"This place is huge!" Carter cried taking in the school with wide eyes.
"It might even be bigger than Monster High!" Winnie chimed.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far Winnie," Christina giggled as they traversed the halls of the immaculately clean school, "Remember, the catacombs are part of the school too and they're so big people have gotten lost before,"
"Yeah, I remember," Winnie replied before bounding ahead, pulling Carter by the arm, the tour was beginning to bore her, "Can we explore?" she asked hopefully.
"I don't see a problem with it," Giles replied thoughtfully, "As long as you're okay with it?" he added turning to the other adults.
"Go ahead kiddos but be careful, no running," Christina instructed sternly because if she hadn't the duo would have stampeded through the school and possibly hurt themselves.
"Yes, Ma'am," they nodded before scampering off.
…...
"You get the feeling Headmaster Grimm doesn't like us?" Winnie whispered as they roamed the halls.
"Yeah," Carter nodded as they climbed the staircase.
They went from one room to the other before moving on talking all the while.
"This is weird," Carter admitted.
"What is?"
"Being related to a fairy tale character,"
Winnie snorted.
"What?"
"I thought you would've loved it,"
"Why?"
"Do not remember how often your mom read you fairy tales?" Winnie asked, arching an eyebrow, "She still does!"
"Does not!"
"Does too"
"Does not!"
"Does too"
"Does not!"
"Does too" Winnie laughed, "What'd she read you last Monday?"
"She didn't,"
"That's a lie, your mom reads to you every night! You'll be grown up and she'll still do it!"
"Are you insulting my Mom's storytelling skills?" Carter shoved Winnie.
"No, but, you're ten! Most people stop reading stories to their kids when they're six!"
"You still have movie nights with your Dad!"
"Because that's normal,"
"So I'm not normal?"
"Neither of us are!"
The duo laughed, settling down in the common room. Slowly, Carter took Winnie's hand causing her to blush suddenly overcome with the shyness that persisted even after all these months.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Winnie" Carter admitted.
"Don't you dare start feeling guilty," Winnie scolded lightly a serious edge in her voice.
"But I am," Carter said, his voice wavering, "I shouldn't have taken Mom's spellbook, I should've waited! Now, we're here because of me,"
"Hey, I'm your partner in crime, no matter what,"
Winnie pulled him into a hug, a soft smile flickering across her face when he laid his head on her shoulder. He wrapped his wings around her. They fell asleep like that after a while, Winnie on top of Carter as they'd fallen back.
That's how the adults found them.
"Aw," Christina quietly gushed.
"You like, know this means he's growing up don't you?" Shaggy whispered.
He was jabbed in the ribs that.
"That boy will always be my baby, I don't care how old he gets," Christina hissed, relaxing quickly afterward, "He was such a cute baby,"
"Let them sleep," Maleficent whispered, "We can talk elsewhere,"
The trio of adults moved to the courtyard of the school, Jade, and Scooby following behind them. Once settled on the benches Maleficent asked the question that had been on her mind since speaking with Carter.
"Where's Carter's birth father?"
The question took Christina by surprise so much so that her hands were shaking as she responded:
"Jail, for a long, long time,"
"Why?"
Christina's hands continued to shake more and more with each passing second, "Carter, Carter was a-a-"
"Christina, you don't have to," Shaggy interjected but Christina pressed on, starting over.
"I was raped," she spat the word like acid, "His father raped me when I was a teen,"
Her hands were shaking wildly now. So much so that Shaggy grabbed ahold of them in an attempt to calm her, tears rolling down her face as she spoke.
"He drugged me, had his way and left me on the floor, I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later,"
overcome with tears she clung to Shaggy.
"You want me to tell the rest?" he offered quietly to which she nodded, burying her face in his chest.
"She went into hiding after Carter but he found them and..."
…...
Scooby, Matches and, Shaggy were hastily searching for Christina. It surprised Scooby and, Matches when Shaggy kicked down any locked doors they came across. He was determined to find Christina and find her they did. Christina laid passed out, battered and beaten on the floor. The closer Shaggy got to her the more damage he could see. There was a gash on her forehead that was trickling blood, and all along her arms were bruises in the shape of handprints. No doubt they were Drew's handprints. Shaggy had to get her out of here. Scooby had followed Shaggy into the room and was currently sniffing Christina trying to locate other wounds. He found none but Scooby's breath woke Christina who was very, very drowsy still. Seeing that she was awake Shaggy tried to lift her but she was scared and in pain. Shaggy redirected himself and located a spot where it wouldn't hurt Christina to be touched. He found a spot on her wrist and with Scooby's help pulled her to her feet. They walked slowly from the room. Free from the presence of dark magic Christina was more alert and awake.
"He has Carter!" Christina said worriedly.
"Don't worry Christina we'll rescue him," Shaggy reassured her.
They made slow progress to the room where Carter was. Drew was there already trying to twist the truth again.
"She's lying to you, Carter" Drew was saying, "Everyone was JEALOUS of our happiness! They all wanted to keep us apart!"
"INCLUDING ME YOU PSYCHOPATH," Christina screeched catching Drew by surprise.
