I don't own anything related to Descendants, Disney, Dove or Sofia.

—-

"I told her I would kind of..." Mal pauses, "rip out her spine..."

"Mal!" Chloe said in shock.

Mal threw her hands up, "I know, I know okay?"

"Mal," her friend said again. "You can't just threaten her and throw her away. That's not how being an adult works."

Mal rolled her eyes. She had serious anger issues still. She always blamed it on being part dragon. Controlling her emotions wasn't easy for her. She tried so hard but she didn't always succeed. "She brought drugs into my house, Chlo. What would've happened if Macie had found them?"

"One, you told me she had them hidden in her bag. With the way you keep an eye on your kid, she never would've found them. And two, you need to give her a break. You went through this too. How many times did you relapse before it stuck?"

"3," Mal mumbled.

"Exactly." Chloe told her. "I'm not trying to make you feel like shit but she needs someone who understands right now, not someone who is going to judge her for fucking up."

Mal was about to speak when she heard the cry coming from her daughter's room. "Hold on." Mal stood up and went to check on her child. "Hi, baby," Mal smiled, picking up her little girl. Macie just snuggled into her shoulder and fell back asleep. Mal carried her back through to the living room, where Chloe sat on her couch.

"What am I supposed to do?" Mal asked, rubbing Macie's back. "I don't even know where she is."

"Text her. Find her. Apologize." Chloe told her. "You know recovery takes time and needs a lot of support. Who is going to help her if you don't?"

Mal sighed. She knew that was true. Aside from the Evil Queen, Evie had no family. And everyone knew the Queen was crazy. Mal had no idea where Jay and Carlos were, she hadn't spoken to Ben in years and she was fairly certain Doug was Evie's dealer. "What if I'm not strong enough for this?" Mal asked, voicing her fears for the first time. "I can't get lost in that world again."

"Macie will keep you grounded, Mal." Chloe told her, brushing hair out of the little girl's face. "You went through hell for her before, that'll be what keeps you from going through it again."

Mal nodded, chewing on her lip quietly. She was fully aware she had lost her temper with her old friend. Evie didn't deserve that. Clearly the things Evie had been through were fucking with her head and Mal should be helping, not punishing. It was hard for her though.

"I gotta get going," Chloe said, standing up and grabbing her bag. "Find her and apologize. Help her."

Mal nodded, "See ya." Chloe closed the door behind her and Mal was left alone with her thoughts. Evie used to be so happy and bubbly and sweet. Now she was so broken. Mal hated the man that destroyed her and hated herself for not trying harder when Evie ended their friendship.

Macie stirred a little before looking at her mom. "Hi."

"Hi to you too," Mal smiled. "You hungry?"

Those were the magic words. Macie was up and running to the kitchen, pointing at the box of goldfish crackers on the counter. Mal handed her a bowl full of them and Macie carried them back to the living room, picking up her favorite toy and settling down to play. Mal decided to use this opportunity to work on some flash cards with her kid.

"What color is this?" Mal asked, holding up a card with a yellow duck on it.

"Lellllow!" Macie answered, shoving 4 goldfish in her mouth at once.

"Good job," Mal laughed. "And this one?" She held up a purple seahorse.

"Mama!" Macie exclaimed.

"Yes, I like this color. What is it?" Mal giggles, trying again.

"Urple!"

"Close enough." Mal picked up a blue beach ball card next."

"Blueeeeeeeeeeee!" Macie clapped. She then looked around, holding her hands up in confusion. "Where blue? Blue bye bye?"

Mal looked down at Macie for a moment, carefully choosing her words. "She's not here, Mace. She had to leave."

"No." Macie said simply. "No go."

Mal tried to hold up a green frog card next to get Macie's mind off Evie but the little girl just kept saying "no go" over and over again. Mal picked up her phone and texted Evie.

"Macie misses you." -Mal

The blonde put the phone back down and turned to her daughter. "I told her you miss her." Macie just smiled, picking up her toy cars letting them go down the giant track.

"Blue." Macie said again, clearly trying to get her mom to grasp her point.

"I know, I get it." Mal told her. "I'm sorry."

Evie sat in the groups old hideout back on the Isle. It was cold and damp and covered in cobwebs but she didn't have anywhere else to go. She wrapped her old blanket around her shoulders, trying to warm up. The place didn't exactly have central heating.

Tears were falling as she shivered, her mind racing. She wished so much that she could go back to that night and make Mal walk her home. Every single thing in her life would be different. Everything.

She flipped through her old design book. Dizzy had given it back to her once she started her own creations in Auradon. Evie had seen some of "Dizzy from the Isle" in the stores around town. She just wished her own designs were too. That dream was gone though. She hadn't designed or created anything in years. She wasn't even sure she could anymore.

The bandaid on her wrist caught her eye. Falling back into old habits was hard on Evie but she felt so lost, so broken, so useless. She didn't have a place anymore. She used to be apart of the "Core Four" but that was gone. She used to be the other half of an amazing friendship. That was gone. She used to be a kick ass designer. That was gone too. Now she was just a self loathing drug addict.

Evie glanced at herself in the mirror, heartbroken to see what she saw. She had no makeup on and she looked 10 years older than she was. Her eyes were sunk so deeply in she had a skeleton like look about her. Her cheekbones were protruding out and her hair was so lifeless and straggly. She was thinner than she had ever been and you could see all her bones. Between the drugs and not eating due to depression, Evie looked like literal walking death. She grabbed her old hairbrush and threw it at the mirror. "Fuck you," she said as it shattered.

