Bens POV

Ben had noticed the whole interaction. Mal didn't want to tell Jay what had happened with them present. While it was impossible for her to heal like that, it wasn't unheard of. Fairy Godmother for instance, didn't get hurt that often and Ben himself did heal quickly but Ben had never seen anyone heal that quickly before.

See mom! This is why I don't want new kids here yet. We hardly know the kids here!

Ben's eyes scanned Mal for any more signs of injuries. What he noticed was the way the sweat ran down her back and the tight shorts that covered just barely enough for him to be okay with her in public like that instead. Her long pale legs were completely toned and the muscles in her back told a story of stress. The little silver scars that decorated her skin made Ben's heart fall. What was once arousing was suddenly concerning. He had never seen those scars before? Granted, this was the first time he saw her bare back.

Where did she get those scars? They aren't anywhere that she could reach? And they look too patterned to be from an accident.

"Everyone out," he called out in his King voice. It was a voice that left nothing to question.

"But-" Audrey started.

"Now." His tone got everyone moving out the door.

"It's my room man." Jay pressed frightened by Bens tone.

Damn.

"Fine" Ben stepped forward and grabbed Mal's arm, dragging her out the door and across the hall to his room. Jay's shouts for Ben to stop were cut off by the door slamming shut.

"What the hell Ben?" Mal asked after being dragged and thrown roughly on the bed. Ben paced back and forth, sending glares Mal's way every time she tried to stand up.

Mal POV- Fine, I'll just stay here till he cools off then.

After several minutes of silence, Mal was getting worried.

"Ben? She called out timidly. Ben took a long drag of her smell.

She's scared, well, more nervous right now and hurt. Am I the one scaring her?

He turned to look at the girl on his bed. There was a faint bruise on her arm where he grabbed her. Ben stepped forward and lightly touched the light purple bruise.

"Did I do that?" Mal looked down confused. She hadn't felt him grab her that hard.

"It's nothing" she shrugged her arm out from under his hand. He looked at her, guilt for hurting her filling his eyes but she wouldn't look at him. He dropped to his knees in front of her and gently lifted her head with his fingers under her chin.

"Are you okay?" Asking about more than just the bruise. They both knew now that she would heel fast and not to worry about it.

"I will be." She answered knowing full well what he meant. She just didn't have the heart to lie and say she was. The half-truth would have to do. After all, she never said it would be soon.

"Mal, please don't hesitate to come to me about anything." He looked deep into her eyes in hopes of making his point.

She's so beautiful. Her green eyes shining back at mine. I want to kiss her, no, I have to kiss her. No, that's still not right. I need to kiss her. That's right. She looks so sad and I just want her to talk to me and open up. Doesn't she realize that she's not on the Isle any more. She's not going back. Ever.

"Is that an order King Ben" she emphasized his name again.

"Stop it. You are the only one in this world who should never ever call me that no matter how mad we get at each other!"

She nodded in response not sure what to say.

"It's not that simple...Ben." she answered his original statement hesitating at his name and turned away from him breaking the connection.

Maybe you can't take the Isle out of these kids. Why did they have to punish the kids too!

"So, you're a fast healer?" Ben asked trying to lighten the mood. He stood up and made his way over to pillar of his canopy bed. His eyes scanning the room. He was one of the fortunate students to have his own room. Perks of being rich or the king. Which he was both. He had a huge king canopy bed in the corner of the room with his own fireplace and couch set. Next to the fireplace was a balcony that wrapped around two sides of his room with a view of the forest on one side and the city on the other. He had a round 4 person dining table for guests and 2 huge bookshelves on either side of a large wooden desk filled with his school books and any books he'd need to be King. On top of the desk was a state of the art 3 screen computer and sound system. On the other side of his bed was the largest flat screen TV and every game imaginable along with 2 beanbag chairs and Ben's personal favorite, the full body massaging TV chair. It was black leather and rocked back and forth and even stayed in a backward position for massages or intense game play. In the corner was the door to his personal bathroom which housed a gold toilet (it was his father's idea of a joke), a Jacuzzi bathtub made for three people to fit in, a shower that had water spouts all over the walls in every direction and a walk in closet with all his suits. He also had his own set of weights in his room.

"Ya" Mal shrugged. It was no big deal to her.

"Have you always been that way?" Ben asked curious.

"Yes, but not as fast."

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"I used to take a few days to heal a broken bone. Since I came here, it apparently only takes a few minutes," Mal sighed.

"That's, unusual." He wasn't sure what to say to that.

Mal looked up offended.

"It's just that fast healing is something only those with strong light magic like Fairy Godmother can do or certain magical beings like dad and me."

