Meanwhile, at Town Hall, Regina was there with several parents and adults as she was discussing her future term as the mayor again in the next election. "And as you remember, I've been your mayor for a very long time," she then said, speaking in front of the people behind her podium as everyone watched her from their seats. "I have two lovely children who could do no wrong as I was able to raise them as well as I can by myself. Of course with the help of Sheriff Graham Humbert, doing his part whenever necessary."
Graham smiled sheepishly as he waved once he was mentioned like that.
"I will do everything in my power to continue to make our home into a lovely environment for our children with a great school and just as great teachers, keeping them safe from danger and the wrong side of the tracks, and of course, Stranger Danger," Regina continued before Mr. Glass stood up for a moment and walked away briefly as he was signaled away after hearing the telephone go off.
Many people in the crowd agreed, murmuring their thoughts as she spoke.
"And I would also like to announce something very special if I may?" Graham spoke up.
"Oh... Really?" Regina blinked, surprised before smiling bashfully. "How important is this, Mr. Humbert?"
"It's quite urgent, in fact, I've been waiting for the right time to ask and I just couldn't wait much longer if I may have the floor." Graham replied as he stood up calmly and innocently.
"Well... That's all right with me," Regina replied before looking back at the group. "Would that be alright with you folks?"
The people simply murmured in agreement again.
"All right then, Graham, what is it?" Regina smiled at the sheriff of Auradon Heights.
"Ahem..." Graham cleared his throat and soon approached her. "Regina Lana Mills... I have known you for a long time... I mean, a really long time. It was such a long time ago, and yet... I feel like I've known you my whole life."
"I feel that way too sometimes, Graham," Regina smiled warmly. "You're one of the best things to have ever happened to me next to when Evie and Henry were born."
"Aww~..." The crowd sighed at that sentiment.
"I was just wondering though," Graham smiled as he reached into his pocket to bring something out. "If you wouldn't mind and I know that I definitely wouldn't. If you would-"
"Uh, Mayor Mills? I need to tell you something." Mr. Glass spoke up as he walked over suddenly.
"Not now, Mr. Glass," Regina said through her teeth sharply as she glanced at him. "Can't this wait?"
"There's a Mrs. Lucas on hold," Mr. Glass informed. "She says it's an emergency."
"Excuse me," Regina told the crowd and the sheriff before she walked over to pick up the phone. "May I help you, Mrs. Lucas?" she then asked, trying to sound pleasant, but sounded a bit irked right now and she was about to get worse. Much, much worse. "...What?"
Back at the Mills' mansion, most of the guests were still dancing and having a lot of fun. There was a group around one part of the room though that were playing an old-fashioned game of Spin the Bottle. Uma smirked as she, Gil, and Harry nearly trashed the house, though Evie seemed to be too excited or having too much fun to notice, especially her little brother being locked in the basement and she couldn't help him since he didn't have a cell phone and he and Dee Dee were drowned out by the music. Mal and Evie soon met in the kitchen, laughing together.
"Evie, this is probably the best house party I've ever been to," Mal smiled at her friend. "See? You can handle a teenage party. I bet even Henry and Dee Dee are having a good time."
Evie nodded before looking curious. "...Where are Henry and Dee Dee?" she soon wondered. "It's not like Henry to leave without saying anything."
"Oh, he's probably just in bed," Uma smirked as she walked by slyly. "I wouldn't worry about him though, Princess Blueberry. You have a party to worry about and not your little ankle-biter."
"...He's my little brother," Evie firmly corrected as she didn't like that nickname for Henry. "But... I suppose you're right."
"So, you ready to get back out there?" Mal then asked.
"Yes, I suppose I am," Evie nodded. "I just hope this isn't too big of a mess, otherwise my hands will be very full by tomorrow evening when the trash gets picked up."
The two girls laughed as Uma smirked, walking off back into the living room.
"Who wants to play Spin the Bottle?!" Uma called out.
"Spin the Bottle?" Evie offered to Mal.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Mal nodded. "Oh... By the way. I wanna give you something."
"Oh, Mal, you don't have to get me anything." Evie smiled bashfully.
"No, really, I insist," Mal said as she reached into her pocket and brought out a golden bracelet with glittering stars on it. "I want you to have this."
"What is it?" Evie asked, amazed and wowed by the glowing as she accepted it.
"Just a little token of our friendship," Mal replied. "I thought maybe you'd like it."
"Oh, I do... But... Won't you miss it?" Evie asked.
"I have another one just like it," Mal replied innocently. "They can be bracelets of friendship if you want."
