It's Only True in the Stories

by RvnsDsks

When the Villain Kids arrive at Auradon Prep, Ben and his friends noticed there was something definitely wrong. When they go to Fairy Godmother with their fears, she decides to help them figure out the truth- but no one is quite prepared for just what truths their search uncovers. - Full Summary Inside! Story adopted from Lightning-Lex372. Rated M for later content.

28. It's fun to know and to pretend

Hey guys!

Whew it's been a while since the last update hasn't it? A lot went into this chapter and I had to make sure the timing was right to delve into certain arcs. After a helpful nudge from a couple reviewers I decided what better time than the present. But I still had to do a bit of research to make sure I was going about it correctly and in a way I'd be satisfied with, and hopefully you would all be as well.

Anyway, you know the drill: reviews first, but more important notes at the end so don't skip!

---

sunoa: Thank you so much for the kind words and the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much and that you're enjoying my characterization and how I'm portraying everything. The VKs are definitely going to be under some scrutiny (ha, I say some…) but it'll take them some time to realize that scrutiny, when it comes from a place of care, isn't such a bad thing. But first we have to get to that place of care, and that's where things will get a little tough. The Isle certainly leaves its marks, and it's about time for Auradon to learn just how huge those marks are.

I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

tigerladygamer: Haha, I know right? What's with me and actually updating at a consistent time? But don't worry, there will be suffering for Kropp…and then you can eat him. ;)

Benjaminjonathan: Aw thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying everything and think I'm doing such a good job with this story. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)

StoryWriting1414: I'm glad you're excited for my updates, haha. I must be doing something right. The truth is definitely going to come out now, though it'll be in stages; I think if it all came out at once Auradon would lose their shit, lol. But there will be some important revelations that will spark further truth and recovery from there so hopefully you'll keep reading and enjoying. :)

SkySorrow: Yeah, there'll be a lot of pennies dropping, lol. I'm glad you think I'm handling everything so well, and that it's not too over-the-top or cheesy. King Beast is certainly going to be doing some soul-searching, I'll say that. I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

.Random: Um…thank you. I am sorry though for making you sick, but I am glad you enjoyed the chapter and thought I did a good job. Hopefully you'll keep reading and enjoying.

EvietoyourMal: Thank you so much for your kind words! Honestly I had to laugh just a little bit because here you are, someone with actual experience on all the shit I'm writing about, telling me I'm doing a good job portraying everything. But seriously, thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!

Guest 1: At the risk of spoilers; I am planning on doing some form of Bal, but with a bit of a twist. Bal is not endgame, though, if that answers your question…sorry if that's what you were hoping for. Doing something a little different for this story, though who knows, I might write some Bal in the future. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story regardless! :)

Descendants5HLM: Oh gosh I forgot how long your review is, lol. Not as a bad thing, I love long reviews so keep them coming…just that now I need to figure out how to be concise with my thoughts to answer and I'm not good and keeping things short. (Exhibit A: this story, ahem.)

I'm glad you enjoyed little Mal and Jay, haha. It was fun to write their interactions. I realized I haven't done a flashback in a while, and there were some important plot points that I was going to reference…and then I realized that I hadn't shown the point I was referencing yet. Oops.

But yes, the VKs do have their own unique issues/challenges, though I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. Jay was mostly saying that as a cheap shot to try and make Mal mad and distract from the fact that he does have some actual issues that need addressing. Mal's main thing, as you might have picked up on, is her need to control everything. Granted, it's a very valid need, but still. Evie…you really just nailed her on the head, honestly, haha.

And I understood what you were trying to say about Carlos, and you did use the word hereditary right. :) Cruella was definitely far from stable, but it's so unclear just to what extent and what 'kind' of instability she had/has, so it's hard for me to pin exactly what Carlos is aside from not quite stable himself. Although as you said, it's funny to see him be so able to embrace and adapt to the stability that Auradon brings while it's the others who don't know how to handle it.

The VKs' stories are definitely angsty (at least, how I'm imagining it) but it's not all bad and I will do my best to make sure that the only ones breaking down are the characters. ;) As for what the adults figured out, the 'people' in question (and I use that term lightly for many reasons) will be revealed as well, but hopefully I won't make you too anxious until then, and that you'll continue to enjoy what I come up with. :)

narutogirl103: Yeah, just a bit messy, lol. But don't worry, there'll be some fluffy resolutions. But first…mess. ;)

Yassyisthebest: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and it means a lot that you think I'm doing such a good job portraying everything. It makes me happy to hear that you look forward to my updates, and I hope you will continue to look forward to my chapters and enjoying them. :)

Nyehhhh: Thank you for the review and the kind words. I'm so glad you're enjoy my story and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!

Codelulu-chan: Haha yes, lots of evil tea parties. Full disclosure is…actually not that far off, though it'll still take some time for revelations/recovery/healing. But they're getting there. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!

AngstDraggy: Oh don't you worry, Kropp will be getting his due! And yes, King Adam is backing off a bit. He's still going to be stubborn on some things, but with this at least, he realizes that he can't just hide from this glaringly obvious reminder of his mistake(s). Angst and feels galore! ;)

Guest 2: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you think this story is amazing and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

LuffyLover: No, it's not bad at all, haha. I'd say you're not the first one to feel that way either, and it was definitely a cuddle puddle, lol. ;)

Jemms: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the Cricket, since I wasn't too sure about my inclusion of him. But seeing as I'm trying to give it as realistic a take as I can (for fanfiction), I figured there was going to need to be some kind of actual steps for support being taken, and it came in the form of the Cricket. (Among other things, but I'm getting ahead of myself.) Mal is kind of already cracking, just a bit. She's not the type to completely lose control of herself/others, but she is definitely cracking. Hopefully the angst won't get the better of you and that you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

Guest 3: It is exactly like that saying, haha. And yes, I'm definitely keeping away from the stereotypical 'fairytale.' It's funny, traditionally, fairytales actually were dark and gritty, and didn't really have happy endings. Fairytales were supposed to be lessons and warnings for children about the darkness in the world and teach them how to prepare for and deal with it. I'm not sure exactly when/how the shift into sappiness came from, but yeah, I'm sticking with the traditional dark and gritty, lol.

The others will be learning things too, don't you worry. A bit less suddenly as the adults, but secrets will definitely be revealed, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy!

Me smiles: I actually debated for a bit whether or not to actually send them back to the Isle, but then decided that for what I'm trying to do with this story, they kind of need to be in Auradon, lol. ;) And don't you worry, there will be some reveals for everyone, though we will get Jay's too.

As for Mal, she is certainly cracking under the pressure, though at the time, they all were cracking up and breaking down in their own ways, and so they were kind of wrapped up in their own break downs to fully realize/acknowledge that Mal was close to crying too.

But don't worry, there's a little bit of comfort to go with all the angst, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

MyFavoriteObsession: Thank you for the kind words! And yes, Evie's relapse was really…heartbreaking...

I'm really glad (read: relieved) to hear that you enjoy the way that I write Evie to be honest, and that you actually want more of her. I am definitely doing my best to give all the characters their time, but especially Evie because she's so hard for me to write on a personal level. But there will definitely be more of Evie to come as we start to get into the VK's backstory/recovery arcs, so look forward to that and hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy. :)

BlueMoon007: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, even though everyone is breaking down. King Adam is certainly a complicated one, though he's starting to learn from his mistakes and he's definitely going to be working to make good. And yeah, it seems the Cricket is definitely one that everyone likes…which is good, since he's kind of going to be super important so yay. ;) I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!

ilovetowrite4156: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, even though it was pretty heavy on the angst. Hopefully you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.

Random Reader: Thank you so much for the kind words! I am definitely working towards getting published but in the mean time, fanfiction is pretty awesome too, lol. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy my work!

Ravenclawesomelovegood: *clears throat while wrapping blue and silver scarf tighter around neck* Love your username. ;)

Thank you for the review and the kind words. I'm really glad you're enjoying my story, even if it is dark. It's definitely something I knew I wanted to really dig into since, as you said, the movie was good but lacking, especially since Disney really had this awesome opportunity to kind of bring awareness to things like dysfunctional/abusive families in a way that could have provided hope and relief for the 'happy ending' and healing that comes after. But they didn't, which is why I'm doing it. ;)

I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

FlatFox: Thank you so much for the review and the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. There will definitely be more break downs, lol, but also some more of Ben realizing that not everything is a fairytale. Poor kid…he's gonna have a rude awakening…. As for your question, Mal killed the 'bad guy' (as he's been referred to in the comments) that Jay was abused by. (He's just called 'the Persian,' in the story) I referenced it briefly in flashback form and then Jay mentioned it in passing, but I plan on having an actual flashback addressing it as well.

And you don't have to wait too much longer because the new chapter is here! ;)

The disney princess: Honestly I felt the exact same way. It was an amazing concept, and it was definitely not given the justice it deserved being made a children's show. That's exactly what I was trying to go for, too, because yes the VKs hate the Isle and Auradon sort of lingers as this far off dream where they won't be in constant pain anymore, and yet at the same time there's this undercurrent of loathing/resentment because Auradon literally threw them away and left them to die. (But no hard feelings, right?)

It really means a lot to hear that you enjoy my story so much, and don't you worry about taking up space. Long winded reviews are my favorite because it means I've done a good enough job that someone wants to rant about it. ;) In answer to your wishlist, all I'll say (for risk of spoilers) is that most if not all of it will be addressed very shortly actually, haha. I definitely don't plan on letting any of that slide. (Pointedly ignores the other plot points I actually have let slide….)

And as for the barrier, I have a head canon that it kind of works like a candle. You know the jar candles with lids? And how you can snuff the flame by putting the lid back on, suffocating the flame but leaving the smoke trapped in the glass? My head canon (both for this story and just in general) is that the barrier doesn't take away the magic from those who possess it/wield it/born with it running in their veins; it just smothers them until they suffocate. So the magic is still 'there,' but impossible to spark into a flame because the barrier renders it smoke- useless.

I hope that clears some stuff up, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy! :)

Zuzana: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoy my story so much. Hopefully this update came soon enough for you and that you'll keep reading and enjoying.