"You can heal fast?" Mal's eyes softened to curiosity.

"Well, ya, my dad was a beast Mal. I sorta inherited a few traits of his," he shrugged.

"Oh" Mal looked away. Ben went and sat by her grabbing her hand and startling her.

I really don't want to ask this because I don't want to know the answer.

"So, which are you?"

"Neither? Just really dark magic probably and my mom was a Faery."

"I doubt that's the only reason." She only shrugged in response.

Realizing she wouldn't answer, he pressed on to more important topics.

Oh light magic help me.

"Why didn't the scars on your back heal?" Every single fiber of Mal's being stiffened. She was not expecting that question. She'd forgotten that she had to take off her shirt in Jay's room and now she had no shirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she moved to get up and away from Ben but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

"Mal, I saw them. I'm not asking what their from." Right now "I just want to know why they didn't heal all the way."

"I don't know" liar

"Mal," he turned her face towards his again. "Why can't you trust me?"

"Ben," she tried to look away but he wouldn't let her.

"Mal, I understand that trust is hard. Really I do. But I love you Mal. Part of what love is, is trusting the one you love with all your secrets even the ones that no one else knows. I'm not asking you to come out and tell me everything, I'm only asking you to try and tell me some now."

Mal nodded taken back by his words. He did promise to teach her about love but she still wasn't sure.

"Part of what love is, is also not telling anyone the secrets that the one you love tells you without their permission" he added looking deep into her eyes. He tried to open himself up to her gaze. He could tell that she was still apprehensive though.

"Did you tell that to your lunch date too?"

He laughed.

Mal POV- I can't believe it! He's laughing at me. Actually laughing. What a-

"You mean my mom?" Humor in his eyes.

"What? Oh, oh! That explains the yellow dress" he burst into laughter at that.

"Mal, no one else in the entire kingdom wears yellow like she does" his smile lighting up his eyes. "Is that what's got you upset at me?"

She shrugged in response looking away out of guilt.

"Mal, there's no one else but you and there never will be. I love you. Villain tendencies and all." She laughed at him.

They stared into each other eyes slowly growing closer together. They were having a moment.

A moment! A moment! I might get to finally kiss those plump lips of hers and then I'll and cue the panic. Well that's just fantastic.

Just as Ben had thought, Mal turned away lost in her thoughts while the mood died down. To say that Ben was disappointed was an understatement but he covered it up before Mal could notice.

"It was from a cursed blade" she whispered.

"What?"

"There are some people on the Isle that know of a spell that can be carved on to a blade. The cuts made from this blade take the same amount of time to heal as they would do to anyone else, but they also leave behind scars."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm never seeing them again anyway."

Damn right you aren't. Never again.

"When?"

"A long time ago" Ben stopped pressing for now noticing the vague answers. This was enough to satisfy him for now. He dropped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her close. He inhaled her scent happy to notice her anger was all but dissipated, her sadness was still there and her hurt was mostly gone.

It might be some time before she realizes that she is the only one that I'll ever love.

He shifted her back so that they were laying partly on the bed. Their feet were still dangling off the end. Ben was on his back with Mal curled into his side, her head resting on her shoulder with one of his hands holding her shoulder and the other playing with her hair. She didn't realize how little sleep she had actually gotten out in the woods. She was exhausted!

"Ben?"

"Hmm"

"Can you keep watch?" She asked already half asleep that she wasn't sure what she was asking.

"Sure?" He turned to look down at his girlfriend. He watched her face as she let her guard drop for the first time ever with him. Her whole body relaxed and her face went from its normal badass Mal to sadness. Ben hugged her closer when he smelled the amount of sadness she felt. It nearly broke his heart and he felt tears come to his eyes. She was fast asleep though. He kissed the top of her head and held her as close as possible.

This is progress though. She dropped her guard and is asleep.

He ran his hand down the side of her face.

If only she'd let me in and tell me why she feels this way.

He sighed and rested his head on hers. He stayed awake though, just as he promised.

Audrey POV

Jay watched as Ben dragged Mal in surprise. She wasn't even fighting him and didn't seem to mind how he was handling her. If he didn't know any better, he would say that she was actually enjoying it a little.

"What, the hell, was that all about?" Audrey demanded of him.

Jay POV- What's got her panties in a bundle?

"I don't know what you mean?"

"Seriously? You're going to play dumb with me?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot waiting. Jay, realizing she was upset with him, walked over and kissed her cheek lightly.

"She's just a friend." Audrey gave him a pointed look. "I've known her my entire life Audrey. We don't have that type of relationship."

You do have some type of relationship and I want to know what.

