What if 5

Chapther 5

The day of great change.

That morning Jay and Carlos were in their room getting ready, as were Mal and Evie. Evie had stayed up all night finishing Mal's dress. She was proud of it, but sad that such a lovely look would be ruined in just a few short hours as they would be back on the isle soon. Mal opened the door to allow the boys to come in and both she and Evie heard whispers threwout the halls

"I can't believe they are bothering to show their faces." One voice that sounded a little like Jane said. "Ben needs to wake up and see I am who he is suppose to be with." Audreys voice was a lot less of a whisper and more of a taunt.

"What could they possible have that's proper to wear." Another voice, this one they weren't sure about added. Mal had to hold Evie back.

"I love the dress Evie. Ben will too..well until." She said tapping the Auradon blue box that held the anti love spelled cupcake.

"I really wish you weren't M?"
"It's for the best."

"I wish… it were different." Evie added, giving Mal a little more courage that her plan with Fairy Godmother was the right choice. Mal almost spliied her plan the her best friend, but she held off, instead asking Evie, "Can you fix me hair?"

"Sure." Evie agreed.
The boys joined them just as Evie put the lovely hair clip Ben had given her to wear on Family Day into her hair. Mal felt, that was a good jesture, to add that to her look for the day. It was the prettiest thing she had ever owned. She thought back to the morning Ben had given it to her. They had been dating for a week.****

"Morning, Mal." Ben said coming up to her at her locker. Mal wasn't in a great mood, she had just left Fairy Godmothers office, after seeing her mother on video chat. Her talk with Fairy Godmother still weighted on her mind. "Mal? You ok?" Ben asked touching her cheek.

"What, oh sorry Ben, I was thinking about something?" She smiled at him

"So how was your family day surprise?" So he knew about that.

"Oh just wonderful, really. Was that your doing?"
"Yes and no. I just asked Fairy Godmother if you guys had, had any contact with your family, and she took it over."
"Oh weill it was enlightening." Mal admitted. "Ready for class?"
"Yes, but first I have something for you." He handed her a box, wrapped in the prettiest shade of Purple paper Mal had ever seen.

"Ben I am not with you for gifts…" She said, both for Ben's sake and Audrey who was listening intently.
"I know that Mal, it's just a little something for our one week anniversary." Mal hadn't realized it had been a week already.

"Oh, wow, ok." She opened the box to find a beautiful crystal encrusted hair clip. He took it out of the box and clipped it into her hair. "Ben, it's beautiful, but I can't really."
"You can and you will. I want to see you wear it," He paused case he knew this might not go so well. "For family day. I want you and the others to be my guests with my family, on family day. I want you to meet my parents, please." Mal and the others had agreed to avoid that area on Sunday, but the look on Ben's face made Mal rethink her plan.

"I will think about it. That really wasn't something we were comfortable with.

"Please think about it." He said placing a kiss on her cheek and walking off. Audrey looked at Mal, spun on her heals and walked away.

Mal touched the hairpiece, as the memory of that day faded. "It really is pretty Mal." Evie said catching her friend in deep thought.

"It is isn't it? I don't think I have ever owned something so pretty. Remind me to leave it behind." She said as an after thought.

Evie wanted to object, but Carlos spoke up. "It's time to go, we need time to find the driver and knock him out. We will be in the balconey when you and Ben get there." He said touching Mal's arm. She had moved to the window and was staring out the window.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Jay asked

"We don't have a choice." Evie answered for Mal. "Ok, Mal wait as long as you can before you give Ben that spell, please. Enjoy the day."

"Yeah, I am way to nervous to enjoy this." She confessed. The foursome had a rare group hug, and parted ways. Leaving Mal alone in the dorms to wait for the carriage and Ben to pull up front and take her to her destiny.

Meanwhile the other three were walking across campus towards the cathedral. "Ok I see the cars." Jay pointed out. "Evie, what if…what if we stop this?"
"We can't Jay. Do you have any idea what could happen to Mal, if we fail?"
"Maleficent has to see this is a suicide mission for Mal?" Carlos pointed out. "There is our guy."

