Hey guys! Hope I haven't made you wait too long for this chapter. Continuing in the aftermath of the last two, it's a bit of a doozey, but I promise it's got some laughs in there. Still, the tension and the angst is there, so be prepared for that.

On to the reviews!

manticore-gurl071134: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll like this chapter just as much. :)

theNiceDevil: Good to hear from you again! Yes, I did cliffhanger that chapter, mwaha! ;) I'm glad I've got you hooked on this story, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.

Call Me Random: Haha, thank you for the review! I'm glad you think this story is so awesome, and I hope you'll keep enjoying.

Kevin4baconhugs: Well, if I told you that, it would ruin the story now wouldn't it? Lol, don't worry, they'll be ok; but not without some difficulty. Chad certainly has a ways to go before he gets himself sorted, but thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you'll continue to follow along. :)

Tiredandlazy: I'm sorry for the cruel cliffhanger…lol, no I'm not! *cue evil laugh* ahahaha! *chokes on laughter* Sorry, ahem, anyway.

I'm glad I managed to cheer you up with this story, that made me happy to hear. Doug and Evie definitely are the best, and I'm going to have a lot of fun writing their interactions, as well as Jane and Carlos. They're just so adorably awkward together! Chad will definitely be dealt with accordingly, don't you worry, although there will definitely be lots of shit going down while things get worked out. But they will get worked out!

And yes! I love Detours, it's where I get my inspiration from. I know better than to try and do the same thing, but I definitely look up to that story as a writing goal to work toward. I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I look forward to hearing what you think of this latest chapter. :)

HorsesInMySoul: That's ok, I still got it! Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much. Don't worry, no one is dead…. You'll find out soon enough what happens with everyone. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

AllGlitchedUp: Thank you for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying my story, and yes, I love yours as well.

As for what Carlos was doing in the workshop will be revealed in good time. ;) Carlos and Jane really are cute together, and I'll be cultivating his relationships with others outside of the group as well, since, like you said, he needs to know there are other people in the world who will treat him right. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy, and I will look forward to seeing what you do with Detours. :)

Krestal: Welcome to the story, and thank you for the review! In terms of pairings, I have some of them already worked out, but I definitely appreciate the suggestion! You're not the first to suggest Jay and Mal, either, I'm starting to wonder if there's a pattern here…. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you will continue to enjoy. :)

IWantColoredRain: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully this update came soon enough for you. :)

Ok, Author's Notes!

As I mentioned above, this chapter will continue the angst, and dealing with the aftermath of the previous chapters, and will contain multiple POV shifts. It's a little bit shorter than the last two, but I promise the next one will go back to the normal length.

Warnings for this chapter include the standard: crude/vulgar language, mild violence, as well as references to child abuse and neglect. Nothing graphic, but it's still a present theme, so be warned.

*Note 2: Thank you to everyone who had sent in a guess and a prompt! I'm still taking guesses, and I have chosen 2 out of 4 prompts. Remember, the game is guess the significance of Aziz's dorm room number: 40; and in honor of the Core Four, I will accept 4 prompts from you guys to include in the story. No OCs, and nothing explicit, but keep guessing and prompting! I look forward to hearing from you guys! :)

Enough out of me, on to the chapter! I hope you all enjoy, and I can't wait to hear what you think!

- Raven

Jay

"…almost completely…"

Wha…? What was…?

"Never seen…like this…"

Something's…wrong. He can't….

"Even older…going to need to be…."

He can't move. He can't move! Why can't he…?

"Sedated…those ribs…."

Something wrong with his head…something fuzzy…blurry.

"…need a count?"

And pain…maybe. Something hurts…something's missing?

"…two…one…"

He's pretty sure he's dead, but there's too much everything for that; too much buzzing and flashing and colors, and death was supposed to be a quiet, endless void. This place was anything but quiet, and Jay feels his face twist as his eyes flicker open. He's hit with a sharp and violent burst of light that makes him gasp, which then makes him scream, but he doesn't have enough air and there's something wrong with his chest.

"Easy…sit back."

The voice comes from nowhere, and it's so loud in his ears that Jay flinches, but his body doesn't move the way he wants it to. He ends up lurching too far, and the solidness beneath him is gone in a sudden rush of air. He braces himself for the impact, but it doesn't come; instead there's hands all over his body, pressing into his skin and lifting him back up.

"Just take it slow," that voice comes again, firm but…gentle? "You took quite the beating young man."

Please, Jay thinks. This doesn't even come close to the worst I've had.

He realizes only belatedly that he'd said that last part out loud, as the voice lets out a soft, choking kind of sound. He tries opening his eyes again, but all he gets is a blurred impression of pink and green and blue, and he gives up, settling back against the solid thing with a groan.

"Where'm I?" He manages, wincing as his words echo painfully in his skull. "Where's…Carlos!"

Shit shit fuck shit!

He jerks himself upright and ignores the pain this time, his eyes flying open and taking in everything at once; the room a stark white that directly contrasts the blue, pink and green blurs in front of him. The room is small, and there's a burning, acid sharp smell in the air, that sets off some deep, instinctive part of Jay that screams danger! Something is beeping close to his ear, high and frantic, but even that doesn't match the racing of his heart as he tries not to panic.