Guest 4: Thank you for the kind words and the suggestion. You're not the only one concerned about my pairings, lol, but don't worry, although I mentioned that I was going to follow 'canon pairings,' I did say that I was going to twist them too. Bal is not endgame though, if that will help soothe your mind. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

Time Turner: I know, I hate seeing them all so broken and upset. Which is ironic…since I'm the one who's making them so miserable. But there's a bit of a cuddle/comfort pile in this chapter if that makes you feel better. There's also a shit-ton of angst but the fluff is still very fluffy! :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

A: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying my little twists so much. I definitely will be focusing a lot on some backstory in these next couple chapters, both for clarity of plot and just because I realize I haven't done flashbacks in a while, lol, so you will definitely have your Evie flashbacks. ;) And more Malvie is also in this chapter, though whether or not that's a good thing I'll let you decide…

Thank you again for the review and I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

lol yolo65: Aw thank you so much for the kind words and for leaving a review. I'm really glad you like my story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

Robby the Cyber Warrior: Haha, well Mal most definitely inflicted pain on the Persian, but if you want I can resurrect him from the dead for you to torment more? ;) I'm glad I made you feel so strongly, lol. Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy!

Woohoo: Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying my story and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.

Guest2.0: Welcome to the story and thank you so much for taking the time to review! I'm really happy to hear how much you're enjoying, and that you're liking how I'm portraying/handling all the characters. And yeah, I saw the movie and didn't really like how they did Chad or Audrey, and it was one of the things I resolved to 'fix' with my story since I thought it was just really unfair how they were treated/portrayed. The 'snooty rich kid' cliché that leaves no room for character development or tragic backstories outside of being an asshole….hate it. Destroyed it. Looking for the next cliché to destroy.

Oh, right…you mentioned Ben/Mal. *chuckles wickedly* Yeah the whole, 'terrible/tragic life is suddenly made not so terrible by the charming prince/love interest to the rescue.' I both love it from a sappy standpoint, but also hate it with a fiery burning passion because it's just…anyway. I'm doing Ben and Mal, but not Ben/Mal, if you catch my drift. Actually am leaning more towards Mal/Evie which is funny because I hadn't intended for that pairing to happen when I started, but the characters kind of gravitate really strongly towards each other for the very reasons you mentioned, and it's kind of hard not to ship them especially given D2 and…ahem. Getting too far ahead of myself. Point is, no romantic Ben and Mal for this story. ;)

Anyway, I'm really glad you're enjoying and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!

alex: Thank you so much for the kind words and the review! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story so much.

As for your question, Mal was introducing the Cricket to her group, which is important/significant because when she first met him only a few hours before the scene takes place, she's terrified of him, and also (trying to) threaten him away from her group. So then she's thrown into this conflict of a situation where she has to protect her group from themselves, while also protecting them from (the perceived threat of) the Cricket. But she realizes that she can't actually do it all on her own (at least in that moment), and so then she turns to the Cricket and introduces him to her group-letting him in to a small extent-while still making it clear that her group is hers, and he can't get any nearer than she's allowing; which in the scene extends to knowing their names and nothing else. And the Cricket realizes how important and huge it is of a step that Mal is introducing him, and he does his best to defer to her authority while still trying to help, since that's his job. :)

I hope I was able to make it clear and that I didn't just confuse you more, haha, and that you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

---

Author's Notes!

Ok guys so this chapter's **WARNINGS** are pretty standard; language, brief violence/threats of violence, mentions, references and descriptions of child abuse/neglect, as well as dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety/panic attacks, depression, brief mentions of suicidal thoughts/implications of suicide attempts, and the aftermath of the recent chapters involving self-injury/self-harm, the effects of trauma and dissociation, as well as mentions/references to sexual assault and rape, and its effects.

Be warned this chapter is intense. It has its humor and light fluff moments as well, but this is definitely sort of the 'turning point' chapter where backstories will start to be revealed and 'things will never be the same again.' It was definitely not easy to write (literally agonized over writing certain sentences for a good 20 minutes), and there may be some triggers as I do kind of unflinchingly (or rather, the characters do) dig into some of the darker, harsher aspects of the Isle and just what Auradon has left these children to. Nothing graphic, but it's certainly not implied, and I just wanted to let you all know to be aware of it and tread cautiously.

That being said it's not all horrendous and some important developments are definitely being made, so I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think!

---

Note 2: I forgot to mention the magic word in the last chapter, but the spell/incantation that Mal muttered in the Fairy Godmother's office last chapter was "Dawelwch," which is Welsh for 'silence/grow calm.'

Note 3: Alternative title for this chapter was 'If you could get by trying not to lie,' but I felt it didn't cover enough of what was actually going on all around, so...Nirvana it was. ;)

---

Also, if anyone is interested, the songs that inspired this chapter are: 'Savior' by Rise Against, 'All I Wanted' by Daughter, 'Fossa' by Daughter, 'Make a move' by Icon for Hire, and 'No one's here to sleep' by Bastille.

Anyway enough out of me, enjoy the chapter.

- Raven

---

Chad

It doesn't take Chad long to realize that something is up. The VKs are suspiciously absent from breakfast that morning, for one, and so are Doug, Ben and Audrey for another; leaving him to fend for himself as the so called 'head' of the table. A table that consists of himself, Jane, and Lonnie- both girls anxiously discussing something amongst themselves- and an extremely belligerent Aziz, who was only sitting with them because Nikhil was. The other boy hadn't wanted to risk running into Jay, Chad had been told conspiratorially by his roommate's boyfriend. Not for anything that Jay would do, but rather, because Aziz was (justifiably) livid, and was afraid of what he would do if pushed.

But the entire thing was too strained even without the VK's presence, and Chad is painfully aware of the fact that the Council was gathering today. They'd all arrived at some point during the night, his own parents including, though he'd yet to hear from them. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that yet; not willing to unpack the years' worth of silence that he'd oh-so willingly created. It's not that he didn't talk to his parents…it was that he didn't talk enough- not about the things that mattered…and the pressure that this current silence was building up was way too much and he wasn't going to do this.

"Ok, nope," he blurts, shaking his head and drawing the startled attention of the table. "It's way too quiet and I know we all know what's going on so…can we please just…talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" The grimace that had already been tugging at Aziz's lips spread fully across his face at Chad's words. "As far I'm concerned, the VKs have made it clear where they stand, so why shouldn't we?"

"Don't do that," Nikhil murmurs sharply, his own lips twitching into a frown. "Don't turn on them over…."

"Over this?" Aziz retorts, his eyes dark as they flicker pointedly over his boyfriend's still-bruised face.

From what Chad had heard, his nose had been badly broken and he'd had a concussion, which wasn't so surprising given his face had been so swollen he was barely recognizable. The fairies had worked their magic, and the worst of it was healed, but some of the bruising still lingered around his eyes.

"Of anyone, I'd have thought you'd be more pissed," Aziz continues, and Nikhil winces slightly, but presses on anyway.

"I'm definitely pissed," he mutters, his fingers idly twisting his napkin. "My head is killing me, so I can't look at the sheet music on my tablet for long, and I've been working on this one song for weeks."

"Nikki be serious!" Aziz hisses, and Chad notes the distinct shifting of heads in their direction and leans over to kick the other boy's leg.

"Hey, keep your voice down," he hisses, ignoring the glare his kick elicits. "Not everyone needs to hear about the latest scandal just yet."

"I was being serious," Nikhil whimpers, when Aziz quiets. "Do you know how hard it is learning Radiohead by ear?"

"What?" Lonnie snorts indignantly, a laugh twinkling in her eyes as Aziz splutters. "It's like the same two chords, the heck are you talking about?"

"Paranoid Android," Nikhil deadpans lowly, and both Lonnie and Jane grimace sympathetically.

"I hate you," Aziz groans, his head between his arms.

"That's not what you said last night," Nikhil fires back with a smug grin, laughing as he reaches across the table to accept Lonnie's high five.

"Guys," Chad snaps, clapping a choking Jane on the back. "If we could all be serious for a second…"

"Come on Charming, that was a good one!" Lonnie interjects.

"Forgive me if I'm not in the joking mood," Chad growls, his tone succeeding where his previous words hadn't in silencing the table. "But the Council is meeting this afternoon and we don't have a plan, or a leader to execute it, and considering that it was you guys who dragged me into this, I'd have thought you'd be more concerned!"

"Now who's making a scene?" Aziz mutters, but he's far more subdued, now.

"We are concerned," Jane snaps with surprising ferocity, her light eyes flashing darkly at Chad. "But like you said, we don't have enough of a plan, so I don't really know…."

"Anything is better than nothing," Chad insists through gritted teeth. "So…what do we have?"

"We have four volatile and damaged villain kids, who've both attacked and hid from us," Lonnie chimes in, her tone shaky, but no less solemn. "And as much as we always emphasize their villainy, I think it's also important to remember that they're kids; just like us."

"But not like us," Aziz counters, his eyes glued to his tray. "Not enough like us for the Council to recognize that fact."

"If they're not like us, it's because of people like the ones on the Council!" Lonnie fires back hotly, and Chad coughs to cover the way his stomach flips at her words.

"Not everyone on the Council, of course," she amends quickly, paling as she leans back into her seat. "But…most of them."

Jane clears her throat pointedly, and reddens when the attention shifts to her. "Sorry, was just ah…since Audrey's not here to do it for herself…."

"That's the real problem, though," Nikhil mutters. "The Council's not going to want to listen to anything we have to say because they've already made up their minds. They're biased and prejudiced against things that happened in the past, and there's no way they'll be able to look past that to see that the VKs are different."

"Are they?" Chad can't help but respond. "I mean, like Lonnie said, the most they've done since they got here was lash out."

"And whose fault was that, though?" Jane says, and Chad's stomach flips once more, with guilt.

"I know," he replies lowly. "I caused a lot of shit, but these are all things they're going to look at, too. We have to be able to prove that there's good that's come out of it, somehow."

"What more proof do you need than what's already there?" Jane says, her fingers twisting in her hair despite the firm tone of her voice. "I mean, it's obvious that VKs aren't the same as when they first arrived; that Auradon's already done them good."

Aziz chokes obnoxiously, and Nikhil shoots him a brief frown, which is returned with equal frustration.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm not as willing as you to overlook-"

"I'm not overlooking it, babe, believe me," Nikhil retorts, his eyes sharp where his voice was calm. "But I'm also not going to rush to hang them when there has to be a reason."