"You mean a friendship bracelet?" Evie corrected.
"Right... What'd I say?" Mal blinked.
"Never mind that," Evie giggled a little as she wrapped her arms around Mal's shoulders. "Let's go join in on the fun before we miss everything."
"Sounds good to me." Mal chuckled as they soon left the kitchen and soon came back into the living room.
"Hey, let's go upstairs and go exporin'." Harry suggested to Gil.
"All right," Gil chuckled and nodded before looking curious. "...Does Mayor Mills have any treasure in her house?"
"Just get over here, stupid." Harry rolled his eyes, growling as he grabbed Gil by his collar and went to pull him upstairs.
"All right, time to get a kiss from my future husband~" Jordan smirked as she leaned in and spun the bottle.
The bottle spun around and around before pointing right over to Jay as he looked like he was about to take something from a locked cabinet in the living room.
"And it's... Jay~" Jordan smirked once she saw who the bottle landed on.
"Huh?" Jay blinked before looking over and glaring at Jordan. "Hey! You cheated!"
"How did she cheat?" Ivy smirked. "You have to kiss her, it's the rules."
"Yeah, those are the rules based on what I've seen in this game." Mal chuckled.
"Besides, I would never cheat on you," Jordan smirked as she leaned in, applying some lip balm on her lips and puckering up in excitement and anticipation. "C'mere... I'm gonna show you what kissin' is all about~"
"I'm outta here!" Jay cried out as he suddenly bolted off.
"He's just kiddin' around... He knows he likes me," Jordan told the others before she soon chased after Jay. "Jay! Get back here!"
"Hmph." Lonnie pouted and rolled her eyes at what Jordan just did to Jay, looking a little jealous.
The others laughed a bit, especially Ben and Mal.
"Okay, it's your turn, Evie." Mal smiled at her new best friend.
Upstairs, Harry and Gil made it into Regina's bedroom, deciding to take some stuff for themselves on Uma's command. Harry went right to "treasure hunting", but Gil decided to jump on the bed, acting a decade younger than he actually was.
"Are ye a guppy?" Harry rolled his eyes. "Grow up, will ya?"
"You're only young once, Harry!" Gil smirked. "Might as well enjoy it while you can!"
Harry grunted and shook his head as he decided to loot Regina. However, he felt a strange twinge in his stomach, almost like he felt bad about what he was doing, but did his best to ignore it as he opened up some jewelry boxes and stashed the stuff he found into a bag he brought with him to show to Uma later.
"Chad, Chad, Chad, Chad, Chad..." Evie whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and crossed her fingers as the bottle kept spinning.
The bottle soon stopped spinning and ended up on the blonde boy who seemed to be too busy examining himself in his handheld mirror.
"It's Chad~" Lonnie, Mal, and Freddie told Evie.
Evie squealed in excitement, looking ready to kiss the boy of her dreams.
Gil continued to jump on the bed before crashing down on it and it suddenly broke down under his weight. "Oops..." he then said nervously as that made a loud thump happen upstairs.
"Nice goin', Peanut Brain." Harry groused as he slapped Gil in the back of his head.
"Ow!" Gil pouted.
Unknown to both of them, this made the bottle tilt a little and spin over to Doug suddenly who blushed as he was put on the spot suddenly like that.
"Doug?" Evie and Mal blinked.
Doug grinned hopefully and excitedly about getting a kiss with Evie.
"Well... Look at the time," Evie smiled nervously as she walked over to the front door and opened it. "My mother should be getting home any minute. Party's over, everybody out."
"Oh, stop being a baby," Audrey smirked as she grabbed Evie by her arm and went to push her into the closet. "Get over there and kiss your man~"
"Yes, Evie, it's the rules after all." Ivy added.
"Unless you wanna break his heart." Coraline smirked.
Evie yelped as she soon fell into the closet with Doug and Audrey made sure to put a chair over the door to keep them stuck inside so Evie couldn't back out.
"And remember, you're to stay in there for seven minutes." Audrey smirked.
"Audrey, don't lock them in the closet." Ben frowned.
"Why not, Benny? It's in the rules of Spin the Bottle." Audrey smirked.
"What rules?" Mal asked. "I don't remember locking someone in a closet being in the rules for Spin the Bottle."
"Well, it's in Auradon/Storybrooke rules," Audrey retorted as she crossed her arms. "You should go back to where you came from if you don't like how we play the game here."
"Audrey!" Ben firmly frowned.
"I'm just trying to be honest." Audrey shrugged innocently.
Mal just rolled her eyes, wrinkling her nose at Audrey's nastiness. At least Audrey and Ben broke up and she could start to see why.