"Alright now, let's not do anything rash," the closest blur says, and Jay whips around, lashing out blindly and not caring what he hits.

He hits nothing, as it turns out, and is instead grabbed and pushed back down. He thrashes wildly, and only then does that pain catch up to him, sharp and intense as it stabs through his chest, and Jay can't help the cry of pain that slips past his lips. He clenches his jaw, biting off the sound, but it still gets through, and he grimaces despite himself.

"See, that's why you shouldn't…."

"Where's. Carlos." Jay growls out through his teeth, glaring unsteadily at the two colors restraining him; the blue and the green.

"He's in the other room," the other color says, and Jay picks up on the hesitation in her voice; the fear and tight worry.

Jay draws a quick breath, but it's stopped short by the pain, and he fights to keep himself calm and not attempt another escape until he knows what's going on.

"Where am I?" he asks again, leveling the pink woman -no wait, she wasn't pink, just her hair, he realizes at another glance- with a glare that would rival even Mal's.

"You're in the infirmary," she says, her lips pursing at his glare, but her own expression still calm and unwavering.

Jay feels a flicker of respect for the woman, noting that she's not easily intimidated and deciding that she could just be worth his time.

"Ok," he says, and he turns his glare to the green-also a woman; only half of her hair was green, the rest a dark brown, almost black. He was sensing a weird pattern here… "And what is that? Why am I here?"

The green woman's eyes widen at his look, and she shivers before she can really stop herself. She straightens after a moment though, and manages to keep her voice from shaking as she answers.

"It's like a miniature hospital," she says quietly.

"Ok," Jay drawls slowly, mentally cataloguing her as weak, but mildly competent. "What's a hospital?"

It's the last woman that he asks this -her hair all brown except for a small streak of blue in the front; and she flushes in something like indignation before she catches his eyes and goes pale, sputtering nonsense as she ducks to hide behind the green woman. Jay narrows his eyes at that, instantly dismissing the blue one. Weak, pathetic, can't even stand her ground. Not even worth further attention.

"A hospital is where people go when they're seriously hurt; to be taken care of," the pink one explains, and though her voice is still patient, she casts a brief , irritated glare of her own at the blue woman, and Jay feels even more respect for her.

He ponders her description of hospitals and infirmaries, thinking that it was no wonder he'd never heard of it. The closest thing to a doctor they'd had on the Isle was Dr. Facilier, and no one was /that/ desperate, let alone that weak to admit a need for any kind of 'care.' Then it occurs to him that she'd said "seriously hurt," and he struggles to sit up again as the full implication hits him.

"Carlos," Jay presses, as soon as he's relatively upright. "Where is he? What...what's wrong?"

The three women all exchange glances, and Jay bites his lip to keep from shouting at them. The pink woman answers him again, her voice still that patient calm, but Jay can hear the wariness in her tone, and it sets him on edge.

"He's in the other room, dear, like I told you. He's not hurt, and you're both safe here."

Jay doesn't believe that for a second, and he levels the woman with another glare. "I need to see him." It's not a request.

"The only ones allowed to be with him right now are the other staff, and Fairy Godmother."

It's the green one who answers, hesitant but firm.

"And anyway," she continues. "You should be more concerned with yourself; you suffered severe injuries."

He would, he totally would be self absorbed under any other circumstance. But this; surrounded by strange people in a strange place that was meant to treat people who were alot weaker than Jay; hurt and separated from Carlos; it was a nightmare come to life.

"You don't understand," Jay tries to retort, but the pink woman adopts a stern expression and glares at him so fiercely he's taken aback.

"No, you don't understand," she scolds him sharply. "You have no less that 2 broken ribs as well as heavy bruising, suffered a severe dislocated shoulder, multiple blows to the spine and chest which could very nearly have killed you if it had persisted long enough; not to mention a grade 3 concussion!"

She finishes her tirade with an empathetic huff, crossing her arms to complete the effect.

"Impressive," Jay deadpans, not even blinking despite the fact that he couldn't even remember any of that. "If that's all, I'd like to go and see Carlos now."

Ben

Re: the list of unforeseen consequences and complications that came with bringing the children of villains into Auradon. Ben anxiously waits in the hallway, pacing back and forth the few short paces between two of the infirmary doors. Behind them, the main causes of his list; Carlos and Jay.

"You should sit," Audrey's voice says behind him, quiet and equally anxious.

"I can't just sit and do nothing," Ben argues, continuing his pacing.

"It's not doing nothing," Audrey states. "It's waiting patiently for news."

What more news they need is anyone's guess, Ben thinks, glaring at the doors as though willing them to open. He already knew far more than he'd ever wanted to. One fight apparently hadn't been enough, and Jay and Carlos had viciously assaulted Chad and six other members of the tourney team. The seven helpless victims had barely escaped with their lives.

Or, so it was according to Chad.

The facts were a bit skewed, with no one yet being able to ask Jay or Carlos what happened from their view -not that anyone was willing to do that. Because, of course, how could anyone trust a villain to tell the truth? Especially when said villain had already previously attacked? What was known, was that Jay had been severely hurt; enough to warrant the infirmary visit, and that Carlos…Carlos was being evaluated for signs of mental illness, and there was talk about sending him back to the Isle.

"They can't do it, Audrey," Ben murmurs, tugging frantically at his hair as he whips around to face her. "They can't send him back."