"Um, I think the reason is obvious enough," Aziz spits, his lips curling in a furious grimace.

"I thought so at first too," Nikhil says lowly, his tone turning almost brooding as he shifts his gaze to the table again. "But when I replay it all in my head, one thing just doesn't add up."

"And what's that?" Aziz replies, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his jaw.

"Jay wasn't angry," Nikhil says, and Aziz blinks, his stiff posture breaking slightly.

"What do you mean?" Chad asks, frowning across the table at the other boy.

"Just that," Nikhil says bluntly, lifting his eyes to flicker around the table. "He wasn't acting all offended or angry or anything like that when he hit me. I mean, yeah, I made it worse by insulting him so I might have deserved that first one," he mumbles, running a shaking hand through his hair. "But after that…it wasn't anger in his eyes…it um, it was fear."

"What?" Aziz snaps, but he's more bewildered now than anything, and even Chad feels his brow furrow with his own confusion.

"What, you're saying, Jay was scared of you, and that's why he attacked you?"

"That's bullshit," Aziz says, but even he's uncertain now, Chad can see it in his eyes. "The VKs have all made it clear that…."

"Wait," Jane says, one hand out as though to physically stop the conversation. "Wait, hang on."

Her face is pale, her eyes wide as she stares intently at her tray, and Lonnie shifts in her seat to lean closer to the younger girl, her features pulling down in concern.

"Jane?"

"It's just…something Carlos said…back when he first joined our table…do you remember?" She jerks her head up to stare at Aziz. "And you had said you had to find Nikki, and he asked if that was 'allowed' here. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah," Aziz drawls, shaking his head slowly, not quite comprehending. "We kind of figured out what that meant."

"No," she says sharply, shaking her head. "No, I don't think we have. I think…I think things on the Isle are a lot more complicated than we've given them credit for."

"Credit for?" Chad repeats, shaking his head. "Jane, no offense, but you're not making any sense."

"In the gardens, after…after everything went down…he made a comment that relationships like that…that people like that on the Isle…were 'perverted.'"

"Good to know what they really think of us," Aziz deadpans, and Jane shoots him such a filthy look it scares even Chad.

"Like I said," she says slowly, enunciation in a deliberately calm manner. "I think there's more to it that were not seeing, and I think it's unfair to judge until we know all the facts."

The only trouble with that, Chad thinks, is what happens when they finally did learn all the facts.

---

Mal

If she'd known that Auradon beds were this comfortable, she would have stayed on the floor. As it is, she's having a hard time remembering why she needed to get up, comfortably wedged amongst her crew as she is. They hadn't had a chance to be close like this since...well, since forever, really, and the moment isn't lost on Mal. She lets her breathing slow enough so as not to break the steady rhythm they have going; a soft snore from Carlos as he exhales, meets Evie's gentle inhale, while Jay's exhale rumbles just underneath, Mal's breathing riding along the waves like a raft.

Mal idly shifts the fingers of her left hand through Carlos' curls, the smaller boy nestling a bit further under her chin at her touch. He smells different; like night-sweat and boy, but there's something soft and minty underneath it all that is so foreign it takes her a second to process it. It had been so long it was easier just to say they had never been clean, and she's so used to the thick must of stale earth, stale blood, stale tears that had been their normal scent that the loss of it is alarming. Alarming, but comforting, and she lets a soft smile cross her face as she relishes the simplicity of the moment.

They'd never been safe enough to do something like this back on the Isle, and she knows that when they do get back, the chances of them doing this again are nonexistent. It's not that she doesn't like Auradon (Mal actually thinks she might like it too much), but she's not going to kid herself with some delusion that they'll get to stay. She knows how these things work.

Jay stirs at her back, his movement triggering a ripple as Carlos nuzzles closer into the hollow of her throat, and Evie squirms that much further against her hip. Mal stiffens slightly on instinct, panic tightening the air in her lungs before she reminds herself that it's Evie, and she can breathe again. Jay murmurs sleepy nonsense into the back of her neck and she turns her head just enough to catch the crease in his brow, and has the sudden urge to press her thumb to it and watch the way it collapses under her finger. But to do that would mean moving, and she's too comfortable. Instead, she occupies her other hand with tracing the curve of Evie's jaw, and the other girl sighs softly against her side.

In the crook of her arm, Carlos continues to snore softly; Jay's solid presence at her back warm and gentle despite the contrast of temperatures: his feet bare and cold where they tangle with her legs. Evie's cocooned awkwardly; half in between the two of them and half on top, her hair tickling along Mal's ribs and her breath alternating short bursts of heat against her waist.

This is what Auradon can give them, Mal thinks ruefully. Soft beds and the support and safety to be close with each other. Food that isn't rotten or poisoned, and clean water and people who don't wait for the smallest opportunity to cause them pain. And yet she also knows better than to cave to the illusion of luxury. Knows that Auradon has already caused them pain, and that this very afternoon will most likely cause them even more. But there's a small, childish part of her that wishes...

*tap tap*

It's a quiet noise; a bird or something like that just outside the window, but it's more than enough for their Isle-honed senses.

Carlos jerks awake first, eyelashes tickling her collarbone as they flutter rapidly open. Evie is next, bolting upright with wide eyes, fingers scrambling first to comb through her hair, and then to tug at her sleeves, face flushing almost as red as her pendant. There was something not quit right about the way the other girl completed the movements, and Mal eyes Evie cautiously, fingers tugging at Carlos' hair with distracted playfulness.

"Well good morning to you guys, too," Mal murmurs slowly, nudging her shoulders obnoxiously against Jay's face as she leans back, wondering why he hadn't been the first up.

"Mal." Evie blinks, and Carlos whines as he frees himself from her grip before collapsing back against her in relief.

"Morning?" he mumbles, his voice muffled by her hair. "Is that why the sky is being wweird?"

"Yes Carlos," Mal dead pans, lips quirking wryly upwards as Evie's eyes meet hers. "The sun actually shines in Auradon, so the sky lights up like it's supposed to in the morning."

"I don't wanna get u-up," he whines, rubbing his face against her neck again and Mal's annoyance finds her quickly because it was cute when they were sleeping but they're awake now and Jay still isn't moving.

She shoves her shoulder sideways, and Carlos yelps as his cheek meets the rounded edge of bone, but Mal ignores him and scowls at Jay, giving into her previous urge and poking hard at his forehead.

"Jay, get up. It's morning, dumbass and we're all up, so you don't get to just lay there."

His face scrunches up at her touch, his hand coming up to swat her fingers away. He misses and ends up brushing her wrist, but she pulls her hand back anyway, slightly amused as he glares up at her.

"It's too bright," he mumbles, and Mal rolls her eyes at him.

"You're just saying that cuz you heard Carlos say it. It's not gonna work. As nice as this bed is, we have shit to do today."

"Or we could just stay here and not do shit?" Jay suggests, and behind them, Evie chuckles as she slips out of bed.

"I never would have thought I'd see a day where Jay doesn't want to cause trouble," she says through a luxurious stretch.

Mal lets out a brief noise of agreement, scrutinizing as she watches the smooth curves of muscle. There's a tightness there even after Evie completes her stretch, and the corners of Mal's eyes twitch with the urge to narrow as she tracks the other girl's movements. She was too tense- her body wired with a strange nervousness that made Mal's skin itch.

"Jaay!" Carlos whines, bouncing on the bed like the child he never got to be. "The p-p-p-potion, remember?! We're doing it today!"

"Hm?" Jay hums, blinking, and Mal doesn't need to force the relief as the older boy finally shoves himself upright. "Oh. Yeah, right. That thing."

"Comme on!" Carlos yelps giddily, landing haphazardly on the floor and darting around Evie on her path to the mirror. His eyes are bright with glee as he goes to tug at Jay's arm, and Mal rolls her eyes at the other boy's antics.

"Let's get-"

But he barely gets the words out before Jay freezes, jerking his arm with such force that Carlos is flung onto his back on the floor.

"Woah, hey," Evie snaps, jumping up from her seat at the mirror to aid the other boy.

"Jay," Mal says, on her feet now too and hating everything all over again. "Apologize to Carlos."

She doesn't know if it's an Auradon thing or a 'we don't hurt each other like that' thing that prompts her words, but below her, Evie scoffs and fixes her with a sharp look.

"Yeah, that will do something," she hisses scathingly, and Mal blinks and hardens her resolve to figure out just what is going on with Evie, but at the same time ignores her because it is supposed to something.

Acknowledging that you did something wrong and expressing regret for it. That's what the Fairy Godmother said apologizing was all about and sure, the Isle didn't have a single use for something like that but at least in Auradon they tried.

"Huh?" Jay says, wincing as he turns his head to look at her, and she hardens her own glare to hide the way her stomach falls at the blank look in his eyes.

"You pushed Carlos," she says deliberately, enunciating it, making it clear.

It's not the regret she's looking for-it's the acknowledgement.

"He's on the floor," Jay mutters, looking down, and Evie's next scathing remark is halted by the sharp flash of green in the glare that Mal throws her way.

"You put him there," Mal says, not keeping her eyes off Evie, trying to probe, trying to understand.

"I...I did," Jay says, not quite question, and Mal debates a second more before deciding to let her magic search for her.

It's still nowhere near as strong as when it attacked in the garden, but she doesn't need strength right now, she just needs to see. She can sense the way it's tugging again, like it needs something, too, and she gives it the attention it wants and waits. It's odd; like a tickle in the back of her mind, but when she focuses it back she's startled by faint tinge of color that radiates from Jay's upright form.

He's still there, still solid and very much Jay, but there's an ever so slight splash of orange radiating off of him. Which is…interesting- but the sight of it makes her uneasy, because she somehow knows that he shouldn't be this dull orange; her magic flaring anxiously at the color and further emphasizing the sense of wrongness.

"Jay," Mal says again, and her magic snaps in her voice like it had in the Fairy Godmother's office. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy that feeling of power just a little bit, but now isn't the time.

Jay's head snaps up just like it had then, too, though his eyes are a bit clearer, not tinged with the panic of remembered horrors.

"Hm?"

His voice is too soft in that hum, and it would make Mal angry if it weren't for the fact that she knew he wasn't quite ok.