Evie soon turned on the light in the closet and looked across to the band geek who shared the closet space with her. "Okay, these are the rules," she then started to say. "No kissing, no hugging, no talking."
Doug nodded in agreement as he began to breathe heavily.
"And no heaving breathing." Evie soon added.
Doug then started to sweat as he looked a bit sick to his stomach right now.
"...Are you okay?" Evie asked, starting to sound concerned.
"I'm claustrophobic..." Doug replied as his voice sounded squeakier than usual due to the pressure he was feeling right about now. "I need my inhaler."
"Okay... Where is it?" Evie then asked, trying to keep calm.
"H-H-Home..." Doug replied as he nearly deflated.
"Lemme out of here!" Evie began to panic herself, pounding on the door then.
"Sorry~... We can't hear you~" Audrey smirked darkly with Ivy and Coraline.
Then suddenly, the front door came open as the music suddenly cut out. At the door was Regina with Graham.
Regina gasped at the sight of so many teenagers in her home. "Oh, my gosh..." she then whispered.
"Where's Evie?!" Graham demanded.
"Let me out of here!" Evie cried out as she managed to have the chair kicked down away from the door as it came open and she carried an unconscious Doug in her arms, starting to break down crying. "Mom... Graham..." she then said nervously once she saw them and dropped Doug to the floor. "I see you're having a great evening... Heh... Right?"
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Regina soon shouted at her daughter.
"Mommy... Please..." Evie whispered, feeling scared on the inside.
"Evelyn Ingrid Mills... You told me you were only going to have a few friends from school over," Regina narrowed her eyes. "But this! This! ...You invited everybody on campus?!"
"Mom, you don't understand-" Evie spoke up.
"Don't talk back to me!" Regina replied firmly as she was beyond angry and very scary. "Mrs. Lucas called and told me from Town Hall that you were having a wild party that she could hear all the way from her house!" she then turned over to Ruby. "And speaking of which... I suggest you return home to your grandmother before you end up in juvenile hall."
"Yes, Mayor Mills..." Ruby said softly with wide eyes.
"But Mom-" Evie tried again.
"No buts!" Regina crossed her arms sternly before looking all around at the kids. "Now, kids, you don't have to go home, but you are getting the heck out of my house this instant."
The teenagers soon stood up and waddled on out while they still had the chance. Graham soon took Doug and laid him down on the couch as strongly as she could, hoping that the boy wasn't dead.
"Ms. Mills, I-" Mal spoke up.
"You... You are a very bad influence on my daughter, Miss Ignus," Regina interrupted sharply as she faced the girl. "You best get back home too. I don't want to see you in my house again."
"But Ms. Mills-" Mal tried again.
"No buts from you either, Malissa!" Regina replied sharply, too angry to call the girl by her preferred name as she was very firm and serious. "Evie, I might as well ship you off to The Ircabeth Redwood Academy or to your grandmother's to shape you up into a proper young lady. This wild party is just inexcusable when you took my trust and just dashed it into pieces! What if your little brother had witnessed this atrocity?!"
Evie frowned and bowed her head.
"...Where is your little brother by the way?" Regina asked as Harry and Gil came from upstairs before she sharply turned to them. "BOYS?!"
Harry and Gil yelped as they were nearly pinned on the spot.
"Mom, if you just listen for one second-" Evie tried again.
"That's enough out of you!" Regina glared. "I'm sorry, Evie, but I'm going to have to ground you."
"Regina, maybe we should listen to what she has to say..." Graham spoke up softly, but not even he could get through to her.
"Graham, not now, I'm in no mood," Regina replied. "Evie, Graham and I will discuss your punishment."
"Mom...?" A muffled voice called.
Regina looked over and soon came to the basement door and opened it up to see two familiar younger kids.
"Who locked them in the basement?" Evie gasped to Mal.
"Wasn't me." Mal defended quickly.
"Henry..." Regina gasped as she looked to the boy. "What were you doing down there?"
"We were getting soda for Evie's friends and we got locked down here." Henry frowned.
"Evie! I can't believe you!" Regina glared, looking back at her daughter who looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"I didn't do that though!" Evie defended. "Mom, please just listen to me!"
"I've heard enough," Regina shook her head. "Graham, will you take these young ladies and that young man back home?" she then demanded.
"Yes, Regina," Graham nodded obediently. "Of course I will."
"Mom... Evie didn't-" Henry spoke up.
"Please Henry, not now," Regina interrupted with a sharp sigh. "I'm too disappointed. I think I should call Grandma."