Audrey says nothing for a moment, pursing her lips and giving him 'that look,' and Ben shakes his head sharply, turning around again.

"I know you don't want to consider it, Ben," she says gently. "But you did really rush into this; and if things have already escalated this much…you have to think about what's best for everyone involved. That includes the rest of Auradon."

Ben doesn't even have the words to accurately express just how not ok that was with him, and he's just beginning to try when rapid footsteps come rushing down the hallway towards them.

"Ben!"

Ben feels a sinking jolt in his stomach, but he turns slowly towards the voice, and is immediately tackled in a fierce hug by his mother.

"Oh, thank Goodness," she gasps, pulling away to cup his face with her hands before squeezing him again, "I was afraid we wouldn't get here fast enough. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Ben manages, but his assurances fall flat as he catches his father's eye over his mother's shoulder.

"Ben," his dad says stiffly, and Ben winces at the tone as he pulls away from his mom's grip.

"Hey, Dad," he says weakly, barely able to complete his shy wave.

"Are you satisfied now?" his dad asks darkly as he approaches, causing Ben to take a half-step backwards. "Now that you've seen what your proclamation has brought?"

"Adam," his mom chides sternly, but even she can't seem to fully disagree.

Behind him, he can hear Audrey rising from her chair and move closer to him, but Ben is focusing on trying to maintain his own composure. He draws a steadying breath that shakes too much to accomplish its purpose, and manages to look his father in the eye as he speaks.

"I think, until we know all of the facts, that it's unfair to make any assumptions."

"Unfair?" his dad retorts sharply, and Ben sees him mom stride quickly forward and place a hand on his arm. "Do you think those villains of yours cared about being fair when they attacked Chad and other students? Would you say that letting them remain here a moment longer is fair?"

"I think," Ben says slowly. "That if Jay and Carlos had truly attacked Chad and six strong, athletic members of the Tourney team, then it would be them in the infirmary. And yet, they aren't the ones with broken bones and concussions."

Ben watches his dad pause at that, something resembling confusion flickering across his face. "Six?"

Ben nods once, and his mom gives a quiet gasp, while is dad hesitates another moment.

"Fairy Godmother is in with Carlos now," Ben murmurs. "Until we know what she finds out, we can't make any judgements."

"We shall see about that," his Dad rumbles, but he crosses to the row of chairs against the wall and sits down, glaring at the doors opposite.

Yeah, Ben thinks wearily, exchanging a glance with Audrey. We will.

Carlos

Everything is dark when he wakes up, but that's ok. He knows how to deal with the dark. He takes a slow and shallow breath, trying not to reveal his state of awareness until he knows exactly what he's dealing with. He reaches out with his senses, carefully probing at his surroundings. He decided to go with smell first, and continues his shallow breathing. There's something painfully sharp soaking the air, and he recognizes the smell; it's something he himself had used in various creative and mischievous ways on the Isle. So, he was either in some kind of factory, or a hospital; and judging by the fact that he was definitely lying on a bed of sorts, he'd wager it was the latter. It wasn't much more comforting.

Touch next, since he'd already felt the bed. It's firm, and not at all soft and form absorbing like the bed in his dorm room. He didn't risk openly moving his hands in any way, but he guessed that it must be pretty small and have a railing keeping him in, since he couldn't move his body. There wasn't much to taste, so he guesses he'll try….

"Ca…hear me?"

Carlos prides himself on only jumping a little bit, and blinks slowly up at the blurred face above him. It's a stupid question, he thinks. He can hear everything just fine, way too fine, and it's way…too…loud. He's not worried hearing; it's the fact that he can't move or breathe that concerns him.

"It's alright Carlos," the voice says again, and he realizes that it must be Fairy Godmother given its absurd optimism. "You're in the infirmary. We're just making sure you're ok."

Carlos narrows his eyes at her, working his mouth in an attempt to speak, since he clearly wouldn't be able to sign his response. But something is wrong with his face; something was keeping him from talking. He draws a sharp breath that catches halfway, and something high beeps in his ear, making him flinch.

"Take deep breaths, Carlos," Fairy Godmother instructs lowly. "You're setting off the machine."

He blinks again at that, instantly alert and wary. He was being controlled by a machine? If he was really in some kind of hospital infirmary, they only attached you to a machine when there was something really wrong with you. What had happened? All he could remember was Chad…he'd done something to Chad. But that was only because….

"Jay!"

The word comes out too high and muffled, but Carlos struggles on anyway, fighting the invisible force that kept him from fully sitting up.

"Wwhere's Jay?"

He pushes harder, but the force pushes back, shoving him back down onto the firm surface he lay on.

"It's alright!" Fairy Godmother cries, and Carlos levels her with the fiercest glare he can muster despite the fear threatening to choke off what little breath he had. "Jay is just in the other room, and you're both safe here."

"Why can't I m-m-ove?" Carlos retorts, managing another shaky breath.

"Just a precaution, dear," she murmurs, and her tone instantly makes him tense and suspicious. "It's for your safety, more than anything, nothing to wor-"

"Wwhy. Can't. I. Move?" Carlos repeats stiffly, struggling against the rising pressure; this one building within him.

Fairy Godmother purses her lips, a visible flicker of hesitation in her eyes as she answers. "We…we decided to restrain you."