"What's up with you today?" she asks, instead of letting the anger and the power take over. "You're being all distant and moody. Like Evie."

"Huh-hey!" the other girl cries, the delayed indignation making Mal snort in spite of herself.

"Sorry," Jay says, and there's a hint of a smile pinching his lips together. "But she's not wrong. You can be a bitch sometimes, E."

"Excuse me!?"

"His words that time," Mal defends, lifting her hands in surrender as Jay snickers on the bed.

"I'm killing both of you," Evie growls, and Mal honestly wouldn't put it past her in that moment, with the way the air around her suddenly shifts to a dark violet flare.

"You're not killing Jay until he apologizes," Mal says, and Jay's laugh peters out, the orange brightening around him.

"What'd I do now?"

Carlos waves from the floor and Mal jerks her chin at him sharply, scowling, and he blushes as he scrambles to his feet, avoiding her eyes.

"Carlos tried to get you out of bed and you pushed him," she repeats, and Jay blinks, the orange around him flickering slightly-fading.

"Oh. Um…sorry, 'Los," he mutters, and Carlos peeks up just enough for Mal to see the helpless look he throws her way. She nods her head pointedly in Jay's direction, and Carlos frowns before shuffling his feet and dropping his eyes again.

"It's wh-whatever," he says, shrugging as he shoves his fingers through the hem of his shirt.

"Damn it, no. Don't you start this shit again," Mal snarls, hands clenching, and everyone jumps slightly at her tone. "I am not doing this again so E, if you've got a problem, say it. 'Los, go get dressed: Evie stashed that vest thing you liked in her closet somewhere. Jay, you too, get ready for school and work out whatever it is you and 'Los did to each other."

"Yes mom," he sneers, but Mal feels her magic loosen its death grip on her gut as he lifts himself off of the bed, the orange shifting to a more gentle red.

Carlos hesitates a moment before darting to where Mal had directed him, a tiny noise of pleasure rolling up from his throat as he tugs a white sweater-like vest from the closet, black splotched across it in a chaotic design reminiscent of spots without being quite so obvious.

"I fixed the hole in the shoulder, so it's almost new." Evie can't help but brag as Carlos grins over at her, and Mal would let herself get caught up in the moment again if it weren't for the edge in the other girl's eyes; in her voice.

"Jay, 'Los. Out," Mal grits out, and Carlos falters before making for the door, all too eager to escape, and Jay scoffs but saunters out after him anyway, the door closing with a soft click.

Outside the window, the bird that had tapped them awake decided to start chirping, and Mal would have found a way to fry it to a crisp except it was kind of a neat sound. That and Evie, of course, the other girl's eyes piercing into her from across the bed.

"Go ahead, E," Mal drawls, refusing to give the full eye contact she knew the other girl was trying to get.

"You need to think before you make decisions that affect the whole team," Evie blurts, and though the words are sudden, the calculated coldness with which they're said is not.

Damn, E, wasting no time, as usual.

"Is there something specific you wanted to address or is this just general dissatisfaction?" Mal says tightly, a humorless smile stretching her expression as she paces across the room. "Because as you might have heard, questioning my decisions is Jay's job."

"Ok, being specific then," Evie snaps hotly, face red, and Mal would flinch at the venom if she hadn't been so used to hearing that same tone from her mother. "You're not the only one with experience, and you don't get to make all the decisions for the group like yours is the only one that matters, and expect everyone to just fall in line and agree like that."

"Still just hearing shit," Mal replies, turning to stare just over Evie's shoulder and ignoring the way it makes the other girl's jaw clench. Ignores the way it makes her stomach clench. "I thought you said you were going to be specific."

"Mal!" Evie cries, voice shrill with fury. She's shaking with the force of it, face flushed and a wild air about her that's almost desperate.

It's enough to make Mal pause- not hesitating, no, but certainly a pause because she's seen this look on Evie before. She casts her mind back, remembering the way Evie had held herself as she'd gotten out of bed. It had been slow and subtle; but deliberately so- trying to draw attention without actually drawing attention, and then feigning embarrassment when she's actually noticed. It's a simple misdirection tactic that they'd all used in some capacity back on the Isle, but Evie had mastered it to single-handedly take the Isle by storm.

Seeing it on the other girl now makes Mal's hackles raise because what was she trying to distract from? And that look…Mal stiffens, mind flashing back to the night before because…it had been the exact same.

She keeps her gaze straight but scans Evie from the corner of her eyes. Evie is watching her with the same intensity; despite the painful twisting of her face, her eyes are clear. Sharp. And Mal feels bile rise in her throat because she wouldn't have expected something like this from Evie except it's Evie and so of-fucking-course she'd have the nerve to do exactly this.

Mal lets her eyes snap over then, setting her jaw and definitely relishing the way the other girl goes pale. She wanted the eye contact, well now she was going to get it and Mal wasn't about to let up. Despite the way she could feel the tug of her magic again she refused to let it light in her eyes because this was meant to be between them this time. Head high, jaw tight, and eyes steady; she would have liked to think that her mother would have been proud to see the way she exuded her authority in that moment.

Evie flinches, her lips parting with a sound that wasn't quite a gasp- there wasn't enough air to make it- and Mal stiffens her posture just a bit more as she lifts her chin.

"Go ahead. E," she repeats slowly, and the other girl's head turns in a minute shake, her shoulders falling in submission. Mal hates it loves it hates it because it's Evie; one of her group; Evie is hers; but she maintains her dominance- has to because it's Evie and damn if the other girl wasn't a master at slipping into submission to get what she wants.

"I…I said what I needed to," Evie whispers, and Mal would believe it if it weren't Evie. "I don't think it's right for you to just…just decide what the group should do or how we should feel and expect us to…go along with it because you said so."

And her head is down, but her eyes stay on hers and they're so deeply blue and full of that edge that Mal has to place her hands on her hips to ground herself in place.

"Don't be a bitch, E, I know you're talking about the Cricket," she says, and for the first time in the conversation, Evie's eyes slip away.

Whether it's intentional or not, Mal doesn't know, but she does know this, and so she digs in anyway.

"You're talking about the Cricket, and the fact that I, specifically, decided to let a man get near the group; and you didn't agree so you decided, specifically, to self-injure to get back at me for my decision."

The sound Evie makes then is true pain, her head snapping back as if Mal had hit her. Mal almost wishes she had; she'd have much rather lashed out physically but that's not how Evie worked. Evie worked with words and feelings and expressions of dominance and submission and Mal hated it because she always lost.

"That's not what that was!" Evie chokes, her face twisting with the effort of holding back her tears, her fingers picking at the bandages Carlos had fixed with morbid pointedness. "I didn't…"

"You opened the door."

Mal makes no effort to disguise her emotions this time, remembering the terror she'd felt the night before, letting her fury and her pain take over her expression at will. "I would have broken it down to get to you…I've done it…and you fucking know that. You. Opened. It."

"That's not-" Evie tries, but her hands are shaking and so are Mal's and damn it she can't cry now because she's supposed to be pissed and she is but if Mal cries now it'll mean she's lost.

"You act as if I've set myself up to take control of everything and that I don't give a damn about any of you," Mal rasps, her voice thickening without her permission. "And you have the fucking nerve to-shit."

She brings a fist up to press against her mouth, salt bitter against her tongue and the hot wetness on her face serving as mocking symbols of her defeat. Evie's eyes flicker intently through her own tear-soaked lashes, and Mal's heart clenches as she's reminded suddenly of their first meeting and-

"Damn I hope you're proud of yourself, E."

Laughter bubbles up in Evie's throat, but it's heavy and dark and accented with tears that pool in the hollow spaces of her smile.

"Fuck you, Mal, that's not what I wanted."

Mal's tears drip under her chin and settle like a chain against her throat, and she doesn't know what to do with her hands but she knows she can't wipe them away. There wasn't a point to trying to maintain dominance; not like this…not anymore, but she'd be damned if she let herself appear any weaker than she already was.

"What exactly did you want then, E, because you know; in Auradon a true princess asks politely to get what she wants, not manipulates."

Evie flinches hard, but her eyes turn even harder, her jaw wobbling even as she speaks. "That's low," she growls, and Mal's chin jerks up sharply with the force of her laugh.

"Please, I haven't even started!"

"Maleficent would be so proud," Evie hisses, and Mal lets her laugh continue, if only to cover the way her magic sparks hotly in her gut, twisting and coiling with rage and pain.

"I'm sure she would be," Mal replies, her eyes green and the only thing she'll allow. "And when we get back, you can find out first hand just how proud. By the way, which of these princes have you managed to seduce I mean you've only had, what…almost two weeks to find one? I'm sure the Evil Queen will be simply thrilled to find out which kingdom she'll be living in next."

Evie's expression slips; not drastically by any means, and most looking at her would still assume she wanted nothing more than to murder Mal in the most brutal way possible. (That right was reserved for Maleficent, though, try again.) But Mal wasn't most, and she could see the way the corners of Evie's eyes fell; the slackening of her jaw behind tightly closed lips.

Mal huffs a short wheeze of a laugh as her own jaw twitches sharply to the left, and the rest of Evie's charade crumples; fresh tears trailing down her face.

"That's not what I wanted," Evie whispers hoarsely, far less hesitant than Mal to wipe at her face now.

"Yeah, well. Did it anyway," Mal says, refusing to let any sympathy into her voice; like she hadn't just yielded the argument.

"I wasn't finished."

"No, I think you are," Mal says coldly, and her magic shivers its way up her spine, arching across the backs of her hands. "I know you, E. I know exactly what you meant and what you were trying to do….You're afraid."

Evie's head lifts minutely, and Mal doesn't need any more proof but it's there anyway in wide eyes and stuttering breaths.

"Bullshit all you want, but I know you too well."

"You…know?" Evie repeats, and Mal would have been surprised to hear the venom back in her voice if it weren't the fact that this is Evie, and of course the other girl isn't done. "You know how it feels? To bite your tongue so hard you're afraid you might swallow it, but you have to because he'd told you to be quiet?

"To have nothing at your back but a brick wall that smells like piss and you wonder if you could throw your head back hard enough to split your skull because that would be better than just taking it? To force yourself not to scream when he shoves his fingers so deep inside you that you think it shouldn't be physically possible to feel him like that. And he laughs when you cry but at least you were quiet."

