Hello again! Sorry for the long wait. That was partly because this semester is going to be super busy for me, and partly because I haven't been getting very many reviews, and more reviews from y'all means more motivation for me, but, I have some ideas for the ending and for upcoming projects, which means I need to update more frequently.

If you're enjoying this story, please please PLEASE comment and follow!

As usual, Descendants belongs to Disney channel and Kellygirl46, I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to continue your work!

Chapter 4

Five Years Ago

Lonnie sat outside the office door and fidgeted with the loose string at the bottom of her sweater. She had been trying for months now to convince the headmaster that she was the perfect fit for the new gym teacher position and that swordplay would be a fun activity to try and incorporate into the lesson plans. One of the gym teachers was in her third trimester, which means that she would have a more difficult time instructing her classes and had mentioned that she would like to take a couple of years off after her maternity leave to recover and focus on her children. Lonnie had finally gotten the call that he wanted to meet with her. Lonnie only hoped that it was good news. Jay could really use some right now. He had been so frustrated lately, and nothing she said or did seems to help.

"Lonnie! Thank you for coming. The headmaster opened the door to his office and gestured to one of the chairs opposite to him. He sat down behind his desk and smiled politely at Lonnie. She continued to fidget with the loose string as she waited for her boss to say something.

"We're fortunate to have you on staff with us, even as an assistant librarian. I've thought a lot about what you proposed for the physical education curriculum. While I like the idea and we do have the money for some swords and equipment, I don't think permanently adding swordplay to the program is possible. Some parents might not be comfortable with us forcing their kids to handle swords, and some kids are not mature enough to be trusted with weapons."

Lonnie felt her heart fall. She wanted this so badly and had really gotten her hopes up.

"I did, however, come up with another idea. We could offer swordplay as a drop-in activity a few times a week for the grade seven and eight students?. This way, you can reserve the right to remove students who are misbehaving and we don't have parents complaining about us letting kids handle weapons." The headmaster smiled as he saw Lonnie's excitement. "How would you like to continue to work part-time in the library and teach part-time? Then, when Jennifer leaves to have her baby, we can talk more about who will cover her position full time."

"Yes! Absolutely! This is perfect. You won't regret it, I promise." Lonnie could barely contain her joy. By the time Jennifer goes on maternity leave, Lonnie will almost be done her teaching degree, which means that she is now basically guaranteed a full-time job after graduation.

She rushed home after the meeting, so excited to tell Jay the good news. Lonnie thought that she flipping her schedule around and studying part-time while working full time would take a lot of financial pressure off of Jay.

Her mod dropped completely when she walked through the door and that saw Jay's bags were packed and sitting by the front door. "Jay? What's going on?" Lonnie felt like a cold fist was tightening around her heart and an uneasy knot was being tied in her stomach. This wasn't good. What was happening?

Jay walked in, grinning and carrying a large box. "We're going home, Lon! Ben called. He offered me a job, and not just a job, but the perfect job! He wants me to help with training a new army for him!" Jay set the box down and took hold of both of Lonnie's hands. This was the happiest he had been in a long time. "This is perfect for us. I'll start as soon as we get back to Auradon. Ben's taking care of housing and everything. We don't have to worry about anything anymore. This is exactly what I've been wanting."

Jay scooped Lonnie up and spun her around, placing a long, breathtaking kiss on her lips. He set her back on her feet and turned to get another box. Not once did he consult her about this decision, nor did he notice the disappointment on her face. Lonnie's happy news would have to wait. She swallowed hard as she felt a wave of nausea hit her. 'This bug really needs to go away,' she thought as she leaned against the wall.

Present

Jay said nothing, but stood up and paced the room for a moment before stopping in front of the window across from the hallway the kitchen doorway, his back to Lonnie. He stared at the sunrise, his mind going back to the week before he left. She was never sick, ever, except for that one week.

"She's mine?" Jay asked softly, even though he knew the answer. He is a father. He saw himself in the little face immediately. "I can't not ask Lonnie, she's mine?"

"Yes." Lonnie could barely get the word out.