Two things occur to Carlos, in the gaping pit of fear that her words bring. One; 'we,' meaning that there was more than just her making decisions about him, and two; the sinking realization that she had betrayed him- which was ridiculous because that would imply that he had placed some kind of trust in her, and he knew better, he knew he shouldn't have…rule number one, trust no one trust no trust no…no air….he can't breathe he can't breathe he can't!

"…los?"

He jerks sharply, suddenly feeling the heavy trembling in his arms and legs. He tries to get his breathing back under control, to wipe his face of all emotions. He only succeeds in the latter, but he's relieved to have managed that much; keeping his mask in place while he slowly broke apart inside. The frantic beeping rose in time with his heart; a high staccato: beep-beep beep-beep beep-beep!

Then suddenly his face is clear, the heavy force diminishing enough for him to breath, and he almost sobs in relief before he can stop himself. Instead, his face twitches as he heaves silent, heavy breaths, and he blinks back the pain as Fairy Godmother comes into focus above him.

"Carlos? Can you hear me?"

He gives her a short nod as he slips back into his mask, his features arranging themselves into a hard, neutral expression.

"Can…can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Oh, I th-ink I was just having a pa-pa-nic attack," he replies calmly, his voice as hard and blank as his face.

It's the Fairy Godmother's turn to blink, and he almost breaks his mask to smirk at her, but he keeps himself under control this time as she splutters in shock.

"Oh my…" she gasps, bringing a hand halfway up to her mouth. "Are you alright? What can I do?"

"Per-perfectly alright," Carlos deadpans, restraining himself from something far more biting than that. "If you could tell me, though, wwhy am I in-in-in the infirmary? That w-ould be great."

Mal

"So, just to be clear, I'm totally going to murder him."

"No, sorry," Evie's voice is a clipped breath in her ear, and only slightly winded from the running. "You'll have to get in line and revive him before you kill him…after me, of course."

"Just promise I'll have something left to kill, and I'll be fine," Mal tosses back, and Evie gives a grim sounding laugh.

"I make no such promises, whatsoever," she responds, and Mal almost lets herself smile before she remembers the pressing matter at hand.

The daughter of the Mistress of All Evil, currently racing next to the next generation Evil Queen, ignoring all outside influences as they pushed to be the first to reach their destination. It was just like old times; if those times included being trapped in a foreign country and given no instructions or materials for survival; being persecuted by the natives for said lack of survival, thus leading to such extremes as...

"Remind me, E," Mal huffs shortly as they whip around a corner, their destination rapidly approaching up ahead. "What would attempted murder get you on the Isle? Just so I have a reference for what to expect by Auradon standards."

"Well if you succeeded in your attempt, there'd definitely be some kind of reward, and massive respect earned for you and your associates," Evie reports dutifully, not missing a beat. "Even if you failed, they'd still appreciate the attempt, though you'd probably get some nasty looks from the view who think that 'attempt' is also failure."

"Close enough," Mal muses, more to herself than to the other girl. She'd guess then, by Auradon standards, being banished from the kingdom might be a given response. That is, if she and Evie didn't get there first.

"Up ahead," Evie warns, her voice sharp and tense, and Mal slows her pace to a less desperate rush, every muscle tight with anticipation.

She's reminded of a very particular night, suddenly; only instead of Evie creeping beside her, it had been Jay. Mal shakes the thought from her head, forcing her mind to ignore the similarities and focus on whatever threat might be ahead. It becomes clear to her after a moment of listening, and she exchanges a look with Evie at the familiar voice that drifts to them.

"…just think that there's more to this that we're not seeing," Ben's voice says from ahead, and Mal stifles a groan under her breath.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" she mutters to Evie, who purses her lips tightly but doesn't say anything. "Why is he always….?"

She cuts herself off and straightens from her crouch, so instinctive she hadn't even thought about doing it, and decides to confront him herself. Evie hisses a warning, but Mal doesn't even have time to process it because she's already storming around the corner and glaring fiercely at Ben as he comes into view. It didn't matter to her if he was a Prince or not; her group had been picked on far enough already without his interference, and she had cast aside her previous reservations about Auradon and its nature. She was ready to go full dragon and give the supposed hero a piece of her mind.

"What more is it that you're not seeing, Ben?" Mal snaps, even before he's fully in view. "Because it seems to me that it's obvious what's going on."

"Mal," Ben says in surprise, and he's echoed by both Evie and another girl who's standing just behind Ben.

Mal casts the other girl a dismissing glance, registering her as 'not-important enough' compared to Ben. Ben, who, for his part, manages to look appropriately guilty and startled faced with her wrath.

"I'm sorry about calling you here so abruptly," he begins, and Mal shakes her head once, her eyes flashing as she glares at him.

"No," she interrupts sharply. "You're sorry, yes, but what you should be sorry for is letting this thing with Chad progress to where it's gotten."

"I quite agree with you on that point, young villainess," a voice intones in a deep and stern rumble from behind her. "Although I don't approve of your delivery."