Drew was angry to see Christina relying on Shaggy and Scooby for support. He was angry that his princess was relying on a NORMIE and his stupid mutt. Worse, Christina continued to yell at him.
"I NEVER wanted you! Never wanted ANYTHING to do with you! But you just couldn't take 'NO' for an answer!"
Carter looked between his parents confusedly.
"Mom?" then he turned to Drew "Is it true?" he asked.
"No, son of course not, remember your mother's not well, she's been brainwashed. We love each other why else would you be here?" Drew said with a smile too big and sweet to be real.
Christina was horrified. Drew had strung together a sticky web of lies with only one way out. The truth and Drew thought that Christina didn't have it in her to tell Carter the truth but the time had come. She could only hope Carter would forgive her.
"You DRUGGED AND RAPED ME! I told you no but you are a possessive psychopath so drugging me was the only way you could ever have me," Tears poured down Christina's face as she turned to her son whose eyes were blown wide from shock.
"I-I-" Carter faltered falling to the floor. It all made sense now. This was why his mom never wanted to talk about his father.
"It's true Carter, Sibella told me the truth," Winnie said dropping to her knees beside her fallen friend.
"SHUT UP YOU STUPID MUTT," Drew roared turning to Shaggy he added, "And YOU! Take your filthy hands of my princess, NORMIE!"
Winnie took this chance to rush forward and sink her teeth into Drew's forearm causing him to cry out in pain.
"Ouch, get off me you stupid mutt," he swung his arm and sent poor Winnie flying into the nearby TV set causing the young werewolf to cry in pain as shards of glass rained down on her.
Something inside Carter snapped. Father or not, no one had a right to do that to Winnie. The others looked on in shock as his fangs extended and large bat-like wings tore through his shirt. Carter didn't think he just acted, sending blow after blow to his father's face. However, after the first three times Drew caught the young boy by his neck seething with rage.
"Looks like I'll have to start over," Drew hissed.
Matches bounded forward wanting to help his friend after all Carter had always been nice to him.
"I wouldn't do that unless you want me to snap his neck," Drew warned sadistically.
"Like, let him go!" Shaggy hollered leaving Christina to be supported by Scooby.
"And who's gonna make me, Normie? YOU?" Drew laughed.
"Like, yeah", Shaggy smirked, cocking his fist. "ME!"
Drew's confident smirk turned to shock as Shaggy swung his fist and transformed into a werewolf who was seething with protective rage. The blow was so powerful that it sent Drew through the wall and knocked him out cold. With Carter free, he rushed to Winnie's side while Shaggy did the same for Christina. At this point, police cars and ambulances swarmed the house. Dracula led the charge into the house followed by the paramedics and policemen. Christina and Winnie were loaded into the ambulances and quickly taken to the hospital.
…...
"This baby was his but we had some help to change that," Shaggy finished.
Maleficent was inwardly seething with rage. That vampire would pay! For now, she did her best to push the firey rage down and told Christina the story of Alissa's birth, hoping to comfort her.
"I was part of an arranged marriage shortly after becoming the queen of the dark fae. I never loved him, only had a child with him because it was expected of me so, Lucinda was born, her father and I separated shortly afterward I wanted nothing to do with him but, Alissa's father," Maleficent paused to collect herself, "We met a very long time ago before I was ever queen. Over time, he'd stolen my heart, told me he loved me but it was all a lie. As soon as he had me, he stole my wings in an attempt to become king of the nearby lands, he did of course and you can guess what happened next but he never knew of the child he'd gifted me with. I never blamed Alissa and I never will,"
Her plan seemed to work as Christina's breathing slowed and the shaking stopped.
"THAT was the real reason I cursed 'King' Steffan's daughter", Maleficent said. "Because he wronged me and our daughter so deeply for his own, selfish gain. Of course, that's not what is written in the Storybook of Legends."
"Did-did Mom know about...?"
"I told her the whole story after the tale played out. She wanted to reach out to Aurora, but Milton Grimm prevented it. Of course, Alissa blamed me and our heritage, driving the wedge even deeper between us. To this day, Queen Aurora has no idea that she had an older half-sister, let alone one born a dark fae. Grimm and most of those in power in Ever After don't want our children to know the truth; a truth your mother proved, much to the irritation of Headmaster Grimm", Maleficent chuckled smugly.
"Like, what 'truth'?", Shaggy asked.
"Reah", Scooby added, absorbed in the story now too.
"That 'Light' or 'Dark' is how one is born, but 'Good' or 'Evil' is a CHOICE, and Alissa", Maleficent smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek, "my sweet, wonderful Alissa followed her heart and chose GOOD. She always thought I wanted her to follow in my dark footsteps, and I thought I did too. But when she made her choice, I was so proud of her. My deepest regret will always be that I never told her so."
It was then that Carter and Winnie emerged from the school to join them. Hand in hand they joined Christina and Shaggy on the bench across from Maleficent.
"Are you okay, Mom?" Carter asked worriedly, he could see the tear trails on her cheeks.
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me," she smiled softly.
"There is something I should tell you, Christina," Maleficent said plainly.
"Yes?"
"You are rightfully Queen of the Dark Fae, you have been since you became an adult,"
"What?"
"And Carter, Carter is your heir,"