"You were sick every day the week I left," Jay said softly. Lonnie heard the pain in his voice and let the tears fall. "It was morning sickness… wasn't it?"

Lonnie hesitated until Jay looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for an answer. Lonnie nodded slowly. "I didn't know, Jay. I didn't find out until after you were gone and by then I knew-"

"Knew what, Lon?" Jay turned fully around and looked at her as he spoke. His anger began to boil inside, but he kept his voice down because of Jaylian. He didn't want to upset the little girl; she was too young to fully understand what was happening. "That I'd suck as a father? That you didn't want your kid… our kid, to grow up as a villain kid?"

"That if you didn't want me enough to be with me, you wouldn't want her! I couldn't put her through that pain!" Lonnie buried her face in her hands. She never thought Jay would make a terrible father. Ever. It broke her heart every day to see so much of Jay in that little girl, and to watch their child grow and learn and explore while knowing that Jay was not there to share in her joy, but, she refused to hold him back from his dreams. Leaving was his choice. This was something that meant more to him than she did. Lonnie knew she would never trap him into something he didn't want. This was going so much worse than she thought it could go. Her heart was being torn apart all over again.

Jay felt like he'd been slapped in the face. Hard. With a frying pan. She knocked every bit of anger out of him in one blow. 'Damn, that one hurt,' Jay thought. Given the circumstances of their last few months together, he could see why Lonnie thought that way. He wanted Lonnie more and more every day, he just wasn't ready for her. It was a huge difference. Jay took a long breath and sat down on the table in front of Lonnie. He reached forward and gently pulled Lonnie's hands off her face and held on to them.

"I've always wanted you. Don't ever think that I didn't." Jay reached up and cupped her face, making her look at him. "I loved you so much, it scared me."

Lonnie caught them. 'Wanted.' 'Didn't.' 'Loved.' 'Scared.' All in the past tense. Jay had moved on. Of course, he must have. There was never a time when girls weren't falling at his feet. She pulled away and walked to the couch to sit down. Leaning against the arm of the couch and pulling her legs up to her chest, she found comfort the only way she could. Lonnie knew she couldn't afford to get close to him again. She couldn't go through that horrible pain of having him leaving and breaking her heart.

'This is what's best for Jaylian and for Jay. He needs to choose to be in Jaylian's life,' Lonnie told her self. "I never thought you'd be a bad father, Jay. You'll make an awesome father."

"Just not to her?" Jay asked, painfully aware of what she was implying. She didn't want him anymore. She had moved on. All this time and he never knew. He was breaking on the inside. He is a father. What the hell? Nearly five years… How did nobody tell him?

"No, I've told Jaylian about you. Everything I know. That's why she recognized you." Lonnie couldn't hold back her tears now.

Jay settled a little. Jaylian did show him the picture, and she said he looked just like her daddy and had the same name as him. At the age of four, would she figure it out on her own? Jay could honestly say that he didn't know enough about kids to answer that.

"Why did you call me tonight?" Jay looked up at her. "You had no intention of telling me I have a kid, so calling me meant you have no one else. So why did you call?"

Lonnie let her head fall down against her knees. She was so tired and this conversation was killing her one word at a time. Jay frowned as he saw the stress in her. He knew her inside and out at one point. Not so long ago, he could read her like a book. Lonnie was very close with those she loved. She would only get this upset if something happened to one of them. Jay moved to sit in front of her on the couch.

"Is she okay? Is Jaylian sick?" Jay was concerned that something was wrong with their child. His child. His head just wasn't wrapping around that fact that he is a father.

Lonnie shook her head. "No, she's fine."

Jay took a deep breath. His next question. If something was wrong with her, Jay knew he would move mountains to get her healthy. He wouldn't leave her side again. It's been five long years, and all they do is fight. No way was he going to do that again.

"Are you sick?" Jay rested his hands on her knees, gently rubbing his thumbs in circles. Lonnie looked up and drowned in those concerned dark brown eyes for a moment. She missed this connection to him. Jay felt the connection too, and gently moved her legs down and scooted forward. He cupped her face again and brought her closer to him and rested his forehead against hers. "Lon, are you sick?"