"Oh are we trading stories now?" Mal says, her face is wet and she's shaking but her voice is steady enough because of-fucking-course she knew. Knew exactly who and when and where; had enlisted Jay to track the bastard down and they'd killed him together right after severing each and every finger from his hand.

But now wasn't the time for heroics and she stiffens to force her body to remain still as she slowly lifts the hem of her shirt across her stomach. She'd filled out just a little since coming to Auradon, but not enough that her clothes fit the way they should and it doesn't take much maneuvering for her pants to sling low across her hips, and she shouldn't smile when Evie whimpers but she does anyway.

"He had a knife and I was stupid enough to try and fight when he told me to behave."

Evie makes another low noise in her throat and a shudder crawls like ice through Mal's veins because "Fuck aren't you just a little bitch?" he'd said through a moan just like that and

"It was more than just his fingers," Mal growls through her teeth, letting her shirt fall back over the scars and wishing it were so easy to cover from her mind. "But I was taught to fight so I did, and each time he pushed a little deeper I fought that much harder; and he smiled when he dug his knife in but dragons didn't submit to anybody. And I was stupid and I fought and I did more than just scream by the time he'd finished with me and I was glad it was dark so I didn't have to know just what all the wet on my body was. But it didn't really matter because when I finally dragged myself home my mother sneered, and said that it wouldn't have happened if I had fought harder, and that I deserved it for being so weak."

And the basement had been cold and dark and the perfect place to relive it over and over again in the weeks she'd been locked in it afterwards.

Silence hisses loudly in the space between them, punctuated only by the alternating sounds of grief, and Mal's heart twists as she fights to regain control. Of herself, or of Evie, she doesn't quite know, only that she's done enough crying and is just…so…tired. Auradon was supposed to mean freedom, but since coming here she's had to work twice as hard to keep them all afloat and it's times like this that make Mal wonder if it would be such a terrible thing to drown.

"If you're not happy with the decisions I make that's fine; I honestly don't give a shit." Mal draws her sleeve across her eyes and ignores the voice of her mother hissing in her ear. "If all of us are safe and alive then I've done my job, and I'll do whatever I have to to keep us that way."

Evie flinches, suddenly small and engulfed by the room and Mal grimaces, shaking her head and swiping at her face one more time. There's a part of her that still wants to cry; wants to hold the other girl tight and say that it's ok. But she knows better, knows that things are from ok, but it doesn't stop the urge for comfort and she grits her jaw against the tightness in her chest and forcibly turns away from Evie, yanking the sheet up on the bed.

"Fuck it just…get dressed, E. We'll deal with it later."

Or the Isle would deal with it for them. One of the two. Mal grinds her teeth together as she stalks over to the closet and flings it open, pretending not to notice the way Evie's breath catches at the sound as her fingers rip the nearest jacket from its hook. She almost regrets being so harsh, but when she glances over Evie is still just standing there, body trembling with the weight of the words torturously etching themselves onto her skin and screaming in the tears from her eyes.

"No, you're not, but get dressed so we can pretend a little longer."

Evie's lips tremble but she moves shakily to obey, body bent and eyes no longer threatening to meet hers and Mal hates it loves it hates it because it's Evie and Mal wasn't supposed to win.

---

Evie

Evie heard Jay before she saw him, and she glanced instinctively over her shoulder for her mother before remembering that she'd gone to the market and wouldn't be back for a few hours. It still doesn't make her completely relax, especially since a visit from Jay could go either way…especially recently. He hadn't said anything specifically, but Evie could tell he was hiding something from her.

"Ok, it's just up here," Jay's voice rang out, and Evie stiffened, jumping up from the half-sofa and hissing when her sewing spilled to the floor. He'd brought someone?

"I still never agreed to this," a strange voice rasped, and Evie froze with her hand on the door because it had been nearly ten years but she could never forget that voice.

Maleficent!

Caution thrown to the wind, Evie dashed to her fallen sewing kit and rifled through it, coming up seconds later with metal sewing scissors clutched in trembling fingers. Steps bang out right by the door, the latch clicking rhythmically before snapping, and Evie sucked a sharp breath as it was flung open and…and….

There was Jay, lips quirked with a sarcastic comment, head turned to face…a much smaller version of the dragon that had haunted her dreams.

"I thought you said she was going to be open minded," the strange girl muttered, and for a moment it looked like her eyes had turned green.

"Jay," Evie's fingers clutch that much tighter as she snaps her head over to the boy, who raises his hands in supplication. "Explain. Now."

"Ha, yeah, I um…I would have called ahead but you know…lack of technology's a pain."

"Jayden!"

"You might want to hurry it up, Jayden," mini-Maleficent sneered, eyes sharp and never leaving Evie's. "I don't think Her Highness is used to waiting for things."

Fury settled in a cold shroud over Evie at the taunt, and she drew herself up to her full height, letting her own lips curl as she glared at the other girl.

"I think you'd be surprised at how patient I am, given that I've waited almost five years to do this."

She threw herself forward, bringing the scissors up with the sole intent to hurt and letting that instinct drive her movements. The dragon-spawn had the gall the laugh, moving at the last moment and grabbing Evie's wrist, twisting it hard as she dodged around behind Evie's back.

"Shit, Jay," she barked, grey eyes burning into Evie's own. "You didn't tell me she was a bitch!"

Evie snarled and kicked back, wincing when the other girl dodged and twisted her arm that much further, the scissors slipping from her fingers. They hit the floor with a dull sound that Evie barely registered as she was suddenly shoved, and she stumbled before regaining her balance and whirling sharply in time to see the girl scoop them up with a triumphant noise.

"These are mine now," she announced, eyes glinting as she grinned at Evie, and Evie cursed before crossing her arms over her chest and quickly putting on an air of indifference.

"Oh sure, help yourself," she said tightly, lifting her chin to return the glare. "Though I shouldn't be surprised; the other side of the Isle must be so uncivilized what with Maleficent running everything."

"Excuse me?" The other girl growled, but there was a twitch in her jaw that Evie latched on to- She didn't much like Maleficent either, which was…interesting.

"Ok, guys, chill," Jay finally spoke up, forcing his way between them and glaring at the other girl. "I didn't bring you here so you could kill each other, Mal."

"Why are you looking at me, Jay?" 'Mal' snapped, brushing wisps of stringy blonde hair out of her face as she glared up at him. "She's the one who had the scissors."

Evie smirked openly, but turmoil rocked her thoughts because those had been her mother's scissors and if she found out that Evie had had them…and then lost them to Maleficent's daughter…she'd never see the light of day again. Which was pitiful enough as it was with a barrier in the way but still.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Jay groaned, head in his hands, and Mal scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"It was," she said snidely, scanning the room before sneering again. "There's nothing here that's worth my time."

"That's funny," Evie said, trying to pretend that the other girl's words hadn't hurt. "I was just thinking the same thing."

"You don't even know what I'm here for!" Mal snapped, and Evie schooled her features to keep her smirk from growing too far. "You didn't even know that I was coming, the fuck do you mean 'I was thinking the same thing?'"

"I didn't mean anything," Evie responded coolly, lifting a brow. "Only that for the daughter of the woman who would curse an infant to death, and singlehandedly ruined my life, you're not much to look at."

Mal seemed to cringe at that, and Evie paused. Did she feel…bad about her banishment? The grimace on the other girl's face seemed to suggest something, though she was quick to twist it into a scowl.

"You have a lot of nerve, thinking that…you and your mother are the reason you're here; nothing else."

Evie reels back, a retort sharp on her lips when Jay holds up his hands, a frown tugging at his lips despite the amusement in his eyes.

"Come on, Evie," Jay mumbled, dark eyes pleading silently. "Just hear us out, and if you still want us gone we'll go."

"We?" Mal said under her breath, eyes narrowing. "You act as if you didn't drag me here against my will."

But there was something not quite hostile in her body, despite the volatile words, and Evie debated silently a moment before deciding.

"Get to the point, then," she huffed, lifting her chin deliberately and keeping her eyes on Mal. Across from her, Mal did the opposite, maintaining the eye contact but dropping her chin; and Evie didn't quite know what to think about that.

"I'm in a bit of a…situation," the other girl said carefully, and Evie blinked, but remained silent. "Jay said you might be able to…help."

Evie blinked again, entirely thrown. The daughter of Maleficent came to her for help? It must have shown on her face because the other girl scowled irritably, eyes flashing as she crosses her arms.

"It'd be nice if you'd actually say something instead of just staring, princess," she growled, and Evie would have been angry at the remark if it weren't for the fact that Mal actually seemed genuine, the hunch of her shoulders far less aggressive and more passive; something unsure in her grey-green eyes.

"What makes you think I'd be willing to help you?" Evie asked, if only because she felt she should. "Five years after you abandon me here you think you can just show up now and…and expect me do whatever you want?"

She grit her jaw against the lump forming in her throat, cursing herself for revealing too much emotion, blinking hard and trying to maintain her anger. Mal looked on the verge of something harsh and furious herself, but then her eyes met Evie's and she paused; the slump of her shoulders a bit more pronounced as she shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her ratty green jacket.

"I could ask nicely, if you want," Mal muttered, eyes flickering to the side before returning to meet hers.

It was an entirely submissive gesture, and Evie knew that it was intentional. Despite the way their history hovered darkly over their shoulders, this girl had actually made her way to the other side of the Isle to meet with her. Had actually not been as horrible as Evie had been making her out to be in her mind; nothing like Maleficent, in fact, because the dragon woman would never dare bring herself over here with all the filth and the lowest of the low. Would never have dreamed of humbling herself before someone she considered inferior; someone she had banished.

More than that, to offer an apology- because Evie knew that was really what Mal's offer was- it was enough to make her question everything she thought she knew to expect from Maleficent's daughter.

Evie hesitated. She had the upper hand here- had Maleficent's daughter in the palm of her hand- had the power to crush her... But she had that power because it had been given to her, and the significance of the move wasn't lost on her. Mal shuffled a foot awkwardly, lips parting as if she wanted to say something else, but then she caught herself, and let her eyes drop away and damn it Evie couldn't do it. Because Mal was letting herself defer to Evie; waiting for the other girl to make the first move and trusting the decision she was making to do such a thing and despite the fact that her mother had always said that that was the moment she was supposed to go in for the kill…she couldn't do it. Wouldn't.

