Hi Guys. Here is chapter 6 for you. As always a MASSIVE MASSIVE THANK YOU to my AMAZING beta xez2003 for your AMAZING editing! And a HUGE THANK YOU to you readers for your reads, reviews, follows and favs. Well I think that is it. Without further ado take it away chapter 6!
DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN DECENDANTS ALL RIGHTS GO TO DISNEY ANY DIOLOGE YOU RECONISE BELONGS TO DISNEY I OWN NOTHING!
4 months later.
Mal just stared into Ben's loving eyes as they lay facing each other, his arms encircling her form protectively. They matched each other's gaze spark for spark as they slowly caught their breath, after their latest make out session. Their kisses, which usually started as slow and tender, would always inevitably end up becoming more heated and passionate as they unconsciously lost themselves in each other and their bottled up emotions and denied feelings, which now demanded to be released like a tidal wave. Just being together felt so right and Mal thought of how all her doubts and fears instantly disappeared as soon as she was safe in Ben's arms. And despite the undeniable strong pull they felt towards each other, Ben always remained very respectful about the way he touched her. Whether it was because he was aware they were still fairly young at just fifteen or because of something he had seen his mother go through, Mal couldn't tell, but he made it a point never to push his boundaries.
Mal smiled to herself as she thought of how Ben just wasn't afraid to show her how much he truly loved her. His eyes, which always looked at her with such an intense but tender gaze, had always been the feature she loved most about him, as to her they were the actual reflection of his kind and gentle soul.
She held on to him a little tighter as a whirlwind of emotion and thoughts went through her head, as her mind wondered back to all that had happened to them in the last year. From their chance meeting in the forest to Ben's latest fight with his father and her subsequent confession that she had also fallen in love with him. These events though, had not left them unscathed, particularly Ben who, unable to forget his father's ominous warning, often woke up in the middle of the night screaming, after having nightmares about his mother's death or of himself turning into a beast and hurting Mal. On the other hand, Mal still struggled to find her new place on the Isle, torn between the duty towards her mother and the newly discovered love in her heart. In fact her mother's voice still frequently echoed in her head, making her question what she was doing.
Mal sighed as she slowly untangled herself out of Ben's comforting embrace and got up from his bed to look out of the nearby window.
"What's wrong?" Ben asked gently joining her as he laid a hand on her shoulder.
Mal spun around to face him, her eyes suspiciously bright. "What are we doing Ben? We are stupid to believe that we can keep what is going on between us a secret forever. And if we are caught...then what? You know this is the Isle and love is not a luxury we can afford. We can't show any sign of weakness around this place or it will be used against us. Tell me Ben…how can I be ruthless and be able to love you at the same time?"
Ben gently pulled her into his arms. "Mal I know that this is all new and scary for you. It's new for me too. But we will find a way to make it all work out somehow, I promise. We will figure it out together. Ok?"
Mal pulled back to look at his loving gaze that only held promises of love for the future, willing her to trust him. She nodded slowly and laid her head on his chest as he embraced her.
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"Mom!" Ben's eyes snapped open as he sat up in bed abruptly, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He sighed as he looked around the room, recognizing it as his own bedroom in the hideout. The early morning light seeped through the cracks of his opaque and broken windows, illuminated the room and signalling the start of a new day.
It was just a dream. he told himself as he took a deep breath to calm himself. Nightmares had plagued him ever since his last encounter with his father. This last one had been a particular vivid and nasty one where he had dreamt of himself as an adult turning into a beast and killing his still alive mother in a frenzy. He turned and picked up her now pictured frame by his bedside. He momentarily forgot all about his nightmare and smiled fondly at the memory of how Mal had surprised him a few weeks ago by giving him this frame, which she had stolen from the marketplace. 'Here. I think the picture of your mother deserves a much better place than her current hidden spot in one of your old books.' she had told him, smiling.
"You would have liked her mom. She is so fierce and strong but deep down she secretly hides this great big kind heart. I never thought someone would have once again brightened my days after you left me alone as a child. I just love her so much." he said as he traced a finger along his mother's face.
