallows before he looks up again with a small smile, "I mean, I should have been fried by that-" He shakes his head, "Anyway, good job, next time, try not to overdo it, Princess."

"Me?" She sniffs indignantly.

"I'm pretty sure Mal would punch me if I called her a princess."

"Correct," Mal responds roughly.

Oh good. She blinks back her tears.

They were all going to cry.

"I'm not really sure what you did, E, but I do know the building stopped crumbling, Jay survived fire to his face, and the second time I got hit didn't hurt nearly as bad as the first time." Carlos adds as he sits up behind Mal and wipes at his eyes, "But, I mean, things were happening so fast…"

Her lower lip quivers before she bites it.

That was terrifying. The thought that hastily strung together spells were what stood between half the kingdom, her family, and Maleficent.

"There really was." Her breath hitches as she loses her battle with her tears.

"Do, do you guys think things would have worked out?" Carlos asks, his voice so soft and hesitant she wasn't even sure she'd heard him completely.

Silence.

"I would've liked to think so." She finally offers softly after several moments.

"Leave it to mother to ruin everything." Mal sniffs as she hides her face into Jay's side.

"We'll never know, Pup." Jay sighs.

Carlos slowly nods.

"Which, since we're all awake." Jay sighs again, "What's next?"

"I hate the thought of stealing…" She bites her lip.

"Me too." Carlos frowns.

"But-" She sighs, "Maybe the pirates were on to something. There's so much water… "

Mal lifts her head to stare at her in disbelief. "You're fucking kidding me." She wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Well, if I have to be without makeup anyway." She shrugs. "Might as well do it in the middle of the ocean."

"So we lay low for a few more days and then book it to the pier?" Jay furrows his brow, "I mean, it's not the worst plan, E."

"Ugh.' Mal lets her face fall back into Jay's side, making her smile through her tears.

"We'd have to make sure the boat we stole is old." Carlos bites his lip in thought, "And, I mean, we'd have to collect so much shit for supplies."

"It's not like we have anything else to worry about anymore." Mal sighs.

"And, this pretty much kills any hope of the others getting off the Isle." Carlos continues in a whisper.

"Oh god." She breathes, "All of Deez's work- All that writing. Years. Hundreds of letters. Her life's work. Ruined."

"Shit." Jay groans as he covers his face with one arm, "I didn't think about, I mean, after what happened, was there even any hope?"

Again silence settles over them.

"Ben," Carlos says firmly.

Mal lets out a noise of distress as she buries her face deeper into Jay's shirt.

"Ben was safe, M," Jay says as he lifts his head slightly to look down at her, "I put him and Belle with Fairy Godmother and Jane."

She nods mutely even as she wraps her fingers in his shirt.

"We've lost everything." She realizes. "Everyone. Except each other." Pain pierces her heart.

"That's still a lot." Carlos smiles sadly, "That's a lot we can lose, so, right? That's still a lot to have."

She looks at Carlos. "God. I can't-" She swallows a sob. "I can't lose any of you. I can't."

"You're not," Jay's hand cupping her face startles her, "stop that."

"R-right." She nods after several deep breaths. "You're right." She takes his wrist and squeezes it as he slowly lowers his hand.

"Besides, if anyone tried something, I'd toast them." Mal says gruffly, "Ya know when I like, figure out how."

"Oh, that's good to know." Jay chuckles, "I was totes afraid you were keeping secrets from us."

"Big fucking secret." Mal snorts through her tears.

"What was it like?" Carlos asks as he crawls to sit in front of Mal.

"I-" Mal sighs, "Weird? I was just so worried and angry, and then- I was huge and felt weird. Like-like..."

"Like a dragon?" Jay snorts before he winces.

"Yes? Also, ha." Mal sniffs, "But also, stop."

"I guess that's fair." Carlos pouts. "But next time, can you like…"

"I'm not a science experiment." Mal snorts.

"Duh, this is magical."

"Or a guinea pig."

"No, you're a dragon, M. Did you hit your head?" Jay teases.

She can't help her giggle.

"No, I was too busy getting the side of my face slashed open. Come on, Jay, do I look like T? I'm only so much of a glutton."

"Fuck, I forgot- Let me see your-"

Mal glares, her hands already lightly pressing against Jay's shoulders to keep him from sitting up.

It was just painful to see how easy it was.

"You can lay your ass back down." Mal scoffs.

"We stitched it." Carlos supplies softly, "Well, Evie did."

"Tch. If anyone else had come at my face with a shaky needle like that, I would've run. But it was E, and she can sew in her sleep, so like chill."

"I do have perfectly spaced stitches pretty much memorized." She sighs.