"Then what type of relationship do you have." She demanded walking away from him. She needed to keep a level head to get this information and it was not easy next to him. He awakened something in her that Ben had only tapped.

"Audrey," Jay pleaded and stepped towards her.

"Jay," she stepped backwards away from him.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked concerned for his friend's well-being and stepped toward her again.

"Because I like information," she turned her nose up at him and stepped backward running into the wall behind her. Jay smirked and stepped forward, pressing their bodies against each other and the wall. He placed one arm beside her waist and the other beside her head.

Leaning down he whispered in her ear seductively, "and what do you plan on doing with this information?" He ran his nose down her neck slowly. She grinded her hips up towards his unwillingly and groaned.

"Nothing" she answered huskily.

Jay pulled away and smirked, "right" he walked away from her leaving her breathless against the door.

"Jay, I really do want to know and I promise not to do anything bad with it okay?"

Jay looked at her bewildered but he quickly recovered.

Jay POV- Should I trust her?

"I hate to break it to you, but bad doesn't look good on you sweetheart." He answered sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes at him and walked away from the wall.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Are you going to blab to everyone you can?"

"No" she answered truthfully and defiantly.

Who is he to judge me? He's probably done worse things than me!

He seemed to think about it for a while before answering, "Why do you really want to know?"

"Because it was weird, okay? You two were all talky with your eyes and it looked like something was going on between you two or-"

"Audrey"

"-maybe something happened in the past and you two-"

"Audrey!"

"-weren't over it and I don't like it because I like you. A lot actually and you make me feel more then Ben ever did and I just really want this to work and if you don't that's okay but Mal is with Ben and good luck breaking those two apart because that would take too much effort for me to try and-"

"AUDREY!"

"What?"

"First of all, stop rambling." She shut her mouth and he starred at her waiting for it to dawn on her how much she said.

Oh no! Did I just say all that stuff out loud? His face says I did. Crap!

When it finally did causing her hand to fly up to her mouth in horror, he continued, "second, Mal and I have never been and never will be a thing. She's like a sister to me." Audrey relaxed at that.

"Third," he walked towards her and grabbed her shoulders, "I like you a lot too and also," he smirked at her smiling face, "nobody is ever going to break up King Ben and Mal."

"Really?"

"Yes really to all of the above."

"Okay" she smiled with happiness and initiated a hug that Jay surprisingly responded by giving one back to her.

"I'll tell you everything on one condition."

"Okay?" She pulled away and looked at him puzzled.

"You don't utter a word to Mal about any of this."

"Why?"

"Because she will kill you." Audrey's eyes opened wide in fright. The way Jay said those words put fear into her heart.

"Don't get me wrong, she will know that you know but if you treat her differently or say anything to her, well, let's just say that it won't be pleasant."

"How will she know I know?"

"She's Mal. She knows a lot more then people give her credit for." Jay smirked.

Jay POV- It really was amazing how intuitive Mal really was. Sometimes I swear she can hear our thoughts and see the future.

"Okay," Audrey uttered after thinking it over.

This might be hard. I'll probably look at her different. Maybe. I still don't like her for stealing my boyfriend, but I got a better one instead.

She smiled at that. Jay looked at her calculating what the smile was for before he decided to continue.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Wait, you're really going to tell me?"

"I'm supposed to be 'good,' remember, so trust is big in a 'good' relationship supposedly."

Audrey laughed,"ya, ya it is."

This is going to be an interesting relationship.

"So, tell me about her super healing." She joked.

"It started when she was young. She's always been a quick healer, sometimes quicker then humanly possible. Back on the Isle, it got faster as she got older. She could break an arm and wouldn't even have a scar or bruise from it within two weeks."

"So kind of like Ben?"

"What?" He asked dumbfounded.

"Ben is the son of a beast." Jay still didn't understand after all, his dad wasn't a beast when Ben was born. Was he? "Ben's dad still has some Beast qualities left from residual magic. They transferred to Ben when he was born. I guess you could say it's in his blood."

"Oh, that explains a lot" Jay numbered in fascination. He finally understood why Ben didn't bruise so easily in tourney practice.

Audrey rolled her eyes, "anyway, so it comes from Mal's mom since she's half Faery?"

"Yes and no." Now it was Audrey's time to be confused.

"That's what we thought on the Isle, but now I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"Because she's never healed in a few minutes before."

"It was at least an hour and a half for her broken bones!"

"Yes, but her rib? It was healed in 3 minutes after I reset it." Audrey's eyes widened.

"So what does that mean?"

"Maleficent never healed that fast, ever."

"No one has."

"What?"

"Jay, even Fairy Godmother hasn't healed that fast before." Jay's eyes widened.