Evie and Henry gasped as though that sounded like a fate worse than death.
"We'll talk more in the morning," Regina said. "Evie, you may go say goodbye to your friends while you still can."
"Are you mad...?" Evie asked softly in defeat with no other options left.
"I'm not mad, Evie," Regina sighed. "I'm just very, very disappointed in you."
"...I understand." Evie said as she bowed her head.
"Very good," Regina approved. "I'm going to get ready to get some sleep."
Evie wiped her eyes as she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Henry frowned, feeling so bad for his sister and soon went to go up to his own room.
"Henry, go ahead and get ready for bed," Regina then told her younger child. "I'll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in."
"Yes, Mom." Henry replied softly.
Evie soon walked outside the door with Mal. Uma was heard chuckling as everybody was grouped together, going to find a way home as Graham came to escort Doug and Dee Dee back home.
"Hey... What's so funny?" Evie firmly pouted at Uma.
"Oh, nothing~" Uma smirked before she hugged Mal suddenly. "Nice working with you, Mal~" she then burst into more laughter.
Everybody then gasped in horror once it was revealed why the party truly got out of control as a car pulled up to pick up Uma, Harry, and Gil.
"So nice that you'd do anything to help an old friend." Uma smirked at Mal before stepping inside the car with her guys.
Harry then closed the door and the car drove off into the night.
"...She was your 'old friend'?" Evie asked Mal, a bit firm, though it was mostly soft as she had tears in her eyes.
"Well... She said... She said she wanted to help you..." Mal softly told Evie in defense.
"And you believed her?" Ruby asked as she put her arm around Evie.
"I... I..." Mal stammered as she felt her heart aching inside.
Evie turned away as she hugged her stomach, feeling even more hurt and betrayed about what happened and was going to be punished as soon as she walked back inside her house. Mal flinched and looked all around to the others as they looked very unhappy with her right now and she bowed her head. She was used to being seen as a disappointment, but this was probably the worst thing to have ever happened to her.
"...I have nothing to say to you." Ben said to Mal as he bowed his head.
Mal sighed sharply as that very much stung. She wasn't sure if she was ever going to be able to make this up to Evie and the others. It was just going to be a very long day tomorrow and probably an even longer week the day after.
Eventually, all of the teenagers were sent home in their own way.
"Well, Mal, I know you're used to hearing this, but I'm very disappointed in you," Ciara said as she drove her daughter back home. "I don't know what's gotten into you. You've been so bad lately."
"At least now my badness has finally gotten your attention." Mal rolled her eyes sassily.
"And just what is that supposed to mean, young lady?" Ciara demanded.
"Mom, for all my life, you've been comparing me to Lily," Mal explained as she firmly sighed. "Especially after her accident. Mom, I know you don't want me to end up in jail, but how about being home once in a while? Regina's been more like a mother to me than you have in a very long time. You know what I wish?"
"Don't say it, Mal..." Ciara pouted.
"I wish that..." Mal began to say.
"Don't!" Ciara replied. "You'll regret it!"
"Sometimes I wish-" Mal continued.
"Mal, please!"
"I wish I was never born!" Mal soon blurted out.
"Mal, that's a terrible thing to say!" Ciara firmly pouted. "You have a great life and I think you need to see it."
"Yeah, right," Mal huffed. "My sister is dead, my father left me, my mother barely notices I exist, people are only paying attention to me in school because I beat up the most popular girl in school and I'm dating the most popular boy in school. My life is just empty and hollow with no redeeming qualities." she then added as she crossed her arms.
"Mal... I'm sorry..." Ciara sighed. "Sometimes life is just unfair and sometimes you can't help it. Believe me, I know."
"What do you know?" Mal pouted. "You just don't know how hard this all is."
"Mal... I know that it's tough, but you can get through it," Ciara said, trying to sound firm, but also a bit gentle. "I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that Lily or your father and I did."
"You made mistakes?" Mal scoffed in disbelief. "You just pretty much put me up on a pedestal after I was born and made sure I'd be the perfect kid when I'd just live in your shadow. I just feel like I have no life of my own to live and when I try to, my own mother won't even let me be happy."
"Mal... When I was your age, I was just like you," Ciara sighed as they were almost home now. "I'm sorry that I'm hardly the perfect mother, but please... Can't we at least try to get along so you don't end up like your sister?"
Mal raised a sharp eyebrow at that question.
"Whether you trust me or not, I am your mother," Ciara said as they came to a stop and she looked right at her daughter, looking her dead in the eyes. "I've made mistakes, especially with your father."