"Okay, fair. So everyone is okay then?" Jay rolls his eyes, "Or at least patched up and seen to?"

"Relatively speaking? Yes." Carlos nods.

"Cool. So we just need me to heal up." Jay shakes his head, "Which, honestly guys, might take me more than a few days."

"Really?" Mal asks sarcastically. "And here I thought you'd be waltzing out of here tomorrow."

"Don't make it weird, M," Jay grumbles, "Or I'll start waltzing now."

"I will knock your ass out." Mal snaps.

"I'd be careful Jay, it really wouldn't take much, and Mal rarely holds back with you." She points out, shooting Mal a concerned look.

"Point taken." Jay smiles as he relaxes against her again.

"Smart Knight." She smiles as she runs her hand through his hair.

"No one leaves, got it?" Jay narrows his eyes as he looks at each of them, "Just, promise me."

"I promise." She assures him.

"I promise." Carlos echoes her.

"If it'll get your ass to sleep, me too."

"Thank you." Jay reaches out to pull Carlos and Mal to one side while also taking her hand.

"You good princess?" Mal asks in concern.

"I'll wake you if I'm not. How's that?"

"Acceptable." Mal nods before she rests against Jay.

"Ha! I, I got it!" He yells triumphantly as he jumps to his feet, sending his chair toppling over and empty cans rolling across the floor.

Hours.

It had taken him hours. Days even.

Well, blurred days. But finally-

"What!?" Lilo startles awake as she leaps to her feet, nearly toppling over before he catches her hand and pulls her to his chest to kiss her passionately.

She blinks up at him in a daze before her eyes widen and she wraps her arms around his neck, "You did it!" She chirps happily.

"Damn straight I did!" He grins stupidly.

"That's my genius." She giggles in excitement, kissing him deeply before she steps back. "So what are you waiting for? Let's find our Chibi-chan, nephew, and friends, damn it." She orders sternly.

"Oh, with fucking pleasure." He cracks his knuckles. "Ow!" He turns to watch Baymax inflate.

"Hello Hiro, on a scale of-"

"Sorry Baymax, scan Auradon for Carlos Hamada."

"Okay Hiro. I will scan now."

He turns to Lilo, "This is going to take a while." He admits, "But Baymax here hasn't failed us yet." He pats the robot's back.

Lilo flaps her hands in the air, her head turning from him to Baymax to the door before repeating the pattern.

"Go," He chuckles, "I'll call the Prince."

"Have I told you you're the best lately?"

"I mean, all the time, but keep it coming."

Lilo throws her arms around his neck, hugging him hard, "You're beyond the best!" She pecks his cheek before she pushes away.

He grins as he smacks her ass on the way out the door, smiling at her laughter.

"Scan complete, Hiro. I have detected over seven hundred thousand unique humanoid life forms within the city limits of Auradon. I will now narrow my search."

"It works! It's working." He whoops as he turns to stare at the screen displaying the superimposed images representing all the inhabitants of the city of Auradon.

It felt so good to finally be getting somewhere.

He whips out his phone and hits dial with a snort. For all the elbows he rubbed, he never would have guessed that it would be the sixteen-year-old Prince of Auradon that ended up on his speed dial.

"Scans for Carlos Hamada negative in quadrant one, now searching quadrant two."

He grins as he pulls out another energy drink and pops it open.

"Hey Hiro. Any news?"

"Would I waste your time otherwise?" He asks, watching the screen as one infrared image speeds past another. "I finished. Baymax is scanning for them as we speak."

"Thank-"

He narrows his eyes as the connection garbles.

"You guys still in the sewers then?"

"Y-s -sr-y." Is all he makes out.

He snorts.

The Prince of all of fucking Auradon, slumming it through sewers.

If that wasn't love, what the fuck was?

"There's an anomaly in quadrant two Hiro, would you be able to assist me?"

"Call me back." He hangs up as he turns his focus back to the screen with a frown, "What'd ya need, bud?"

"Quadrant two has five industrial structures that are interfering with my scan. I will need to be closer to get accurate results."

"On it bud." He rushes to the intercom by the door and hits the button, "Buckle up bitches!" He warns before he takes Baymax by the arm and drags him to the cockpit.

He plops in the seat before he switches on the console and grabs the wheel before he shoots into the air. "One sec Bud." He flips another switch to make the scan overlay the windshield.

"KAI DAMN IT, HIRO!" David shouts when he accelerates.

"You want Jay back or what?"

"I want to be alive when we do so." David snaps.

"Eh, fair." He shrugs but doesn't slow down.