Mal, for her part, does not flinch at the sudden growling voice, and instead turns; quickly, but calmly, to face this new threat. She finds herself staring at a rather broad shouldered man, dressed in an expensive looking suit that was decorated with no less than six or seven badges. The man wore square, thick rimmed glasses that did nothing to stem his own fierce glare, his eyes a vaguely familiar greyish green. His hair was short and neatly combed, a shiny, sandy blond color. Mal realizes, only belatedly, that it wasn't the light making his hair shiny; rather, it was the large and impressive golden crown sitting on his head.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me," Mal murmurs, her anger sinking as rapidly as it had come, and she feels more than sees Evie rushing up behind her, the other girl grabbing Mal's hand and squeezing hard.

"Mal, Evie," Ben says awkwardly behind her. "I'd like you guys to meet my parents; King Adam and Queen Belle. Mom, Dad; this is Mal and Evie."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Mal repeats, and Evie's grip on her hand tightens to a near painful point.

"I can assure you that I am not kidding you," the King intones, and this time Mal does flinch, dropping her eyes immediately as he takes a slight step forward.

"Forgive her, Your Majesties," Evie quickly rescues, her voice soft and subdued; and Mal feels her hand bob slightly and deduces that the girl had just curtsied. "She meant no disrespect. We just…didn't expect to run into the entire royal family. It's an honor, truly, to meet you both!"

Mal wants to throw up, and also maybe curse someone, if the slight tingling in her fingers is any indication, but she clamps down on both of those feelings instantly. She was out of her depth here, and she was pretty sure everyone present knew it. Thank Evil that she had Evie to play princess, or else they'd be screwed. Well, more screwed than they already were.

"Oh, there's no need for any of that," a woman's voice murmurs gently. "We're pleased to meet you both. It's a shame we aren't meeting under more cheerful circumstances, but still. The pleasure is ours."

Mal narrows her eyes at the ground, but doesn't dare lift her head to face the Queen. She wasn't sure if the woman was being sincere or patronizing, and Mal doesn't know which is worse. There's a beat of silence, and Mal realizes even without looking up that she's supposed to say something here.

"Yeah," she finally mutters, her voice hard in an attempt to hide her nerves. "It sure is a shame."

It's not the best thing she could have said, but it was something, at least. Mal shuffles back a step to be closer to Evie, drawing comfort from the other girl's professional calm. She glances at Ben out of the corner of her eyes to see him shaking his head slowly, his face hidden in his hands as the other girl; Audrey, Mal thinks it is- pats his shoulder sympathetically.

"You can sit," the Queen's voice chimes pleasantly through the silence. "I've been told it could be a while."

Mal straightens at that, all her alarm bells going off. She almost lifts her head until she remembers and jerks her gaze back down to the ground, but she still can't keep herself from asking:

"What's going to be a while?"

Her voice is sharp and full of warning, and Evie squeezes her hand so hard her fingers temporarily go numb.

"The nursing staff is evaluating Jay to see how bad things are and what to expect in terms of recovery."

The answer comes from Audrey, and Mal glances over her shoulder to fix the girl with a glare.

"You're serious?" she snaps, and Audrey blinks at her, but nods slowly.

"They obviously expect him to recover," the girl continues nervously. "It's just a matter of how long and if there'd be any difficulties given…given what happened."

"And what did happen?"

Evie asks this time, and Ben snaps his head up suddenly, clasping his palms together.

"Why don't we all sit?" he suggests, in a slightly too loud, overly cheerful tone.

Mal scoffs before she can stop herself, her lips twitching as she lets Evie tug her over to a chair. They all sit; the awkward line up of Ben, then Audrey just beside. Evie sits next to the other girl, and Mal perches on the edge of her seat next to the evil princess. The King and Queen remain standing, which makes it a little easier for Mal to avoid their gazes being more at waist level now.

Evie's question goes unanswered, and they're left to sit in even more awkward silence, until the Queen breaks it with another one.

"How, uh, how are you liking Auradon so far?"

"The kingdom is lovely, Your Majesty," Evie demures before Mal can even fire her retort. "It's really an incredible experience for all of us."

"Now who's laying it on thick?" Mal mutters under her breath before continuing, at a normal tone, "It's totally great; if we're ignoring the fact that the other half of our group is currently out of commission thanks to certain members of the kingdom. Then yeah, it's lovely."

There's a pained noise from Ben, which is almost drowned by Audrey's gasp and Evie's indignant: "Mal!"

"What?" Mal retorts in a sharp undertone. "I'm supposed to lie and pretend that this isn't happening? Just to be 'polite?' No," she shakes her head fiercely. "I'm not doing that."

"Those are bold words, young villainess," the King's voice says quietly, and Mal's lips twist further into a bitter sneer.

"Ah, and we can't forget that," she adds, though she's sure to keep her eyes lowered as she nods her head in his direction. "Can't forget the most important thing here is that we're all evil villains, and that somehow we should be grateful to be in the presence of heroes; should consider ourselves lucky to have been brought out of the pit."

"Mal, please," Evie whimpers, and the fear in the other girl's voice cuts through Mal's bitter sarcasm.

"Sorry," she says, the only part of her sincerity being directed at Evie. "I did try and warn you. I'm not good at this stuff, I just keep us alive."

No one says anything after that, not for a while, at least. Mal is relieved to have managed that much, despite the fact that it was incredibly risky for her to have said even half of what she had. The silence drags on to an almost unbearable point, and Mal is all set to try and blast the door down with her sparks when the Queen whispers;

"Is…is there anything about Auradon that you do like?"