Yesterday's sombre talk with Mal came rushing back to him and he decided he wanted to do something special to cheer her up, particularly today, because if he was correct, it happened to be the anniversary of the day they had first met in the forest a year ago. He smiled brightly as an idea popped in his head. He stood up, placing his mother's frame back on his bedside and got out one of her books. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. Yes this will definitely do the trick. he said to himself, hoping that he could pull it off. This was still the Isle after all but he already had the perfect place in mind. Now all he needed to do was to get everything else ready. He felt excitement take over him as he just pictured Mal's surprised expression once she discovered what he had planned.
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"Ben where are we going?" Mal asked later that afternoon, as she followed him in the busy marketplace. All he told her was that he had a surprise for her. Mal felt butterflies make summersaults in her stomach and she managed to suppress a delighted giggle. They were in public after all.
"You'll see. There's a place I want to show you." He told her with a mysterious grin.
Mal followed Ben through the narrow alleyways until they arrived to the familiar sight of the docks. "You want to have a run in with Shrimpy?" Mal laughed. "Because I have to admit, kicking her butt always puts me in a good mood."
"No not today. Maybe another time." He chuckled. "Now follow me."
Ben led Mal along the side of the docks until they reached the end of the paved road. They then turned away from the mainland and began to walk along the now rocky path. Mal didn't remember ever being in this part of the Isle but from the several rock formations approaching ahead, she figured they would soon arrive close to the open sea.
"Close your eyes." Ben told her as they reached the base of what appeared to be a series of caves, a few meters away from the sea shore.
"Why?" she asked.
"Trust me." he whispered in her ear as he went behind her and placed his hands on her waist to keep her steady. Mal blushed fiercely and her heart skipped a beat, as Ben's breath gently caressed her cheek. She relaxed almost instantly as she got engrossed in the feel of his warm presence around her and she unconsciously closed her eyes. As this was a secluded part of the Isle, they were not worried of being seen together and so Mal allowed Ben to guide her, along what appeared to be a rock wall.
"You ready?" he asked softly, when he stopped a few minutes later.
"Yeah" she said softly.
"Open." he breathed.
Mal couldn't help the loud gasp that escaped her lips at the sight in front of her. They were now inside a fairly large cave, with a small cascade to its side which fed a limpid pool below. The ceiling twinkled like the night sky as thousands of glow worms flickered in the darkness while rainbow colors littered its various walls as a number of candles reflected on their multicolored glass cracked holders. Outside light still filtered through the cave opening a few meters away but it did not disturb the perfect scene in front of her. What seemed like a small picnic had also been set up on a nearby plateau.
"Oh Ben." she breathed in wonder. "How did you find this place?"
"A few months ago while I was exploring the surroundings. So you like it?" he asked nervously.
"It is beautiful." she smiled brightly. "But what is this all about?" she asked curiously as he led her to the blanket and picnic basket.
"Well it's a date of course! We have been officially a couple for a few months now and this is what real couples do." He replied with a grin. "I wanted to cheer you up after our talk yesterday and you may not remember this but we met exactly a year ago today."
"It's been that long already?" she smiled, slightly surprised.
"Yes. The best year of my life." He grinned, sheepishly.
"Umm…here. These are for you too." Ben said, nervously handing her a bunch of flowers he had picked from a nearby forest. A slight frown knitted his brow as he sadly looked at the half dead flowers. He had really wanted to give her something better but they were the best he could find.
"Ben you didn't have to." she gasped as she gently took them from his hands.
"I wanted you to smile. I'm sorry that they are like that. They were the best I could find-"
"They're perfect." Mal cut him off. "I am the one who should feel guilty. I didn't do or give you anything. I didn't even remember." she replied sadly, looking down at the ground.
"I don't need you to do anything. All I need is to have you by my side." Ben said gently as he lifted her chin and leaned in to kiss her.
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Laughter resonated in the cave as Ben and Mal consumed the food which Ben had prepared. A mischievous grin crossed Mal's features as she teased Ben about the shape of the muffins which he had baked. Despite having tried over and over again this past year, Ben was still a total mess in the kitchen. At least this time, Mal teased, it didn't appear that he had burned down the hideout in the process of getting ready for this date.
"I think we should be heading back before it gets dark." Ben commented a while later as he stood to pack up their things.
They slowly started making their way out of the cave when Mal suddenly clasped Ben's hand in her own. He stopped in mild surprise and instinctively looked down at their joined hands before looking back up to smile at Mal, whose cheeks had turned a light red. They walked the rest of the road holding hands in comfortable silence until the area of the docks came into view. Ben gave Mal's hand one last gentle squeeze before dropping it, a sad expression marring his features. He didn't want to let go but he knew he had to do so as they were now approaching the inhabited area of the Isle and people could start to see them. But they still walked as close to each other as they dared without rousing suspicions.
