- Update (07/11/2018): When I reread the last chapter "Safe" I found a few typos and saw it as a sign that I should also add onto it, so if you feel like it you now have four more pages to read for that chapter. Some of it is kind of repetitive, so you might not miss much, but there's this whole spiel Ben does on what Mal means to him, so you might want to read it just for that. If you read that before you read this, then you might be able to figure out why Mal is pretty much the only person who makes him feel... better (a generic term, because I don't want to spoil anything).

The Only Thing You will ever Have

(Day 46: Wednesday Evening)

"You have a visitor," the guard comments. Mal smiles hopefully, standing from the bolted bed, but as she walks towards the bars her smile falters.

"Belle. What are you doing here? I mean, I'm glad you're here, but—"

"You were expecting Ben," she finishes as she moves in front of her.

"Where is he?" Mal questions.

Belle eyes the concrete floor for a second, "We'll get to that." before she looks back up at her. "First things first, how are you?"

"Well," Mal tries to smile, "the water isn't has hot as I'd like, the food is primarily grain, and the bed is lumpy and hard. But aside from that…" Belle can only frown. "Ah, I have my own shower, so that's great."

"They don't trust you around the others, do they?" she inquires. "That's why I had to visit you in your cell."

Mal lifts a hand up, "Well, what else would you expect? I used 'magic' in the court room. Of course they're going to keep me in here."

It's quiet for a minute, as Belle starts to bring up the next thing, "Ben said you might be cold? How are you doing with that?"

"Um." She shifts in her stance, "It could be worse."

"He also told me you might lie and say you're okay," Belle comments sternly. "Are you really alright?"

"I've been through worse."

She shakes her head, "I don't like that answer."

"What would you rather do?"

"What can I do?" Belle asks.

Mal suspiciously observes her, "Are you offering me heat?"

It takes a moment of her to say, "I suppose I am." and then Mal nods in thought. "How would that work, exactly?"

"Well," Mal starts. "The way Jay and I have always done it is just by holding each other's wrists." The guard watches carefully, as she moves her hands outside of the bars and turns her wrists up. "If you're serious."

"I would hate for Ben to get upset with me," Belle comments as she places her wrists into Mal's open hands and holds Mal's wrists with her own hands. "You mean a lot to him." She looks down, feeling the slight cold, "This gives you heat?"

"Not as much as some other things," Mal explains, "but the kind of relationship I have with someone determines what's appropriate."

"I wish you had thought that way when you went after Audrey."

Mal looks towards the ceiling for a second, "Well, clearly, I wasn't thinking."

Belle nods before moving on to the next question, "What about what you told the judge about your grandfather being a full dragon? Is that really what your mother told you?"

"It was more than her telling me," Mal undoubtedly answers. "She described him to me. She told stories… You can't just make that kind of thing up."

"What kind of stories?" Belle inquires.

"It's a tragedy," Mal slowly responds. "You probably don't want to hear it." She looks down for a second, "What I can tell you is that her mother met her father in a clearing near her cottage. She used a spell to hide him, until he got better." She shakes her head, "She found a way to communicate with him during that time so that she could tell what he needed, and eventually… she gave him a human form. It was always temporary, apparently, but even when he looked human he was still clearly a dragon. He had purple hair, the same color his scales were, and he had tiny horns instead of eyebrows. He had claws." She glances down at her own long nails and takes a moment to relax her hands so that they won't scrape against Belle's skin. "He went hunting a lot, even during the winter." Mal feels the tears intrude her eyes, "That was the only time I remember hearing my mom actually laugh, was when she was describing how he came home with snow on his shoulders and a rabbit in his hands. But then… she would be expressionless and distant. It's like she had to remember he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Belle sympathizes.

Mal looks down for a second, "He died when my mother was six. When my mother was sixteen her mother also died." She's quiet for a moment. "She spent so many years alone, just trying to survive. I can't even imagine what she must have had to go through."

When Mal silences Belle sincerely replies, "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Mal can only slightly nod, before she takes in a couple settling breaths and changes the subject, "You still haven't told me why Ben couldn't come."

"Right," Belle remembers. "You see—" Her expression is grim, "There's been a problem with Ben's papers."

Mal gives her a look, "What do you mean?"

"Well." She takes a moment to think, "The police have access to certain parts of someone's medical papers, so they can know what inmates need, for instance." It takes her a minute to continue, "Because you're a hybrid, they're monitoring who's visiting you."

"They think I might hurt Ben?" Mal questions.

"No," Belle painfully smiles, and Mal can feel the grip tighten around her wrists. "You know all about the curse with Adam, right?"

"Yeah," she slowly answers.

"Well," Belle explains, "having been transformed into an animal is considered a pre-existing condition. Sometimes the spells aren't performed correctly or there are side effects."

Mal frowns, "What's this got to do with Ben?"

Belle eyes the floor for a second, "Because it can change someone's DNA, anyone who has that pre-existing condition… their children are considered hybrids."

"Wait. So, that means," Mal breathes with stress.

"That the hospital had to legally document Ben as a hybrid once he was born, yes," Belle seriously confirms. "That's why he isn't allowed to see you. They think he has motive to break you out, and because his hospital papers say he's a hybrid, they think he might actually be able to do so."

Mal shakes her head, "No. Ben never told me—"

"We never told him," Belle informs. "We should have," she admits. "We should have told him. It was wrong for him to find out the way he did." She glances down, "He was so confused when the guy at the desk told him he had no right to see you, and when he called me—" Mal sees her tear up. "I had to tell him over the phone. It should have been in person, sitting down as a family, explaining to him slowly and calmly. Instead—" Belle blinks, "He was so upset and angry. No. Frustrated. He was just frustrated and understandably so."