Both Evie and Audrey draw sharp breaths, while Ben just groans, and Mal hears a thump that is definitely his head hitting the wall as he grumbles out:

"Mom please stop trying to make this better; you're not making this better!"

Mal gives it some thought, and decides on the safest answer; that is, the one that would least likely upset Evie.

"The food's good," she mutters in grudging honesty. "I mean, it's better than the shit we usually eat so, yeah…you got that going for you."

The questions stop indefinitely, after that.

Fairy Godmother

Despite her reputation as the caring mother archetype, Fairy Godmother secretly hates parent-teacher meetings. She missed the freedom of simply being able to grant her children their heart's desire; to help without having to worry about being regulated and forced to align with codes that would hinder her goals, rather than achieve them. She'd managed so far, but she was certain that this meeting, in particular, would go down in her list as the worst.

She pushes open the door to the small conference room just off of the infirmary, slipping a smile onto her face moments before those gathered explode.

"What's the news?"

"I want them out…!"

"Clearly this proves that they're dangerous and shouldn't…."

"It proves that one is dangerous, any way…."

"You can't possibly expect me to believe that!"

"Fairy Godmother, what do you know?"

She takes that as her cue, and clears her throat softly as the attention in the room shifts to her. "This is what we currently know, and these are the facts. There is no bias of information; this is simply what we know as we know it."

She makes sure to state that as firmly as possible, just to be sure, and when she receives no further opposition, she continues.

"The young villain known as Jay, the son of Jafar, is currently in the infirmary with severe injuries. These injuries are as such: two broken ribs, severe bruising, a dislocated shoulder, and a severe concussion."

She pauses, and waits for the reactions to subside before continuing again, forcing her voice to remain calm and unaffected.

"He is expected to make a full recovery, although it has been drawn to our attention that this is not, in fact, the first time he had been hurt in this way."

"What do you mean by that, Fairy Godmother?" Queen Belle's voice is soft and full of worry, and even King Adam leans forward; although Fairy Godmother is sure he doesn't even realize he's doing it.

"There are several underlying injuries that will make his recovery a challenge," she explains slowly, unable to keep the slight grimace off her face. "Broken bones that didn't heal right; some even going back to the developmental stage."

"Meaning?" King Adam presses, his brow furrowed in confusion and impatience.

"Well, let me put it this way," Fairy Godmother states. "If Jay had been playing Tourney for the beginning years of his life, then these are the type of injuries we'd expect to see. Bearing in mind that these injuries are also typically ones we see throughout the season; and so to find them all at once and so localized...," she falters, and manages to press on. "Not to mention the condition all of the children arrived in to begin with...well, we can assume that life on the Isle is...harsher than we thought."

"Do villains love their kids," Queen Belle murmurs under her breath, and Fairy Godmother starts, taken aback.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"

The Queen lifts her eyes, seeming to not realize she'd spoken aloud.

"It was something Ben asked me, when we spoke last night. He wondered if villains...if they loved their children. I said..." her voice broke, a quiet gasp slipping past her lips. "I said that I was sure that they did -in their own ways. I suppose we can see in just what ways that is!"

She finishes with another soft cry, which is promptly muffled as King Adam draws her into his arms. He attempts to appear stern and aloof, but Fairy Godmother can see that he's just as unsettled by the news.

"Do we have any proof of this?" He asks in a low voice, and Fairy Godmother purses her lips.

"Nothing definitive," she shakes her head sadly. "We have no confirmed proof; no testimony from the children themselves, and so we can't say for sure if it really is...well."

She cuts herself of, unable to even think the words, let alone speak them. The few other faculty members in the room; the ones who had had the most contact with the villain children thus far, are silent as well, although it's broken with a tense huff from a corner of the room.

"What does any of this have to do with the situation at hand?"

Benjamin Kropp's voice is gruff, but he softens slightly when Fairy Godmother turns to him.

"I mean, how does this affect what those two have done?"

It's a fair question, and Fairy Godmother knows she can't be seen to take sides. But if it were up to her she'd say that it had everything and more to do with the situation, and what did schoolyard fighting matter when there were children's lives at stake? But she forces herself to remain calm as she answers.

"It may not affect things directly, but it does give an idea of just where it came from."

"In what way?"

Louis Deley's voice is his usual lazy drawl, though he, too is not as unaffected as he appears.

"We must bear in mind," Fairy Godmother insists. "Regardless of...certain circumstances...these children grew up in a dangerous world, surrounded by dangerous people. Now, I'm not saying that makes them the same by default, but if the only way they knew how to live was by violence; then how can we expect them to behave any differently to a perceived threat, simply because we've changed their location?"

"You forget, however," Kropp interjects. "These aren't just ordinary children. They are villains by blood, regardless of location. I agree, though; how can we expect them to be anything else?"

"It's what I tried to warn Ben about myself," King Adam murmurs slowly. "But he insisted on his decree, and this...this is where it's gotten us."

"Just so," Deley begrudgingly agrees, while Kropp nods vehemently, looking strangely vindictive.

"The question is, what are we going to do about it?" Queen Belle asks, and though her voice still shakes, her eyes are sharp as she glares around the room. "Send them back to the very place that made them this way? You suggest that we give up on giving chances?"

"No, but taking chances; is it worth the risk?"