"Maleficent doesn't care about Mal, not really." Jay stated. "Don't you remember when she broke her arm when she was 7." He said to Carlos. Evie wouldn't know about this as she was still house bond thanks to Mal's mother's decree.

"Yes, but…did Maleficent really cause that?" Carlos was only 5 he really couldn't remember that day.
"What are you two talking about?" Evie asked in shock.
"Mal made her mother mad, she literally threw her out of the house, Mal fell on her arm, breaking it. Carlos and I founds her lying in a heap at the bottom of their stairs. We brought her to my house. Took care of her, for three weeks. Maleficent NEVER once sent the knuckleheads to find Mal. Never went out herself either. She was barely 7 years old Evie." Jay said, Evie could see the affection Jay had for his best female friend.

"I had no idea. She really is afraid of her mother." Evie realized.
"No kidding?" Carlos agreed. "We are all afraid of Maleficent."
"No, you don't understand what I meant. The other day I asked her if she was afraid of her mother, she said, she thought her mother loved her in her own way. But Mal really does Love Maleficent, even though she has never been nice to Mal. Oh…we can't do this. We can't bring Mal back to her."
"As you said before Evie, we really don't have a choice."
"We will find a way."

The carriage pulled up in front of the dorms and a footman stepped down and helped Mal into the carriage. Ben was handsome in his new suit, Mal couldn't help but smile at him. "I am so glad you and your friends decided to come today?"
"About the other day?" Mal started. She and Ben really hadn't seen each other since Family Day, he had been too busy.

"I heard you Mal. You were going to apologize to Queen Leah. She is a very hard person to please, just ask Audrey's grandfather." He winked. He picked up her hand, and signaled to the driver to head out.

As the carriage drew closer to the cathedral Mal withdrew into silence. She was waving at the crowd, but inside her mind was going over what was about to happen, and all the people involved. Jay, Evie, and Carlos. Ben and his parents. Fairy Godmother. Jafar, Evil Queen, Cruella and most of all her mother. Ben could see her lost in though.

"Don't be nervous." He told her. "All you have to do is stand there and look beautiful." He smiled. "No problem there."
"Thank you." She stammered out, she would miss these moments. Before she realized it Ben was lifting her hand that he was holding. "Mal, will you wear my ring?"

"Um, not now." Mal quickly spilled out, knowing that was not a good idea. "I think it would just fall of of me." She had to smile, to assure him that she was ok. "I have something for you." She handed him the blue box, immediately regretting it. She had wanted to wait till later. "It's for later, you know you might need strength…some carbs to keep up your energy." Now she was just babbling.

"Always thinking." Ben said, opening the box. Mal's eyes were elsewhere and she didn't see he had opened it and withdrawn the cupcake until it was too late. "But I can't wait."

"No." She said trying to stop him, she wasn't ready for this moment to end, not yet.

"MMM this is really good."

Mal looked at him, waiting to see the love drain from his eyes. "Um…do you feel ok?"
"You bet!" He said licking his fingers.

"Would you say you're still in lo…that you have strong feelings for me?" She just couldn't say it, couldn't ask if he no longer loved her.

"Not sure," He teased. "Let's give the anti-love potion a few minutes to take effect."
"OK." Mal agreed, until it hit her exactly what he said. "Wait, you knew?"
"That you spelled me, yeah, I knew."
"I can explain myself." Mal was torn between making up another lie, and confessing everything, when Ben gave her, her excuse.

"It's fine. You had a crush on me and I was with Audrey. You didn't trust that is could happen on it's own, am I right?"
"Exactly, you are so right." She was releaved, that even more confused, how did he know, why did he go on acting like he liked her, was this a trick to humiliate her and her friends, her mind went into overdrive, and she wanted to flee. "So how long have you known?"
"Since our first date." He admitted. "Your spell washed off in the enchanted lake."
"So then…" She needed to know, "What, you've been faking it since then?"

Ben removed his ring and placed it onto Mals right index finger, kissing it into place. "I haven't been faking anything." Ben said looking deep into her eyes.

For the first time since making her plan with Fariy Godmother Mal knew in her heart that she could never go back home, and she was ok with that.