"I have finished my scans of the buildings. Carlos Hamada is not located in any of the five buildings, but I have discovered another anomaly. Please direct your attention to the highlighted area."

He glances over the screen until his eyes settle over the blob of interference Baymax had been referring to.

"I have isolated faint bio scans underground, though there is quite a bit of interference."

He studies it for a moment before he smirks at a figure separating from the blob.

"Clever little bastards." He snorts. "Hiding near a heat source."

"Hiro?"

"I'm pretty sure that's them, buddy. Isolate and pull up a blueprint of the structure they're in for me?"

"Yes Hiro."

He taps his fingers against the console impatiently.

"They are in an old subway station that was abandoned eight years ago. The interference is possibly coming from heating pipes running behind the walls as well as the shielding required to support the structures above the station."

"Ha! Lil' shits." He grins, searching for a place to land.

He slams his hand on the comms button again, "Baymax thinks he found them!"

"Where?" Lilo, Nani, and David slam into his back, crowding him as they stare at the screen over his shoulder.

"Underground," David sighs as he shakes his head, " just like the other kids thought."

"Genius's don't chill with idiots." He turns in his chair with a lazy grin.

"I have the blueprints of the subway station they are possibly in, including all entry points. I have also discovered why it was abandoned. There was a tunnel collapse, cutting off this end station from the mainline."

Nani frowns as she walks over to lean her hands against the console as she studies the schematics. "We're going to have to handle this carefully. The last thing we want is for them to feel trapped."

He sighs in exasperation, careful so wasn't his thing. "Fair."

David rubs his hand over his face, "We could send Baymax in first. We know they're injured, and Baymax is super squishy."

Baymax holds a finger up. "And non-threatening."

"I don't know…" Lilo folds her arms over her chest. "They might be more likely to run once they're found, and as non-threatening as you are, buddy, you don't have the communication skills for this."

"Looks like there's only four entrances." He points out as he scrutinizes the layout of the station, "We could always send Baymax in and then each take a point, one on one is less threatening than all together, right?"

Nani bites her lip thoughtfully, her eyes still on the screen. "It is…" She sighs as she turns away from the screen. "I say we try it." She turns her eyes on him, "But we can't be aggressive. If they feel forced, they'll just run again."

That was rather pointed.

"They've already had their trust broken." David agrees, "We need to assess where they are mentally and physically before we can figure out the next step to communicate with them."

"Fair." He stands from his chair. "So we doing this or what? I'm kind of on limited time here."

"Damn it, Hiro," Nani turns back to glare at him, "How many stimulants did you fucking take?"

"What? We found them. You're welcome. Let's go!"

"You're a father now, set better examples."

"I'll set better examples when he's here to judge me." He snaps.

"Lilo, don't you dare laugh at that. It only encourages the behavior." Nani glares at her sister.

Lilo grins, "Good, I love his behavior."

David snorts before Nani swats his chest, making him wheeze. "Let's go."

"I have detected levels of pain. Are you in need of medical assistance, David?"

"Nope." David coughs, "Let's go get our kids."

"Finally." He grins before they all rush out of the pit.

*Shakes head*

Roy, Doug, Lonnie, and Ben are forces to be reckoned with.

But Belle's book club?

LoLz.

Anyone else appreciate those ladies? Fuck knows we do. Are we biased? Maybe a little-

Do you guys like it, though? Asking for me.

Ben hoping Leah pisses off one is priceless.

Fuck if that scene from E's PoV didn't fucking destroy me.

It's so hard not to have feelz in these chapters, and I fucking wrote her *rolls eyes*.

I really hope I'm not the only one.

What did you guys think?

About Jay being Evie's knight?

About the four of them cuddling?

Crying together?

I know it seems so at odds with their movie counterparts but… I think we're well past that point.

Still, it was so sweet it hurt.

JFC that scene with Hiro, and the rest of his Ohana?

Anyone else adoring them yet?

Seriously.

I know. I know.

Hiro's kinda a de ex machina. But still, we couldn't stop adding him to the story once it popped in our heads.

Any objections? No. I didn't think so.

Still-

Dead.

Anyone else find it hard not to feel their excitement?

Fave Line('s in this case):

"Fair." He stands from his chair. "So we doing this or what? I'm kind of on limited time here."

"Damn it, Hiro," Nani turns back to glare at him, "How many stimulants did you fucking take?"

"What? We found them. You're welcome. Let's go!"

"You're a father now, set better examples."

"I'll set better examples when he's here to judge me." He snaps.

"Lilo, don't you dare laugh at that. It only encourages the behavior." Nani glares at her sister.

Lilo grins, "Good, I love his behavior."

Much love and appreciation

-Twisted