Just then, her phone dinged at her. She looked down and saw a message from Mal. Evie smiled a little at the thought of Macie. It didn't last long though. All that text really did was remind her that she had screwed up yet again.

"I miss her too." -Evie

Evie hit send and sunk back into the lumpy old couch. She really didn't want to be stuck there. The hideout had so many memories of her and Mal. Evie couldn't help but chuckle a little at how far they had come. The Evil Queen not inviting Mal to Evie's 6th birthday has resulted in Evie and her mother being banished. It all seemed so ridiculous looking back on it. They were back where they started though. Full circle. Mal hates her once again.

Evie didn't know what to do. Did she want to get clean? The drugs were all that helped her forget. Her heart ached though at the thought of losing Mal again. Was it worth no drugs to be Mal's friend again? Evie knew that's all they were ever be.

Evie sighed loudly, getting off the couch and looking over at the graffiti all over the walls. There were faded pictures of her as well as Mal. A giant mural of the four was painted as well, the words "Rotten to the Core" underneath.

"Because were rotten," Evie mumbled to herself, "to the core."

She walked over to the bed that was underneath the picture of herself and laid down. She curled up in a ball cried herself to sleep.

—-

"I knew I would find you here," Mal's voice woke Evie from her sleep.

"Mal?" Evie asked, opening her eyes.

"I figured you would choose here over that dark, gloomy castle you used to live in." Mal chuckled. "I'm impressed you were able to hit the sign with a rock though. You were always so bad at it."

"I was not!" Evie protested.

"Yeah. You were." Mal walked over to the couch and sat down, waiting for Evie to join her. "It was my wonderful art that brought you up here, wasn't it?" She teased.

"What are you doing here?" Evie asked.

"I was a bitch and I'm sorry." Mal admitted to her.

"It's my fault. You have nothing to apologize for." Evie looked down at her hands.

"I'm so protective over Macie." Mal told her, "but I should've been protective over you too."

Evie looked up at her, meeting her bright green eyes.

"I relapsed 3 times while I was pregnant. You're allowed to slip up. At least you aren't endangering another life when you do." Mal looked so remorseful as she spoke.

Evie took Mal's hand to stop the blonde from fidgeting. "Macie is perfect."

Mal nodded, "she is, but she easily couldn't have been. I put her life at risk and mine."

Evie was quiet for a few moments before speaking again, "I don't want to die, Mal. Coke is just the only way I can forget what happened. It's the only way I can stop feeling him."

"I know. You need to go talk to someone and deal with what happened, not just cover it in drugs." Mal switched their positions and pulled Evie in close to her, so Evie was laying her head on Mal's chest. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when it happened. I can help you deal with it now though."

Evie breathed in Mal and smiled at the familiar smell. It had always made her feel safe. "I'm just scared."

Mal nodded but didn't say anything. They just laid for a while like that. Enjoying the peacefulness. Peaceful was a foreign concept to both of them.

"We should get going, Eves," Mal said.

"Can we stay here a little longer?" Evie asked, not wanting to return to real life just yet.

Mal nodded and started playing with Evie's hair. "I want us to be friends again. It's just going to take a while before I can trust you. Especially with Macie. I don't exactly trust easily."

Evie just nodded before Mal continued.

"Not having you around the last 5 years has been really hard. I have to relearn what it's like to be friends with you." Mal ran her finger across Evie's wrist, gently touching the bandaid. She knew what lied beneath it. That was a habit Evie had started long before they left the Isle. Her mom had verbally abused her so much as a child.

Evie flinched a little at the touch. It didn't hurt but she didn't like being exposed like that. She knew Mal didn't mean any harm by it but it still freaked her out a bit. Not that it mattered, Evie was so happy to be laying with Mal again. Even if it was going to take a lot of work to get better.

"So," Evie laughed, "what happen to the purple? You're too cool for the Isle look now?"

"Hey, I kept the purple streaks." Mal laughed, "I just needed a change at the time. I always planned on going back to purple. It is my signature color after all."

"Purple definitely goes well with blue," Evie smiled, twirling her hair.

"You're a nerd," Mal joked.

"Any word from Dizzy or Celia lately? Or Audrey? Or Jane?" Evie asked, enjoying the simplistic conversation.

"Not really. The last I heard Dizzy was still designing. Her and Celia have a house out near Rupunzel's castle."

"Dizzy and Celia?" Evie asked, shocked at the coupling.

"Oh yeah. They are actually pretty cute. Celia runs an arcade. Kind of like her dad's but not evil." Mal smiled. "Jane was still in college last I heard of her. Ben said she was studying to be some kind of engineer I think. I don't really remember."

"And Audrey?"

"Oh right," Mal laughed. "You must really be out of the loop. She married Chad last year and they live in Charmington castle."

"Oh I can't believe he convinced her to marry him. He was crazy," Evie laughed.

"She wasn't exactly the sanest either," Mal laughed as well.

"How's Ben?" Evie asked, leaving the one who would be the hardest for last.

"He's good. I talked to him a few months ago. He's dating some princess but I don't remember her name. He's all over tv though." Mal told her.

"Right. His big kingly duties." Evie remembered.

"Everyone grew up and got lives I guess," Mal shrugged.

"Yeah. Kind of makes me feel lost." Evie admitted.

"You'll get there," Mal promised.

"Thanks."

Silence crept over them again. This time it was a comfortable one.

"Are you ready to go home?" Mal asked.

"Your place?" Evie asked.

"Your place too. As long as you need it." Mal smiled before standing up, offering her hand.

Evie grabbed it and stood up. "Lets go." The girls held hands as they walked out of their old hideout, down the stairs and off the isle.