"I took the risk with you," Queen Belle counters her husband's argument, and Fairy Godmother can't help but smile just a little.

"There will be consequences," King Adam insists, though he has the decency to look chagrined. "If we let this go unchecked..."

"I made no such suggestion, Your Majesty," Fairy Godmother respectfully retorts.

"But we couldn't possibly allow them to remain," Kropp protests. "Especially not the de Vil boy; not after this!"

"After...what?"

Fairy Godmother barely stifles her sigh as she turns to answer Queen Belle's hesitant question. She had been hoping to ease into this part of the conversation, but Kropp's outrage had pushed them back to the start. She doesn't manage to hide her grimace, however, and she winces her way through the report.

"As I said, we don't have the full story, but part of the incident included Carlos…biting… another student."

"I'm sorry…?" Queen Belle's incredulous shock is overrun by King Adam's bellow of outrage.

"He what!?"

Fairy Godmother grimaces again as she vainly attempts to calm the enraged monarch, all the while casting disgruntled looks in Kropp's unhelpful direction. She really hated these meetings.

Audrey

The hallway is too quiet with the adults meeting in the next room, but no one really wants to break that quiet with Mal and Evie still present. Lonnie and Doug had shown up about fifteen minutes ago, and although Doug had blushed furiously when he caught sight of Evie, the other girl hadn't so much as blinked in his direction. Audrey sighs quietly, and Ben echoes her, his head still against the wall, his face pinched in an expression of obvious grief. Audrey reaches over and threads her fingers through his, and though Ben's eyes don't open, his face relaxes minutely.

The seconds tick by, and Audrey glances down the row of chairs to the two newest Auradon arrivals. Mal and Evie sat tense and silent in the last two chairs, Mal's eyes hard as she glares at the door, while Evie's eyes flicker back and forth between Mal and the empty hallway. The girls' hands are also threaded together, though Evie looks like she's doing most of the holding, and Audrey wonders vaguely if there might be something more between the two. The thought is an interesting one, but it's not enough to really pull Audrey out of the dark mood that hung in the air.

She hates that this happened. While she had been the one to point out the flaws and realities of Ben's plan, she had wanted it to work. She couldn't help but feed into Ben's excitement, and hope was contagious among heroes, after all. But this…now…Audrey wasn't so sure. It wasn't the fighting itself that made her worry- although that was still a pressing concern- it was what had caused the fights; that underlying thing that the fights had brought out.

There was a clear line being drawn, or rather, redrawn. Heroes vs. Villains. Us and Them. It was the epitome of everything they represented, and it certainly went up there on her list of the unforeseen consequences of bringing villain children to Auradon. That, and the startling implications…the instinctive feeling of not right that she got whenever she was around any of the villain kids.

One could chalk it up to the obvious reason: the daughter of the Mistress of All Evil inhabiting the same space as the daughter of Sleeping Beauty. But Audrey didn't care about what the stories said of how she should feel. There had been apprehension, of course, and even now Audrey couldn't deny that twinge of fear in the back of her mind at being so close to the daughter of her parents' sworn enemy. But Mal wasn't her enemy; at least, Audrey didn't think so. She hoped not.

No, what Audrey really was nervous about was the fact that the other girl was nervous, too. It begs the question, after all. What made Mal so nervous? The child of the Mistress of All Evil; the woman who could control all the powers of Hell (supposedly; her own words); the dark fae, and one who could transform herself into a dragon. All of that and more, if the various stories were to be believed, and yet Mal was the one who was nervous!

All of the villain kids were, really. Which made Audrey wonder, just what were villains scared of? What could possible make the children of villains…who were supposed to be just as evil and vicious as their parents…scared?

Rapid footsteps cut through Audrey's thoughts, and she glances over in time to see Evie stiffen, and Mal stand sharply from her chair to face the threat. Because it is a threat, Aubrey realizes as she watches. Everything was a threat to them.

It's only Jane to Audrey and the rest of the Aurdadonians present, but even then, Mal doesn't fully relax. She remains standing, and after a moment, Evie stands as well and joins Mal next to the wall.

"Jane?" Ben murmurs beside her, and he stands as well, frowning as the younger girl doubles over gasping. "Are you ok? What are you doing here?"

"I'm…I'm ok," Jane manages shakily, though she makes sure to give Mal and Evie a wide berth as she moves to join the others on the chairs. "I was…whew, sorry! Um, I was asked to come here."

Audrey raises her brows in surprise, while Doug and Lonnie exchange glances with Ben.

"I didn't…" Ben begins, but then one of the infirmary doors clicks open, and out step Flo, Faun, and Merry.

"Oh Jane, good," Flo says, obvious relief in her voice as she brushes invisible dust off her pink uniform, the scrubs almost as bright a shade as her hair.

"You're here," Faun continues. "Maybe now we can finally get somewhere." She clasps her hands beneath her own green uniform, while Merry shakes her head.

"That boy," she sighs, the streak of blue in her hair bouncing with her movements, her blue uniform crinkling slightly. "I don't see how…." She's cut off with a sharp look from Flo, and Audrey frowns in confusion.

"What boy?" Evie asks, and though her voice is polite, there's something guarded in her eyes that sets off Audrey's alarms all over again.

The three young women exchange nervous glances before Faun ends up answering, reluctance in her tone as she faces the other girl.