Mal scoffed and turned her head right at the window in disgust.
"Mal, please listen," Ciara sighed. "Your father and I just got together too young and had your sister too young too. That's one of the reasons why we split up and just know that it had nothing to do with you."
"I know, Mom, I'm not a child." Mal rolled her eyes.
"No, you're not," Ciara said softly. "But you're not an adult either which is why you have to listen to me or you'll end up just like I did or how Lily did. I'm not going to be around forever."
"You were never around before," Mal firmly pouted. "Especially in this new town. What are you doing that's so interesting to get away from me and barely be there for me, even when we move into a crappy place like this."
"I understand," Ciara sighed. "And I should've told you what I've been up to ever since we ended up in this town."
"So are you going to tell me?" Mal asked.
"...I can't right now," Ciara replied. "I'm sorry, Mal, but I can't say much of anything right now."
"Sure... Shut me out... That's all you're ever good at." Mal huffed.
Ciara just sighed as there was no way to get through to Mal right now. The rest of the ride back home was quiet and as soon as the mother and daughter made it back home. Once they made it back home, they went straight to sleep. Both had a hard time lying in bed that evening as they both had a lot on their minds, especially about tonight, but also about past events. Mal was the most crushed she had ever been in her life about what happened between her and Evie and she just hoped that they would still be friends again very soon.
Meanwhile, Ben was brought back home.
"So... Word on the street is that Mayor Mills' daughter hosted a wild party..." Gold said as he greeted his nephew at the door.
"Uh... Y-Yes, sir..." Ben nodded. "It was okay, I suppose until we all got yelled at and thrown out. I didn't cause any trouble though."
"I'm sure you didn't, boy," Gold smirked a bit. "You're a smart lad."
"Heh... Thanks, Uncle Cedric..." Ben grinned nervously. "I'm gonna go to bed now."
"So this girl you fancy..." Gold said, holding out his hand to reach onto Ben's shoulder. "Was she there?"
"Who? Mal? Oh, yeah, she was there," Ben blushed and nodded. "I can't wait until Mom and Dad can meet her. Hopefully at that big banquet up against The Sherwood Foxes."
"Well, I look forward to it too," Gold smirked. "She must be a very strong and brave young woman, especially to go out with someone like you when you have it all in school."
"Yeah, Mal is very strong, that's for sure," Ben replied. "I bet right now, she's crying joyfully about seeing me in school again on Monday very soon."
Mal very rarely ever cried. She didn't cry when her sister eventually had her untimely death and barely had a tear at the funeral. She didn't cry when her father decided he couldn't handle her mother much longer and decided to go live somewhere else. She didn't even cry when the faculty at her old school told her that it would be okay to cry due to her new life, but she never cried out loud. She just kept it inside and learned how to hide her feelings. Tonight was different though. For the first time in what seemed like to be her entire life, Mal began to break down and cry, though she landed on her face in her pillow and she let it out so that her mother couldn't hear her.
Mal felt like she had really messed up this time. She got her newest and most best friend in very deep, deep trouble with no way out. She wasn't sure how she was going to make this up to Evie, but she knew that she had to do something. She just wished and hoped that she would be able to very soon. She didn't like how it felt when she was crying: she had a sudden headache, bleary vision from the tears, and a runny nose. It was very painful and her heart ached even worse to know that Evie was probably going to be grounded for life and it was all her fault. She eventually fell fast asleep and began to dream one of her more recent favorite dreams to dream about.
She saw herself flying like a dragon, only she didn't have any wings and she was a human. She just loved to fly in a dream, especially when she was a little kid. However, when she looked to her left and right sides, she saw that she wasn't alone. On her left side was her older sister who smiled and winked at her and on her right side, there was her chuckling and happy father. Mal missed the simple times when those two were still around and in her life and wished that she could go back to them. Alas, remembering doesn't bring those days back. Life didn't work that way and she had to grow up and accept it. It made her feel a little bit better after the crying, but starting tomorrow, she would try to make it up to Evie somehow even if she wasn't sure how or when this would happen. She just hoped that it would be soon. Very, very soon.
A/N: Apologies for this short chapter, but this story is almost over. Already? I know, right? Also, I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Dee Dee is my Once Upon a Time OC in RPs with a very dear friend of mine. I was fighting with myself on whether to include her in this story or not, but I thought it'd be nice if Henry made a new friend for this story series. The next chapter will be the second to last chapter and then this will be done, but no worries if you're enjoying the setting and characters so far. I'm planning a sequel to come out sometime in 2021, so be on the look-out for that. Read & Review this chapter while you're at it!