Lonnie could only shake her head. Jay sighed in relief. At least they were all healthy. "What aren't you telling me?" Lonnie shook her head. She couldn't get the words out. Not yet.

"Are you… is there anyone… else… I should know about?" Jay struggled to get the question out. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

Lonnie shook her head again. "No, not since you." She whispered. Her heart was aching for what they once had. Jay felt the tension in his heart release. He could breathe for a moment. He still had a chance to get her back.

The tears continued to stream down her cheeks and Jay did the only thing he could to comfort her. He tilted his head and tenderly brought his lips to hers. Warm and soft, his lips slid like silk over hers. His thumbs gently stroked her cheeks as he softly nipped on her bottom lip. 'Damn, how I've missed this,' they both bodies have ached for one another for so long. This simple kiss wasn't going to be enough for long.

Jay pressed his lips harder against hers. All the pent up feelings from the past five years were yearning to be released. Lonnie only parted her lips a little bit, but it was all Jay needed to deepen the kiss. It had been way too long since they did something like this. Lonnie sighed softly. This connection to him was exactly what she needed right now. Her sigh nearly unravelled him.

Jay slowly pulled back. Lonnie's eyes stayed closed, but he could still see tears falling. Jay moved Lonnie's legs off to the side and scooted a little closer to her. He reached over and gently pulled her into his lap, cradling her against his chest. Lonnie wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into him. He could tell that she's had enough questions and stress for the moment.

Jay planted delicate kisses over her face as his hand slowly slid up and down her back. He could feel every muscle slowly relax as he worked his magic over her. She needed to rest before she could handle any more. He would give her until the others got here. If it was this traumatic, then Jay didn't want Lonnie repeating it over and over. Once would be enough. Then, they could all work on fixing the problem.

"Lon, how much sleep have you gotten? When did you last sleep?" Jay whispered against her ear.

Lonnie shrugged. She had been like this since she got the initial news. She had to think hard about when that was. "Thursday, I think."

That was almost three days ago now. It was early Sunday morning. 'Three days is way too long for her to go without sleep,' Jay thought as he rested his chin on Lonnie's head and held her a little closer. "Sleep, Lon. I'll take care of you and Jaylian."

He finally got her to sleep. It took an hour of soothing and a lot of tears, but Lonnie finally fell into a very deep sleep; something she desperately needed.

Jay carried her bridal-style into their old bedroom. The walls were dark red with white trim and white blinds, the bedspread and decorative pillows were red, black, and yellow, and the furniture was all dark wood. The only mismatched thing in the room was the beige carpet which covered every floor in the apartment except for the kitchen and bathrooms. When he entered the room, Lonnie's short, wide dresser was to his left. Her large, horizontal mirror was facing their double-sized bed and the window on the far side of the room. Across from the bed was Jay's old dresser. To the left of his dresser was their tiny bathroom, and to the right was their small walk-in closet. Lonnie had kept everything exactly the same, which surprised him. Even his dresser was still there. He felt himself break at it all.

He gently set Lonnie into the bed and pulled the blanket up over her. He crouched down and watched her for a moment. Why did he ever leave her? He asked himself that question more often than he cared to admit. Jay stood up and noticed a small head poking around the doorframe. It was time he got to know his daughter.

"How about we let your mom sleep," Jay whispered and smiled softly, seeing a little bit of mischief in her eyes. It was the same look he often had in his own eyes when he was younger. Jay looked at the alarm clock on Lonnie's bedside table. It was quarter past 6 am. The boys wouldn't be here for a few more hours. "Come on. I'll feed you and we can watch cartoons and you can tell me all about your mom."

"Mama's the bestest person ever!" Jaylian gave him a gap-toothed smile as she jumped and threw her arms up in the air on the word 'ever' to emphasize her point.

"She is, isn't she?" Jay couldn't help but smile and ruffle the girl's hair as he walked past her.

Jaylian followed Jay down the hall for a bit and into the kitchen and watched him rummage around, looking for food. Lonnie had always done the cooking, so learning to cook for himself never happened. For the past five years, Jay had been living off of ramen, macaroni and cheese, frozen dinners, and take-out. "What does Lon - sorry, Mama usually give you for breakfast?"