Evie let the rest of the tension leave her body, and couldn't help the tiny laugh that escaped her at the wary look of surprise the other girl gave her, grey eyes wide and posture entirely too open.

"What, exactly, did you have in mind for me?" Evie asked coyly, pretending not to notice the color that rose to the other girl's cheeks at her words; although she did notice that the open posture didn't change- Mal was still deferring to her.

"I was thinking…allies?" she said it slowly, glancing out of the corner of her eyes to gauge Evie's reaction.

"Allies," Evie repeated, just to be sure she had heard correctly because it wasn't enough that the other girl had submitted to her, but was actually offering to set Evie up as an ally- an equal.

"Unless you had a problem with that," Mal said, and though the words are humble, the way she said them was not, drawing herself back upright and glaring with every bit of ferocity that was to be expected considering just who she was.

Evie dropped her eyes to laugh, letting it carry on a second longer to evaporate the tension and return the control back to the other girl where it belonged.

"No," she finally murmured, smiling as she lifted her eyes back up to meet Mal's. "I don't have a problem with that at all."

---

Carlos

Jay had been staring at the same shirt for the past five minutes, and Carlos would have been annoyed except he still wasn't entirely sure the older boy was ok. He frowns at Jay's back, the other boy's form inverted given that Carlos viewed him upside down, hanging over the side of the bed.

"Is it deep pro-pro-pro-probing question time?" he mutters idly to the room at large.

Jay jerks awkwardly into movement at, tugging the thin yellow shirt he currently wore over his head and onto the floor in more or less one smooth motion. Carlos quickly darts his eyes further upward, so he's now looking directly at the tiny crowns patterned on the carpet. But it still isn't quick enough to entirely avoid the partial glimpse of thick ropy scars criss-crossing Jay's back, and Carlos swallows hard because he really didn't want to go back to that.

"What, 'Los?" Jay asks, yanking on a dull red shirt and adjusting it so that its distinct lack of collar is less apparent.

Carlos wonders if he realizes that even with his thin leather vest, the scars are still visible to anyone paying attention where they spill onto the backs of Jay's arms; wonders if it's intentional or if the other boy just didn't care at this point; picks anxiously at his own shirt because he loves it but it doesn't have sleeves either and everyone would see how screwed up he is and shit he sounded like Evie and-

"'Los?"

"You-you said before that later cccould be deep question time," Carlos blurts, jerking himself upright and blinking hard against the dizziness. "It's later."

Jay stares a moment uncomprehendingly, but then clarification comes in the sharp stiffening of his shoulders, a very Jafar-like glower darkening his features.

"Lay off it, Carlos," Jay grumbles, and it's a warning he thinks he should listen to but he's sick of them all falling apart when that was his job.

"No," he snaps, turning around so he can glare at Jay properly. "I-i-it was fine…Aur-Auradon was fine until you mmade it not."

Jay recoils slightly, dark eyes flickering with genuine hurt that both surprises and flusters Carlos.

"I made it not?" Jay repeats, and Carlos shakes his head hard, trying to explain.

"Yes," he says, which doesn't help because Jay is still not ok and Carlos is just making it worse. "No…not…you…"

His hands twitch anxiously and he wants to bring them up to sign but his skin still tingles raw at the thought and he wants to just talk but the words aren't coming out right and he can't he can't he can't…..

"You don't have to talk."

Jane's voice, of all things, breaks through his panicked frenzy, and he freezes, suddenly back in the theatre department; the stage so big he'd thought it would swallow him whole.

"Distract your brain," she'd said, grey eyes wide with excitement. "If you can't talk, sing. What's your favorite music?"

And he'd hummed a few bars of something thick and tense and raw, and she'd laughed at him (but with him, too) because 'of course you like rock' and-

"I walk a lonely road; the only one that I've ever known," Carlos half-hums under his breath, and the timbre of the song effectively curbs his thoughts, slowing the race of his brain and his words.

"What?" Jay is still scowling, his eyes still glinting hurt, and Carlos shakes his head once and tries to let the music distract his brain.

"Nothing," he manages shakily, his hands not quite as anxious. "I ju-just meant that everything was fine before you mmade it not fine."

"You're still…you mean the library, don't you?" Jay growls, and his lips try to curl into a sneer, but it's his body that curls instead and that's not what Carlos had been trying to do. "You mean the library, and that-"

"Stop," Carlos says scrambling up from the bed, because that's not what he'd been trying to do and Jay was shaking and Mal wasn't here and he didn't know how to deal with this. "Jay…sto-top."

"Stop what," Jay challenges, but he's not steady enough to make it work. "Telling the truth?"

"Ssshhut up," Carlos growls lowly, letting it curl across his face into the expression that Jay had failed to make. "Listen."

Jay blinks and he's quiet, but Carlos doesn't know if he's genuinely listening, or if his brain is working against him just as hard as Carlos.'

"Don't know where it goes; but it's home…," Carlos breathes softly, and the song loosens the words stuck in his brain. "Jay…we know what the Isle is li-like, but we don't know-know-know what Auradon is…it's diff-different."

"Not that different," Jay denies, his eyes the only solid thing about him, his body still hunched inwards. "It's not that different there's still-"

Jay chokes on the rest of his sentence, his mouth clenching shut so tightly Carlos can see the way his jaw works; a shiver running through his body. Panic hardens a stone in Carlos' gut because now wasn't the time for freezing, but then Jay's words register and he scrambles desperately to hang onto it.

"I-w-j-di-" he splutters wordlessly, fumbling over syllables and vowels, but it's enough to catch Jay's attention, the other boy blinking out of his stupor.

"What?" Jay croaks, and Carlos tries to swallow his nerves enough to speak.

"Different…ssame…Jay, wha-wha-wha-what's the same about here?"

Jay frowns, but Carlos is on to it now, Jane's teasing encouraging him enough to keep going.

"Auradon, and the-the-the-the Isle," he goads, taking a few steps forward in his eagerness to prove Jay wrong. "What's the same?"

Jay shakes his head, his eyes not quite focusing, and Carlos continues for him, walking backwards until the softness of the bed brushes his legs.

"Bbed," he says firmly, eyes locked on Jay's. "We have a bed hhere. And a room that it goes i-n."

"I had a bed," Jay mumbles idly, and Carlos glares at him darkly, not sure why he wasn't getting it.

"A mmat under a t.v sstand doesn't cou-count," he snaps, and Jay blinks again, lapsing back into silence. "We had a chchchance, Jay! Something real…and you…."

"I know what's real, 'Los."

Jay's voice is thick…disjointed, almost, but there's an intensity in his eyes that makes Carlos flinch.

"What's real is that when I was nine Jafar told me that if I didn't go out and kill the merchant that kept cheating me out of deals, he'd paint the walls of the shop with my blood and use my skin as a rug."

Carlos shuts his mouth this time, paling at the implications. Jay's lip curls upwards, but there's no humor in it; only pain.

"I knew how to slip a poison into anything I could get my hands on, but he wanted the proof of the blood on my hands…wanted to know." Jay cocked his head back, a vague sort of expression of thought on his face. "He didn't know that I actually hated the very idea of it…that I'd have much rather it be my blood than the merchant's even if he was a rat…didn't know that when he finally did die…it was Mal that killed him, not me."

Carlos starts, shocked because he never would have guessed…wouldn't have thought, and Jay makes a strange, coughing sound that might have been a laugh, but was most likely a cry.

"Mal," Jay repeats, nodding. "Because she knew what my father would have done to me if I didn't. She did that…to be sure I was safe."

"Jay," Carlos starts, then stops because he didn't really know what he was saying now. What could he possibly say?

"What's real is that I had to avoid him more than usual after because he kept asking for details and what the hell was I supposed to say to that? I still don't fucking know and it's been ten years…but I knew that I didn't want to be him- bloodthirsty and vicious but a coward."

Jay makes another choking laugh, flinging his arms up and Carlos knows he shouldn't flinch, doesn't need to flinch, but he does anyway, cringing tightly against the bed. Jay freezes mid-gesture and something passes across his face, but it's gone before Carlos can really see it and Jay drops his arms again with a short jerk of his head.

"And it didn't really matter cuz I'm still just like him anyway. Just as bloodthirsty as he ever wanted me to be…and…and a coward."

"You're nnot," Carlos tries weakly, forcing hid body back into movement, to do something else besides cower. "Jay, you're nohing li-like…"

"But I am," Jay snaps, and his voice is hoarse like he'd screamed it but he'd barely gone above a whisper this whole time. "I am like him because here I am in Auradon, finally, and I can't even face it because I'm such a…I'm so. fucking. terrified, 'Los."

Something breaks in Jay's voice, something horribly vulnerable and small that had no right to be on his face because he's Jay and Jay was supposed to be everything that Carlos could not. He was supposed to be strong.

"What's real is that if I stand still for long enough I can still feel his hands against my waist…the…back of my neck…can still hear…."

"Jay," Carlos whimpers, because he couldn't possibly have known the extent…didn't want to know just how badly damaged the really were.

"And I know it's not the same," Jay continues after a moment, and he's not crying, but the pressure of it is there in his eyes-in his voice. "That's the thing, I know it's not the same…but I can't…I can't because it's not fair…that they get the 'love' and I get…fucked."

Carlos has the sudden urge to…do something….he has no idea what because although he thinks maybe some kind of physical contact was needed, he'd never been embraced before coming into the group, and the Isle had barely allowed for that kind illicit closeness, either. But he feels like he needs to do something or else he'll explode too. As it is, he can barely keep himself contained as he shakily wobbles over to Jay, who presses himself backwards against the closet door with all the wariness that Carlos himself usually possessed, his dark eyes bright with pain. Carlos hesitates for all of two seconds before turning his body so he mirror's Jay's pose, inching himself closer step by step until the back of his arms is flush with Jay's; his fingers just brushing Jay's knuckles.

"Auradon is rreal," Carlos whispers, letting his words carry themselves. "I-I-I-I'm real. Mal…and Evie…wwe're real."

Jay makes a short, hiccupping cough of a sob, but clamps down on it just as hard, the remainder of the pain shuddering through his body in violent, rocking waves.