"He's king," Mal reminds her. "How doesn't he have a right to see me?"

It takes a moment for her to respond, "He's documented as a hybrid. Now that the authorities know… his word won't mean much." She eyes the floor, "And hybrids don't have a right to visit inmates. Therefore, neither does he."

"That's not fair," Mal nearly yells, and the guard takes a step closer. She watches as he readies the stun gun, and Belle's eyes follow before she quickly turns back to her.

She warns, "As a hybrid, someone accused of a crime, and the child of the most feared villain, you must keep calm. People are going to see you as a threat. They're going to judge you before they even know you. They're going to cut you down when you're already falling to pieces." Her eyes are widened in sternness, but Mal also recognizes the concern Belle always seems to have. "Your emotional control may be the only thing you will ever have. If you want any sympathy from the public, you will present yourself in a graceful and dignified way." Mal takes a couple breaths, and then Belle nods. "The thing is hybrids tend to be powerful, and it's because of that that humans fear you. Ben not being able to visit you may seem unfair, but letting hybrids into a jail or prison is just not a risk the authorities are willing to take."

Mal observes her for a second, "Are you afraid of me?"

She glances down, "I was at first." before she partly smiles back up at her. "But then I got to know you, and I've since come to realize that the only person you're truly a threat to is yourself." Mal doesn't speak. "How are you doing, by the way?"

Mal looks everywhere but at her, "I have too much time to think." however; she meets her eyes in the end.

"Visiting hours are up," the guard announces.

Belle lets go of Mal, "You remind me a lot of myself, you know. Just how intelligent and emotionally strong you seem to be for everything you have to face." She eyes her sincerely, seemingly determined to let Mal know, "You can make it through this. I know you can."

"Ma'am," the guard interrupts again. "It's time to leave." Mal notes how he didn't touch Belle. She was given a second notice. Was it because she was once queen of the country, or are humans just treated more fairly? Up until now, she had almost thought it was normal.

"I'll see you again," Belle lets her know, before she leaves the room by herself. She wasn't guided out. She wasn't threatened. They just allowed her to.

"Hey," a voice calls out. "How do you know the queen?"

Mal thinks about staying quiet, but eventually she answers, "I'm dating the king."

"You sound a little young to be having an affair with King Adam," the man comments, and then Mal gives a look to the wall, wishing she could see through the cement blocks.

"No. You idiot," a woman hollers at him. "The kid's king now. Don't you listen to the news? She's the girlfriend that assaulted the king's ex."

Mal steps towards the bars and grits her teeth as she grasps the metal, "I didn't assault her. I barely even touched her!" but then she sees the guard step towards her, removing her hands from the bars just as his baton hits it.

"Keep your arms inside your cell and shut your trap," he instructs, before he turns towards the rest of the cells and yells, "That goes for all of you." The door light flashes green again, and Mal looks at it. When it opens it reveals a three section, metal cart, and when the guard pulls it in the door shuts and the light turns red again. He eyes her carefully, "Stand back." and once she does as instructed he pushes the grey tray through the slot onto the metal ledge.

After he moves onto the next cell Mal walks up to the tray and grabs the small carton of milk. She looks over the rest of a meal for a brief moment, but it's about what she expected the dinner to be: some kind of noodle and vegetable soup, some canned pears, and a buttered sandwich. She doesn't even bother to see if any meat is hidden within the slices. Meat is expensive. She huffs, "Apparently." before she sits down on the bed and opens the white carton. Also religion. So, there's that. She sips the milk. Meat isn't healthy. Mal half laughs as she downs the rest of the milk. Says who?

When she stands and goes over to set the carton back on the tray the guards watches her suspiciously, "What are you planning? Trying to get skinny enough to squeeze through those bars? If you do, you still have me and a keypad door to get through."

"Don't flatter yourself," Mal frowns in response. "If I was planning on breaking out of here, I'd already be out."

"Magic doesn't work on the doors," the guard informs.

"Oh! But you see," Mal counters, "I don't need magic to get out of here. If I really wanted to, then I could just hypnotize you to release me."

"That's still magic," the guard crosses his arms, "and magic doesn't work in here."

"Too bad it's not magic, then. Huh?"

"It is too," he sternly responds, firm in his stance.

Mal smirks, "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" and it's not a moment later that he uncrosses his arms and he appears to be worried."

She laughs, "I really do have the power, don't I? It's just as Belle said. You're afraid of me, because you think you won't be able to out-power me." He doesn't speak, just changing his stance to one of preparation. "Don't worry. I have no plans to break free. I don't need to, because I'm innocent. And I believe that even in this unjust society, a hybrid can prevail."

"You think so?" he questions.

"Well," Mal sits back down on the bed. "You see, the real problem is that where I'm from hybrids are mostly just seen as people. We're equal—perhaps even worshiped. Here, on the other hand…" She trails off before glowing her eyes at him, "I'll just have to earn my respect."

- Now... I'm not going to say Ben is actually a hybrid, because his mother keeps using the phrase "documented as a hybrid"; however, over the years I have watched people find people who are similar to themselves without even realizing it. If Ben really were a hybrid, it might just explain why he felt so alone up until he met Mal. Why wouldn't he get that same feeling from his father, you ask, if he just needed to connect to someone like him? Well, I think I have a reasonable answer, but I'd much rather hear your guesses. It's much more fun that way.