"Wait! What about the scars on her back?" Jay sighed, he was hoping the Audrey hadn't noticed those.

"They were from a cursed blade. Certain people on the Isle know a spell that can cause the wound from the blade to not heal as fast and to leave a permanent scar."

"Oh" Audrey's heart sank.

What did these kids go through? I knew the Isle was bad but their children! What kind of vile person does that to someone!

"Who?" She asked.

Jay POV- I probably shouldn't tell her this, but...

"Hans and Maleficent."

"What?"

"Maleficent knows because it affects her too. She never used the blade against Mal though, she did against others. No one knows how or why Hans knows, just that he does."

"So Hans did that to her?" She asked feeling a wave of pity for Mal.

That monster!

"No"

"What?"

Now, I'm really confused.

"Hans's son."

What, no way!

Audrey stood their open mouthed.

"It's a long story that even I don't know the details to, just that Hans's son and Mal don't get along." Jay sat on the bed defeated. No one knew that it was Hans's son except him, Mal, Hans's son, and now Audrey. He hoped he didn't make a huge mistake telling her.

"How?"

"He's not a good kid at all. He's too much like his father. Worse than his father even."

"Is, is she okay? I mean the scars look bad." Audrey looked at him hopeful.

I really do hope that she is okay, for Ben's sake.

Jay looked at her, not sure how to respond. Audrey noticed his look.

"I'm not going to talk about it without you. I'm not a completely heartless person. No matter my issues with Mal, she doesn't deserve that."

Jay POV- Great, she's going to hate me for what I've done.

"No, she isn't okay like she leads everyone to believe" Jay whispered.

"How does she cope?"

"She doesn't."

"She has to do something to help."

"Ya, well it's not helping. It's just masking it!" He answered angrily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad."

"It's fine," he sighed, "hey, maybe you can watch her when I'm not around?"

"Sure, but I need to know what to look for."

"She.. she cuts." He looked away to hide his guilt.

"She cuts herself?"

"Yes," he thought for a moment, "no."

"Well, which is it Jay?"

"She doesn't cut herself."

"I don't understand."

"She has someone cut her for her."

"Okay... Who?"

Jay POV- Can I trust her? Well, it's time to find out.

"Me" he whispered barely loud enough for Audrey to hear. Her mouth dropped open.

"You? You cut her?" She stepped back in horror.

"No! Not anymore." He reached out to her.

"I don't understand," she let his hand graze hers but she couldn't hide the repulsion. Jay dropped his hand in reaction, sadness filling his eyes.

"It was our coping mechanism on the isle. I liked hurting people, she liked pain, she let me cut her and we both coped. But, we only did it once since we've been here." He explained looking away from her.

How? How are these kids okay? Is this what the Isle causes? Their just kids! We're all just kids! We should be fighting over boyfriends and dressing up, not this!

"When?" Jay looked up, surprised to see concern in her eyes. Concern for all of their well-being.

"Last night."

"Why?"

"Mal's mother probably. I'm not really sure."

"You cut her and you're not sure why?" She accused.

"It's not like that. Mal asked me to. I told her I didn't want to do this anymore, but she needed it so I did one time and then I told her never again." Jay's voice cracked when he felt for his sister. She was more broken inside then even he knew. "That's the thing with her though, I might have found better ways to cope, I have tourney now and it helps, but I don't think she knows how to cope in a good way." He let one single tear fall and felt Audrey's hand on his shoulder giving him reassurance. "We've been best friends since we were little, I know her better than anyone else, and I just don't know what she is going to do to cope. I'm worried. Her magic is strong and she could lose herself in it."

Audrey sat down beside him and grabbed his hand.

"What do you mean?"

"She isn't just Maleficent's daughter Audrey, she's also-"

Carlos came bursting in the door with Dude at the worst time screaming "Hey guys!" cheerfully at the couple on the bed. He quickly noticed their mood though and turned and walked back to the bathroom. Jay had looked sad and that was not something any of the Isle kids every talked to each other about and Audrey was livid with Carlos for interrupting. When Carlos came back, he sat on the sofa and asked, "Anybody up for a round?"

Jay had pulled himself together and looked better by then and answered, "sure man." In need of friend time. Audrey seemed to understand and peeked him on the cheek before leaving to go shower. She needed time to process all this information and the best place for her to do that was the shower. She made her promise though and intended to keep everything she knew to herself, but she was curious as to what Jay was going to say. She needed to do some research, or at least employ someone to do research for her under false pretenses.

Maybe Doug! I'll tell him I'm just curious about everyone! That'll work! I'll have him look into their background!