"You're nnot a coward, Jay," Carlos growls it as fiercely as he dares, pressing his shoulder against the other boy just a bit further. "You're-you're-you're not Jafar, because you actttually care about hurting people. Because you'll sstill always have us…he doesn't even have his sstupid bird."

He tapers off as Jay twitches beside him, and there's a moment of silence so thick Carlos can practically see it. But then there's a breath, and a quiet release of tension and Jay huffs a breathy imitation of a laugh.

"Thanks, 'Los," he mumbles weakly, and Carlos hums reassuringly under his breath, not trusting himself to keep going and ruin the moment.

{What runs through his mind but never off his tongue is that he knows that Jay can't be like Jafar because that would mean that he was just like his mother and he couldn't bear the thought of that. Knows that the Isle was more a tomb than anything else; sealed everything dead inside and takes no prisoners. That what's real is a whip burning scars across Jay's back; chains around Mal's throat and poison in the very air that Evie breathed. Scars on the backs of his arms where he throws them up to protect himself from his mother- straight lined but jagged because he'd tried to pull away and stale cigarette smoke wheezing out with each cry of 'hold still, baby, it'll be ok.' Knows that in spite of everything, killing herself would never have been Evie's intention because 'straight up and down, that's the way to do it- if you're doing it right,' and he remembered being so angry the first time he'd found Evie like that because how dare the Isle take her but leave him with a beast like Cruella.}

And he thinks that he kind of agrees with Jay, at least in one regard. Auradon might have been real for them now, but it wasn't always and how was it fair that they got all the love?

---

Fairy Godmother

One would think that the Fairy Godmother had seen her fair share of chaos over the years, never mind just in the past week alone. And yet, somehow, she was still entirely unprepared for what she currently faced.

"Fu-fu-fairy…Fairy Godm-other I demand you p-pu-punish this boy at once!"

She blinks. Takes a breath because she couldn't very well handle this without some shred of composure. Opens her eyes but her colleague is still there- red faced and grimacing, a sheepish but proud? looking Carlos de Vil in tow.

"Mr. Kropp?" She says, because she knows she hadn't heard him right. "I'm sorry, would you care to repeat that?"

Carlos snorts, but when the Fairy Godmother looks at him his eyes are clear and entirely contrite. Benjamin Kropp shakes with fury beside him, but he clears his throat obligingly at her request, working his mouth a few times before speaking.

"I ssssaid…" But then he stops with another tight grimace, and it's then that the Fairy Godmother registers three things: one- the Biology teacher was speaking with a stutter; two- if his grimacing were any indication, the act of speaking was causing him pain, somehow; and three- there was a vague, urgent sort of tingling down her spine. It was strange, because it had been so long since she'd felt it let alone wielded it; but there was no mistaking the itch of power- of magic.

"Carlos," the Fairy Godmother says sharply, and the boy flinches at her tone, his eyes flickering as he jerks his head towards the floor. The sight makes her heart clench because it was as if he'd never made any progress at all; as if he still expected violence and pain. There's a small part of her that half-wonders if there was a cause for that, her own gaze flickering towards her irate coworker…but she dismisses it from her thoughts immediately because, really, no one would ever dare. Not here.

"Carlos," she says again, softening her voice but not the severity. "Would you kindly explain to me what's going on?"

Something darts across his expression- almost that pride she'd gotten a glimpse of when Kropp had dragged him through the door; but then it shifts to fear as he lifts his chin but not his eyes.

"I-I-I can exppplain….," Kropp chokes indignantly. "This bbboy has-"

"What Mr. Kropp means," Carlos says and the Fairy Godmother still can't solidify her thoughts enough to accept that the words are fully formed. "Is that he's having trouble getting control of his brain all of a sudden. It's ok though…once he stops being lazy and stubborn, he'll realize he can talk just fine."

There's a sort of smugness that lights in Carlos' eyes, his lips twitching with his mild tone, and the Fairy Godmother finally shakes enough out of her stupor to register that there's something about his tone to suggest a direct quote.

"Whu-why you li-litle-" Kropp turns even redder at Carlos' words, and takes an intentional step towards him.

Two more things register to the Fairy Godmother in that moment; that Kropp had made a move threateningly towards the young boy- a twitch in his hand that suggested the intent for violence; and that Carlos was flinching back- not just out of instinct, but with an expectation; as if he knew for certain that he needed to; and the Fairy Godmother draws herself up sharply at this realization and slips her pointer from her sleeve in one fluid motion, rapping it against her desk.

"That is quite enough," she snaps, and though Carlos jumps at the sudden noise, his eyes meet her with some relief before they dart to the floor again. "Mr. Kropp, would you please excuse yourself to the hall for a moment? You may come back once you are more composed."

"I beg-beg-beg your ppp-" Kropp practically gags on the words, his jaw twitching as his eyes narrow. Then he stops, stiffening, and casts such a glare at Carlos as he exits that the Fairy Godmother doesn't hesitate to think she made the right call in that moment.

It's when the door closes behind him that she notes just how tightly Carlos had been holding himself; his shoulders slumping with a pronounced shiver, and she frowns sharply before forcing herself to soften as well.

"Carlos," she says, and though his head jerks in her direction, he refused to bring his gaze up. "I might be well past my spell weaving days, but I'm not quite so far gone that I don't recognize the pull of magic when I feel it."

His head snaps up then, eyes wide and breath catching in his throat as his lips part with the force of his gasp. It confirms her suspicions if nothing else, but she continues calmly. It wouldn't do to lose control of herself as her colleague no doubt had.

"I won't ask how, just yet," she cautions, and though she's still so restrained, the flicker of fear remains. "But I would like to know if this has occurred before; and I would like to know why."

Although, she thinks to herself, if Carlos really had been quoting something that had been said to him, she could understand that much at least.

"Not- um…no, this…it didn't…"

Despite his frankly magical lack of stutter, Carlos still couldn't get his words out, his shoulders hunching and arms coming up to cross defensively around his middle. It's with that motion that the Fairy Godmother is able to realize that Carlos wasn't wearing sleeves, and while it concerned her given the cooler weather she's also able to see the scars twisting his skin.

"Are you waiting for me to hurt you, Carlos?" she says softly, and it's equal parts horror and grief that darkens her tone.

That's always what it came down to with these children, wasn't it? What new way could they be hurt next? What more could Auradon do that they hadn't already? Carlos scowls at the ground, his shoulders tightening as his eyes narrow. It's not quite sullen; but it's certainly nothing optimistic, and the Fairy Godmother has to resist the urge to sigh aloud.

"You know that I-" She begins, then corrects herself because surely they'll have heard similar assurances before. "None of us here would hurt you."

Carlos' head jerks a short negative, a stifled, bitter sound thick in his throat. The Fairy Godmother draws herself up in shock, taken aback and certainly far more concerned now.

"Carlos," she says, and the boy's expression slackens with faint surprise at her tone. "Has someone here hurt you?"

He makes another bitter noise, his eyes sharp and almost accusing as he peers up at her before he flinches and drops his gaze again.

"I can't help you unless you let me," the Fairy Godmother insists, and Carlos' mouth opens almost without his bidding, the words tumbling out then.

"That's what you keep saying that Auradon will help, that all you want to do is help but where was your help when we were on the Isle dying? Where was it two weeks ago; or two days? Where is it now?"

His eyes burn with fury and hatred and pain, and the Fairy Godmother couldn't tell who or what it was directed at. Not quite her; although she didn't blame him for thinking that she deserved it. But his accusations spark guilt all the same because he did have every right to feel the way he did; and yet they were trying.

"Will you tell me?" she asks, instead of the other, more anxious and tearful things reeling in her thoughts. "Will you let me try to help you now?"

His expression twists further, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as few times as he clenches his arms tighter around his body. He looks on the verge of panic, and it stirs the Fairy Godmother's own fear for a sharp and terrifying moment. But then Carlos relaxes, his arms dropping to a more subdued clasp in front of him and a horrifying stillness settling across his face. It's only his eyes that contain the storm of his raging emotions, and even then, she has trouble reading them. Instead, she reads the words she can see on his arms: 'freak,' and 'mutt' stand out in sickening pale scratches; and in the crooks of his elbows she can see a cluster of small, raised circles. Some are pale, belying their age, but others…others are still fairly red and she can't help the small intake of breath because there's no mistaking them for what they are- cigarette burns.

"You act like you don't know how they got there," Carlos whispers, and though his voice is soft, there's an edge there she wouldn't have expected. Or rather, she did. Just not like this.

"Cruella," she murmurs just as softly, her own voice distorted with equal parts revulsion and horror.

Carlos shrugs a shoulder, a twitch in his cheek like he might have smiled, though his lips remain resolutely shut, his eyes unreadable now despite their previous turmoil. She wants to ask…doesn't dare to know; and yet it's with the tilting of Carlos' head that she's able to see a fresher mark along his cheek, and she reaches an unthinking hand towards him. He reacts like a shot; flinching back with an almost animalistic whimper of fear, his own arms coming up as if to shield from her attack.

There's a heavy whoosh of air as it forces its way out of her lungs, and then Carlos drops his arms, a look of something like embarrassment on his face as he glances up at her guardedly.

"I'm sorry," she says immediately, flushing because really, how could she have done such a thing knowing? "I didn't think…but Carlos…what is that?"

His brow furrows, lips pouting in confusion as he slowly lifts his hand to complete her gesture; his fingertips brushing the swollen edge of his cheek. There's a pause: a brief 'oh' of clarity flickering across his face before he hardens again; his eyes dark despite the way his body seemed torn between hunching in on itself and tearing away.

"Ask him," he growls harshly, jerking his head in the direction of the hall beyond; and she excuses his tone because he was shaking now and how had she made this worse? "Ask him if he's learned how to control himself; if he's realized yet that being w-w-willful will only cause him pain."

Carlos goes pale with his last words, something like terror and betrayal flashing across his face as his tongue adds the extra syllables back in. Then he turns, and before the Fairy Godmother can react, let alone think, he'd flung the door open and was gone, a solitary shout of anger following after his pounding footsteps. Or was that her pounding heart?

---

Ben

Ben

The meeting was going about as well as his entire plan had been so far; poorly and nowhere near as fleshed out as it should have been.