Jaylian saw the perfect opportunity to get something her mother would never allow. "Chocolate cake. She says it has all the 'gredients for a healfy meal."

Jay frowned and looked at the innocent face of the little girl sitting at the table across the room from him. It did sound like something Lonnie would say. Jay shrugged as he pulled the cake and milk out of the fridge. He set out two plates and cut two sizable pieces. He couldn't let the kid eat alone, and Jay knew just how well Lonnie could bake.

"Are you allowed to eat out there?" Jay asked, knowing that when he lived here, Lonnie refused to allow anything other than a glass of water on her couch.

"Yeah, we eat there all the time." Jaylian took her plate and fork into the living room with a huge grin on her face, knowing she was never allowed to eat in there. She settled herself on the couch while Jay poured a glass of milk for the girl and a mug of coffee for himself, and carefully carried his plate and drinks to the coffee table.

The two sat in comfortable silence. Jay turned on the tv and regretted it as soon as he did. Now he knew why Lonnie was so upset. Shang and Mulan were plastered on the screen. Jay sat in stunned for a moment and listened to the newscast. Shang was dead and Mulan was missing.

"That's Grandma and Grandpa!" Jaylian chirped happily and pointed at the screen, not understanding the report.

Jay immediately turned it off and frowned. How did Shang die? Why was Mulan missing? And where was Sian? Jay pulled out his phone and saw several texts and messages from the boys. He blew out a long breath and quickly replied. With everything that had hit him this morning, Jay completely forgot to give them an address.

The door burst open and three men walked in as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Jay and Jaylian looked up. Bags were set down as coats were hung up and shoes were removed. Tyler spotted Jay first.

"You know, you seriously need to check your phone once in a while. You're luck Carlos can track your phone. Who's this? Tyler rattled off as Jaylian walked over to the men.

"This is Lonnie's daughter. Jaylian, these are Tyler, Carlos, and Aziz. They're some friends of mine and your mother's." Each man nodded or waved in their turn at the curious little girl as Jay said their names. Jay looked up at the three shocked faces. "Jaylian is four, going on five." He let that sink in. The realization of the timing sunk in and had the three men looking at each other, then back and forth between Jay and the child.

"Oh shit!" muttered Aziz. Sorry kid, bad habit."

"Uncle Sian says that word a lot. He goes red with some others." Jaylian said and went back to her cake as Jay stood up and went to the guys. So, Sian definitely knew and kept Jaylian from her father. That would be a discussion for when Lonnie's brother gets here.

"Is she… ?" Carlos was dumbfounded.

Yep. She's mine." Jay's answer was curt. He was still a bit angry and very taken back by everything that had happened in the past four hours. He was a Dad. At least, he will be as soon as he gets Lonnie back and they figure out how to break the news to Jaylian.

"How the hell did that happen?" Aziz asked, watching the happy little girl enjoy her cake.

"Really? You still don't understand how that stuff happens?" Tyler teased, earning him a punch in the arm from Aziz.

"Where's Lonnie?" Carlos looked around and didn't see her.

"She's asleep. There's a lot going on, guys. We need to find Sian. He needs to be here for her," Jay answered softly.

Tyler cringed slightly. "Not a good idea, man. Ally's on her way with the girls. We called them, just in case. Your message at stupid o'clock was a bit cryptic."

"They'll have to deal with it. We have to find Sian first, then Ally can beat the crap out of him." Jay said as Carlos took his laptop out of his bag and set himself up at the kitchen table. He had a feeling that shit was about to hit the fan. Ally and Sian have barely had a civil conversation in six years.

Hoo, what a loaded chapter. 3,400 words! Sorry it took so long. I had a lot of fun improvising some new stuff for y'all.

Jaylian is such a cutie, isn't she? I want to write more cute moments like that one where she talks about how much she loves her mom.

Art really does mimic life. "Jennifer" is named after a phys ed teacher I had back in elementary school, and she was pregnant while I was in her class. Lonnie and Jay's bedroom is basically a smaller version of my parents' room, but smaller and with a different colour scheme.