"Uh, the son of Jafar," she mutters quietly. "If his current attitude is any indication, well, it's a wonder he's survived this long."

Evie smiles softly, obvious relief flooding her expression.

Mal simply scoffs quietly and deadpans: "That's Jay," but Audrey can see the amusement flickering in her eyes.

"But it's the de Vil boy," Flo begins in a worried tone.

And it's then that Mal's eyes harden and…flash green?...the petite girl straightening, her lips curling in a dangerous snarl as her voice growls out:

"What about him?"

All three women flinch, and even Audrey can't hide her own shiver. Because, with that expression, and the coldness in her voice…for that second Mal had become the villain from the stories; a reflection of Maleficent herself.

But then Audrey forces herself to really look, and she sees that even though Mal's voice is cold, her hand is still clenched tightly in Evie's, and the flickering in her eyes is no longer amusement. It's fear.

"That…that's not something we can…we can't tell you," Merry bursts out, and the fear in Mal's eyes flickers again before hardening into anger.

"I'm sure you could find a way to tell me," she murmurs lowly, and even Ben recoils, Lonnie, Jane and Doug all trying their hardest to remain invisible in their seats.

Evie, for her part, whispers sharply in Mal's ear, and the other girl…doesn't exactly relax, but the aura of doom does rapidly diminish, allowing everyone to breathe again. If they dared.

Another door opens then; the one to the conference room, and Fairy Godmother steps out looking torn between extremely harried and extremely angry in turns.

"What is going on here?"

The demand comes, not from Fairy Godmother, but from King Adam, and both Mal and Evie flinch, dropping their gazes to floor. Instantly whatever threat Mal might have taken vanishes, as all attention goes to the frustrated monarch.

"I don't recall there being this many of you before," Queen Belle manages lightly, though she places a hand on King Adam's arm just in case.

"We just wanted to see if everyone was ok," Lonnie supplies, rather bravely, as she stands from her chair. "We heard about what happened, so we came to be moral support."

"That's very thoughtful of you, dear," Fairy Godmother says with a slight nod. "But, however well appreciated, I did say these rooms were off limits except for approved faculty."

"Um, then am I not supposed to be here?" Jane asks nervously, and Fairy Godmother sighs in visible reluctance.

"No, dear one," she says quietly. "You are staying."

"W-why?" Jane is even more nervous, and Audrey feels a hint of sympathy for the youngest of their group.

"We would like to test what kind of reaction Carlos might have to someone who is non-threatening," Fairy Godmother explains, and though she appears patient, there's a sense of that anger underlying her words. "It would appear that you are the perfect candidate."

"Thank. You?" Jane whispers, and Fairy Godmother sighs again, turning to face King Adam and Aurora's fairy descendants.

"This won't put her in danger, will it?" It's equal parts warning and request, but it's Jane who ends up answering.

"I'll be fine," she says softly, twisting her bow as she speaks. "I…I've met Carlos alone before."

"Way to go, Janey," Lonnie cheers, a mischievous glint in the older girl's approving eye.

Jane blushes even harder than Doug, though she goes pale when she notices that all the adults present -and Mal and Evie- are staring at her in shock.

"No no no," she instantly chokes out, shaking her head just as vehemently. "I mean, I found him in one of the forges earlier and…we just talked! It was nice," she adds in another shy whisper.

"He can talk?" Doug asks, and Audrey remembers that Doug hadn't gotten the memo yet.

"He can," Mal confirms icily, and Doug lifts his hands in a 'don't shoot!' gesture, eyes wide.

"Um," Jane murmurs, glancing nervously back and forth between Mal and the adults. "What is it you want me to do?"

Fairy Godmother exchanges a look with the King and Queen, before glancing significantly at the three other fairies present. Audrey picks up on the look, as does Lonnie, and Audrey stands to join the other girl, motioning for Doug to the same.

"I can see it's time for us to go," Audrey defers, and though she's disappointed, she does her best to remain polite. She blows Ben an exaggerated kiss, which he catches with a slight shake of his head and a laugh. "Keep me posted, Benny boo," she murmurs, and he nods, suddenly serious despite the dreaded nick name.

"Benny boo?" Audrey hears Mal mutter incredulously, but Audrey's reply is cut short by King Adam.

"Actually, Ben," he says, quiet but firm. "I think you should…."

"No, he should stay," Queen Belle counters suddenly, and Audrey almost laughs at the mystified look on the King's face.

"It's his decree," Queen Belle finishes, and King Adam blinks a moment before grudgingly nodding his head.

"Alright," the man says, before suddenly resuming his stern air. "But the rest of you must leave. I'm sorry. But we will let you know when…when we reach a decision."

Audrey nods her understanding, and begins to leave with the rest of the Auradon group. It's only as they near the end of the hall that Audrey realizes that Mal and Evie aren't with them, as Fairy Godmother's voice murmurs:

"I'm sorry, but that means you, as well."

She almost around the corner, but she still manages to catch Mal's reply; the girl sounding once again cold and unmovable as she deadpans:

"I'm sorry, but that's my family…."

And then Audrey is around the corner and exiting the infirmary, thinking that Auradon certainly would not survive if Mal ever decided to go jr. Mistress of All Evil on them. And also wondering, just how did the children of four of the worst villains become a family?