"I didn't ask to meet with you just so you could tell me what a terrible job I'm doing," Ben snaps, and he's on his feet and aware that he sounds every bit the spoiled child they thought he was. "I have myself for that, thanks."

"I beg your pardon?" A faceless voice rings out, and Ben whirls sharply, a low noise groaning in his chest.

"You don't have it!" His words are wrenching out of him beyond his control but when had things ever been? "You don't deserve it- any of you!"

Shrieks of horror and cries of 'control your son, King Adam,' and 'Is this how the future heir speaks to his people?' and 'I'm not certain he is fit to be the future heir after this display' and he can't take he can't take it anymore they're all too loud and it's just too much and they aren't listening he's losing them why won't they just

"SHUT UP!"

His roar brings a silence that's nearly as painful as their voices had been; and it's only in that silence that he's able to realize that it had actually been a roar; his throat and chest still throbbing with the weight of it.

"Shut up, all of you," Ben pants, and he's on the table when did he get on the table and they're all just sitting there still and his parents are looking at him and Audrey is looking at him and oh gods, Audrey is looking at him and he's not he's really not stop looking at him like that, stop looking like he's a monster.

"Ben."

He jerks because that's his father's voice and he'd never heard it like that before but when he looks, it's not revulsion in his father's eyes. It's understanding and for some reason that scares Ben more than if he'd shouted and no don't do that don't…don't understand him…not like this.

"I didn't ask you all here to hurl insults." The words taste so bitter that he almost gags on them; his stomach coiling furiously in time with his still throbbing chest because the roar felt right, far more right than tiny vowels and useless sentences. "Or to waste your time as I'm sure you feel I have."

A snort comes from somewhere and it's all so pointless that he nearly snarls, but he settles for clenching his hands until his nails dig into his palms, ignoring the way they shake.

"I asked you here because the Isle isn't safe, and we are not going to just send the VKs back to an environment that can't support them."

There. See, he was human, he could talk. See Audrey? You can stop staring now.

But then he realizes he's still on the table, and he clambers down so quickly he nearly falls, and the hot rush of embarrassment is enough to drive the rest of the roar from his chest.

"Disgraceful behavior aside," the voice that's no longer faceless sneers- it's King Stefan; eyes just as cold as his voice and it had been so long wasn't he supposed to be dead?- "What shocks me the most is just how grossly you have wasted our times. Of course the Isle isn't safe you foolish boy! It was never intended to be such and I know I'm not the only one who…."

The words barely register as Ben slinks back because they have faces now and they're all still looking at him and oh gods what had he done?

"…appalled at how horrendous…."

"What I find appalling is how you can just sit there while on the Isle children are suffering."

Was he still talking why was he still talking he needs to stop he needs to stop this right now somebody stop him why weren't they stopping him roaring was easier and he almost wants to get back on the table, wants to hide underneath it and why were they letting him talk?

"Yes, children," he repeats, and he's looking into Cinderella's tear stained eyes and wondering just what she's seeing. What is he doing? "And what I want to know is this; when you were building the Isle- because the Isle was built, it's one of the first things they ever teach us- did it occur to you that someday there might be children running around with all these villains and that maybe some kind of plan should be put in place for that?"

"No, of course we didn't," another voice says, and it takes him a moment to recognize the burly man sitting beside Aladdin because he wasn't floating. Or blue. "We didn't account for it because we didn't expect it; I mean, come on now, Benjamin…villains falling in love and having kids?"

The genie (or rather, former genie) laughs just a bit, and it's echoed by the faces around him except there are those who don't laugh and Ben focuses sharply on them to distract the clenching of his gut.

"You don't need love to have kids," his voice is saying, and his chest wasn't throbbing anymore but somehow it still sounded like a growl. "It's simply a matter of biology and nothing more; so why didn't you think about it?"

"Because we didn't need to." It's another voice- Radcliff this time, and Ben blinks numbly as the man scowls sharply at him. "By the time we'd gotten everything finished most of the bigger names had already-"

"Roger, sit down!" Anita hisses, yanking hard at her husband's arm. He frowns again, but sits, and Ben thinks that sitting down might not be such a bad idea as a wave of dizziness hits him hard.

"What?" he whispers, and there's a silence as though everyone were holding their breath all of a sudden, a heavy fog of 'oops' that seems to settle over the gathered council. "You…Did you say that…?"

He blinks again, shivering and not sure if it's because he was actually cold, or if it was general horror creeping up on him again.

"You mean to tell me that some of the villains had already had children before the Isle was finished….and you sent them over anyway?"

"It was hardly as barbaric as you're making it seem," Stefan was talking again, and though he was scowling, there was something pale about his features now. "There were options put in place, of course."

"Options?" Ben repeats raggedly, and he's trying to meet his father's eyes now but neither of his parents were looking at him; guilt emanating from the very set of their bodies.

"Come now must we waste time with all this?" It's Roger again, flustered but almost subdued- Ben can still feel that heavy 'oops,' and wonders if he truly wants to know what had been done. "None of the few villains who… who conceived, so to speak…did it through legitimate means. That is…." he falters, but it's ok because Ben suddenly understood, and oh how he wished he didn't.

"It was some of you guys, wasn't it?" he says, and he's aware of how he's slipped in his speech but what did any of that matter? "People of Auradon, I mean. That's why you didn't care…you were trying to cover up your own part in it."

He'd hit the proverbial nail in the coffin; he knew he had because everyone had surely died with the way they went so absolutely quiet.

"So you just...wow." He swallows, not sure if it's a laugh or tears or a growl that's building in his chest. "You sent your own…"

"Children of villains!" It's a female voice, and Ben starts as he turns around to see Snow White's flushed and yet guilt-ridden face. "Children of villains, who had no place in Auradon!"

"And anyway you're ignoring the fact that if any Auradon citizen did in fact take part in the creation of such…villainous offspring…it was certainly by means of coercion." Some faceless royal spits. "Aside from that of course, then they willfully committed an act of treason and were sent to the Isle as well, along with any children they dared to claim as theirs."

Ben, or at least, the solid, physical part of him, was grateful that he had sat down when he'd had the chance, otherwise he's certain he would have slumped to the floor then and there. His fingers twitch where they grip the arms of his chair- not dwarf made, unfortunately, although it's only right that he not be comfortable- and it's in gripping the chair that he realizes that Audrey hadn't taken his hand once since the meeting started. Or maybe…he hadn't taken hers? He doesn't dare try for it now, though he almost wishes he could; instead, he stands up again, and practically relishes the way the council ripples uneasily.

"It's funny you should mention coercion, sir," he says, and it's definitely the growl that had been building earlier, its rumble vibrating a deceptive warmth into his tone. "Because see, I was doing some research, well…myself and some of the others here…research about the Isle, and the kind of conditions that the VKs must have lived in to create the so called 'evil and dangerous' air that has been perceived about them."

Pressure on his wrist then, so tight he almost jerks back on instinct. It's only the fact that given the way he's leaning on the table, if he did that he would certainly fall that stops him, and he looks instead, to see that Audrey had taken his hand. He would have been relieved except it wasn't a comforting gesture, her eyes wide and a set about her jaw that demanded 'don't; not now.' He tries to shift his hand around discreetly so his fingers twined with hers, but she just grips his wrist tighter and he grimaces sharply, resolutely shoving his attention back to his point.

"When I said earlier that the Isle isn't safe, what I meant was there are more than just villains there trying to fight each other and bickering endlessly while they serve a sentence for crimes long past."

Audrey flinches- he feels it briefly in the sharp pang it leaves against his skin, before letting go abruptly and sitting back away from him. He should be upset about that, a part of him knows, but there's still that thrumming of the growl in his words and he's too upset to care about the slight.

"What I meant was there are children starving because we're only feeding them our garbage; children being abused by bitter and angry people who have nothing left to them except to cause pain."

"Children raised by villains," King Stefan growls, but Ben idly thinks the sound is weak compared to his own. "Who were taught nothing but villainy and evil, and who are therefore deserving of the same fate as their parents."

"And do those same children deserve to be raped?"

There's a gasp- there's several, actually, but the sound is delayed, as though the intake of breath had come before the part where the mouth opened. His parents flinch now, sinking into each other silently and he knows that he's hurting them and he hurts too but he can't focus on it because it's all just so unimportant and he has to make this right.

"I beg…"

"Excuse you?"

And there's snorts and scoffs and paralyzed shock, and Ben straightens stiffly and sets his face as blankly as he can manage.

"Did you keep track of all the villains and monsters you sent over?" he asks, and the outrage dulls minutely. "Were you aware that among them was a creature that we always colloquially called 'wolf,' because it was easier than acknowledging what he actually was?"

"Benjamin." The voice doesn't even sound like Audrey's, but he's aware enough in some sense to register that is hers, in some sense.

"I don't know what you think you're implying, young man-"

"Not implying," Ben cuts across with stilted calm. "It's just the facts that were made known to me, and what I dug into and discovered for myself."

The pages he'd copied from what the Fairy Godmother had shown him burn in his pocket, and he draws them out now, bending the creases back and laying them on the center table.

"I didn't bring you here for accusations; I brought you here to take responsibility. This is the legacy that Auradon has made, and I am trying to change it. No." He shakes his head sharply, standing even taller, making sure to meet as many eyes and faces as he can. "I am going to change it. Firstly, by ensuring that the children we do have here in Auradon stay here in Auradon. To give them the support and the love that they never got from us before. And hopefully, some day, making sure that all of the children on the Isle receive it too."

A page is picked up and immediately discarded- passed along by King Stefan to another, more interested dignitary. It takes a moment, in which Ben hardly dares to breathe- even the gentle thrumming in his chest had ceased. He knows what they're reading- the rudimentary notes and observations from the Cricket; the small details they had about the four VKs composed into a simple list; and the single profile they'd had on the wolf that had once haunted enchanted forests before they'd given him a different forest to hunt in. He watches them read it all, some dismissing even still, and yet others…others not so much and slowly….slowly….his words get through. And he shouldn't be surprised and yet somehow he still is, when his father is the first to stand, hands shaking where they wrinkle the wolf's name, a ferocity in his eyes matched only by the timbre of his voice.

"Where should I put my seal?"