What If Chapter 16

Later that afternoon, Belle walked into the dorms, and called up to Ben's room. He came down surprised to find his mother here.

"Mom?" HE hugged her. "What brings you to campus?"
"I have been here all week at the library. Can we go for a walk and talk?"
"Anytime." He took his mother's arm and they headed out. They went into the common area, and then to the garden, his mother's second favorite thing after a library was a garden. Once inside the garden. Ben waited for his mother to talk.

"I decided to volunteer this week, to see how Mal and her friends were doing."
"Mom. They are fine. We just need to give them a chance to fit in."
"Ben, I spoke to a few of the kids, like Lonnie, Chad and Jane."
"Chad?"
"He surprised me with his change in tone about the kids."
"I think the video of what happened after he was frozen, and seeing himself clinging to Doug, had an effect on him."
"I do too."
"Mom what have you been up to?"
"I asked them about Mal and her friends."
"And?" He knew not to object to his mother, he loved her too much, and well she had a way of finding out the truth from people even if they didn't want to tell anyone else.

"Well I did find out Audrey will be an issue. Fairy Godmother even told her that it was the three fairies that put everyone else asleep besides her mother. That really Maleficent only put Aurora asleep, but that didn't faze her. She has it stuck in her head that what Grammie says is the truth and to heck with everything else. I understand why she feels that way. I mean that woman practically raised Audrey. Her parents, well they didn't have much of a choice, the guilt trip Leah put on them every time she had a chance."
"What?" Ben had never heard his mother speak negatively about another royal family.
"Oh, right you were too young to remember, by the time you were old enough it just happened with a look. Audrey was born a few weeks early. Leah told Aurora it was her fault for not doing what she said, that she never had a chance to raise her and that if she had she would have listened to her and Audrey would have been born on time. Every chance Leah had that poor woman was given that speech. When Audrey wouldn't sleep through the night, when she wanted to wear pants out to play, you get the idea, and every time Aurora gave in. By the time Audrey was three Leah was basically in charge. That's when she fired Hayley."
"Hayley, wasn't she the nanny I had?"
"Yes she started with us just before you turned three. She is where I got the information from. Leah fired her because she said she could do it better herself. I happened to need a new nanny for you because Judith, who had been your father's nanny as well, had decided to retire."
"Ok, now I get the whole devotion to Queen Leah Audrey has, but still."
"Think about it Ben, Mal and her friends were raised to hate all of us here for what they did to their parents, that's the same for Audrey. She was raised with a single point of view, and well, she's just not seeing the truth, because she hasn't seen the other side, not really."
"Mom, you are brilliant." Ben smiled. "Carlos' project might help."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, sorry, Carlos is in an Audio Video class, he has to do a 1 minute video about home. Since he can't go home Mal is giving him sketches of home to use. I am wondering if I can help him. Can we send armed guards and a photographer over to the island and get real pictures?"
"You are the king son." She smiled.

"Done. Ok so who else did you talk to?"
"Jane and Chad, and they were helpful, remind me later to ask you about a song?"
"I was under Mal's spell then." He blushed.

"Oh sure. But Lonnie's conversation was the one that struck me as the hardest to hear. She said she had found the four of them baking one night."
"Cookies?"
"Yes, oh the love spell, no wonder why they were concerned when Lonnie stuck her finger in the batter. Anyway, she was asked if it was missing anything, she brought up chocolate chips for the cookies, talking about baking them with her mom when she was sad. Ben she said the looks on their face, she will never forget. She said, well I just assumed that even villians loved their kids." Belle held both her son's hands, afraid of his reaction. "Son, Lonnie said she was sure they were all about to cry. Mal told her, it's not like that where they are from. I wanted to run out of the library, find all four of them and hug them, and tell them I love them." Belle looked at her son, and she knew he had figured that out a while ago. "Son?"
"Mal once told me she didn't know what love was. I promised then I would teach her, and told her so."
"I raised a great son." Belle hugged her son. "Now about that song?"
"Ask Mal, I believe she has it on her phone." He smirked.

"You know I will." Ben nodded. "Let's go find her, no not for the song. I just need to see her."
"Sure." They left the garden, neither noticing they had been ease dropped on by Audrey.

They found Mal in the common area alone sketching. Before she could put it away, Ben was sure she was sketching the island. "Mal." Belle called to her.

"Queen Belle, Ben. Um, hi." She said stuffing her sketches away.

"Don't stop on our account. Are these for Carlos' project?" She asked. Mal looked at Ben who shrugged. Mal pulled one out.

"Yes. This is the market." It was just a pen and ink sketch, but Ben hoped she would be adding color. "I just need to add a little color."
"A little?" Ben asked.

"The island isn't all bright and sunny. The dome makes it rather gray." Mal admitted, 'dang how do these two get me to admit so much about that place.'

"Mal, I was thinking, I might be able to help Carlos."
"How?"

"Send a photographer and a guard over there to take actual photos."
"Not a good idea Ben. Trust me, they won't make it out with the camera."
"Mal?" Belle said.

"You were surprised I had never seen my picture before, camera's rarely make it to the island, and if they do, they have no film or don't work." Mal pointed out to Belle. "A real working camera, yea, even if they have a few guards, they will be a target."
"Guess it's a good thing I talked to you then."
"Yeah. So what brings you to Campus on this lovely Friday, Belle?" Mal said changing the subject.

"I volunteer in the library from time to time, and did so this week."
"I must have missed you, I was in there about an hour ago."
"I was with Ben then." She smiled at her son. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I needed a book for my art class, and yes, Ms. Dianna found it right away."
"Diana is a great librarian. Its almost dinner time, how about we head to town for dinner?" Belle asked. Mal looked at her clothes, she was wearing black jeans and a purple top, with a small waist jacket on. "I like you the way you are Mal. Never change."
"But.." Ben just picked up her right hand, the one that proudly displayed his signet ring, and kissed her hand."

Belle smiled, 'Yes this girl is exactly who her son needed to be the real Ben.' She thought to herself.