Ben suddenly stopped in his tracks and Mal immediately turned to ask him what was wrong, only to find him frozen on the spot with wide scared eyes. There was only one person who could cause that kind of reaction in him.
"Hello…son." Beast called out in greeting, a small cruel smile plastered on his face as he walked up to Ben.
"What do you want?" Mal growled at him in frustration, wanting nothing more than to comfort Ben but she could only watch the scene before her powerless, as they were now in public.
"Calm down." He replied with a smirk, pulling his hands up in a calming gesture. "I'm just here to tell my boy something. I just thought you'd like to know that I have decided to move to the mainland."
"Why?" Ben managed to whisper, finding his voice.
"But to be close to you of course!" Beast laughed as Ben visibly paled at the news. "Because you may have left the forest and are now pretending to live this 'normal' life but it is only an illusion. Sooner or later you won't be able to control that beast inside you. One day you will end up hurting the people around you and then everyone will push you away in fear. You will end up all alone again and I for one, want a front row seat when that happens." Beast continued to laugh cruelly as he turned to walk away.
Ben stayed rooted to the spot for a few moments longer before abruptly turning and bolting away in the direction of the hideout.
"Ben!" Mal called, hurrying after him.
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Mal ran up the steps leading to the hideout, three steps at a time, her heart threatening to burst out from her chest, fearing the worst. Her worried expression visibly relaxed as soon as she spotted Ben curled up in a fetal position on the couch.
"Ben?" she asked softly as she approached him. She gently curled up next to him but he instantly flinched away from her.
"Mal you need to stay away from me! My father is right. I've already proven once that I'm just like him. It is only a matter of time before I will snap again. And I don't want to hurt you!" he whimpered, as his body started shaking.
Mal reached out and gently cupped the side of his face in her right hand, forcing him to look at her. "Ben listen to me very carefully. Your father is wrong! You are nothing like him! In all the months you have been here, all you have shown me is that you are a kind and gentle person and that you would never do anything to hurt me." She paused as a gentle smile slowly graced her lips and she stared intensely at him, willing him to trust her. "I love you Ben. And you know what? Maybe you won't believe me saying this but I have actually really come to admire the way you can hope the way you do, despite the fact, that like me, you were born in the most hopeless place in the world."
Silence fell between them as they stared into each other's eyes. Ben's eyes remained blank for a few moments, debating over what she had just told him. A slow smile of acceptance dawned on his face as he reached up to move a stray lock of hair from her side of her face.
"You're the reason I can do that." he confessed softly.
"What do you mean?" Mal asked confused.
"I may have been born this way but my father took it all away from me the day he killed my mother. All I had known since then, where dark days of pain and despair as my only thoughts were of how I could survive the sick games I unwillingly became part of. That is until you came along and saved me that day in the forest. You think you just saved me from death by taking care of my injuries. You did more than just that. By showing me kindness and taking me under your wing, you have given me a new life but most importantly you reminded me that not everyone is like my father and that there is more to life than the pain and suffering I had been through. You helped me unearth the sense of hope that was hidden deep inside me, by making me realize that no matter how much a situation appears bleak things can get better. You have now become the light that brightens up my days, just like a rising sun, despite the fact that this is the Isle." he smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling brightly.
Mal's breath caught in her throat and her eyes lit up at his admission. She unconsciously moved closer to him and he tipped her face towards his, capturing her lips. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her close and deepen the embrace. Electricity cursed though Mal's body at the feel of his lips against hers and his hand gently caressing her back. The world around them just faded in the background as they got lost in each other, so much so that they didn't hear the door of the hideout suddenly open.
"What the-" a shocked voice broke the silence.
Ben and Mal instantly broke away at the sound and turned to stare into the eyes of a dumbfounded Jay, who was standing in the middle of the room, his mouth hanging open.
That's it! THAT DATE WAS SO FLUFFY! Oh Jay has found them out! What's gong to happen now? On a different note guys xez and I have a question for you all: Since this story is AU is there anything you guys would like to see added? Or an original scene you'd like with an AU twist on it? Let us know :) I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review? Pretty please?