Hey Guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. It's been a busy week. I'll try to update in the next couple of days though!

Mal's dream-

Where am I?

Mal found herself standing in the middle of a black abyss. She couldn't see anything around her or feel anything besides the temperature. It was so cold that she should've been able to see her breath if she could see. She didn't even feel her feet touching the ground, if there was a ground. Everything was pitch black and very quiet. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand.

"Hello?" She tried to call out but the voice was not her own. The voice sounded as if it was cut off from air supply and was weak and broken. Mal felt her own throat constrict in panic but felt around for whatever was constricting her throat. She couldn't find anything, she couldn't even find her throat.

What is this place?

She stopped trying to speak and felt the pressure on her throat lessen.

So, no talking I guess.

She started to see a light in the distance. It was coming closer to where she was.

Maybe I'm floating towards it? If I am floating.

She found her mind floating in between a black abyss and a white abyss. She didn't know which way to go at her crossroads. When she tried to focus on the black abyss, her throat constricted and she couldn't breathe. When she tried to focus on the white abyss, she felt every bone in her body shatter.

I guess I'm staying here. In the center, where it's at least somewhat peaceful.

But it wasn't peaceful anymore, she felt herself being pulled into both abysses until it felt like she was being pulled apart.

Stop it! This hurts! Let me go!

Whatever force that was pulling her was getting stronger and more frantic. Claw marks riddled her arms and legs from the invisible force pulling her.

It hurts! Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop! Please!

Mal heard screaming before she felt her throat constrict, realizing they were her screams.

Please let me go! Help! I have to get out of here. Someone! Where am I? Anyone! Help!

Tears rushed to her eyes, but they refused to fall. Mal had only cried twice before and it was not from pain either time. She refused to cry again. Mal felt herself continue to scream in agony even as her mind lost consciousness from the pain. The last thing Mal remembered was something snapping inside of her. There was no more pain, no more tug of war, and no more white abyss. Mal found herself back at the start of the dream with no recollection of the first dream.

Doug POV-

Evie was lying beside him in the grass of the tourney field looking up at the stars. She kept pointing out the ones she thought were the brightest and trying to form her own images in the sky. Doug was looking at her instead of the sky.

She's so beautiful. How did I get so lucky?

"Did you know that stars are just great big balls of fire?" Evie asked Doug, turning her head to see him already starring at her with wonder in her eyes.

"Well, of course! Everyone knows that." He smirked at her.

"Everyone except Timon and Pumbaa." Evie replied sending them both into fits of laughter. Evie had to roll over onto her stomach to stop the laughter.

"Does Auradon always have night skies like these?" Evie asked in amazement at the sky.

"Most of the time. Sometimes it does get cloudy though." Doug looked away and back up to the sky. "Did you not have stars on the Isle?"

"Not really, every once and a while you could see a bright star or two, but most of the time the barrier kept it constantly cloudy."

"This barrier seems to do more than just keep magic from being used inside the barrier."

"It also keeps people in it."

"How?" Doug asked curious.

"If you touched it, you died" Evie shrugged. It wasn't anything new to her. She grew up with the barrier, Doug didn't. Everyone on the Isle knew better then to go near the barrier, accidents happen. Doug rolled onto his side closest to her and starred open mouthed.

"Close your mouth you dwarf, it's unbecoming of a prince," she scolded him.

"I'm not a prince Evie," he cocked his head to the side.

I've never been called that in my life.

"You have the kind heart of one so therefore you are one in my eyes." They both blushed and looked away from each other.

"Tha… tha… thank yo… you" Doug stuttered out. He always got nervous when Evie flirted with him.

"So," he pushed his glasses up his nose, "how does the barrier kill people?"

"Well, it's a force field barrier, if anyone got too close and touched it then it would most likely kill you silly. It really wasn't that fun to watch. It kind of turned a person inside out."

"You've seen this happen?"

"There was some order on the Isle. A hierarchy of the worst villains and the best which Maleficent mostly ran. If anyone did something that upset her she sorta pushed them against the barrier and then it was blood everywhere and gore and screams and-"

"I think I'm going to be sick" Doug turned away and tried to think of anything but blood. He really was not a violent person and preferred the bodily organs to stay inside the body, where they belonged, unless it was for science.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it can be kind of gross for someone that didn't grow up with it."

"It's fine," he gulped, "I'm fine. So it most likely killed people?"

"My guess, is that it was built to keep villains inside."

"Obviously," Doug smirked.

"And," she emphasized rolling her eyes, "it needed to be strong enough to stop those that can wield magic from doing so."

"Evie, we all know this."

"Well, those that have magic, still have it on the Isle. They just can't use it." Doug debated this in his head.

It does explain Mal's gifts.

"Go on."

"Thank you," she smiled at him sending butterflies to his stomach. "Those with magic are still going to have magic to protect them from being killed by the barrier."

"So, what your saying is that people like Mal and Maleficent would not be killed by the barrier and people like Carlos and Cruella would?"

"Correct," she beamed.

"Have you proven this hypothesis before?"

"Yes, actually" Doug looked back in horror, "it wasn't like that silly. Mal accidentally fell onto the barrier when we were kids. She didn't get harmed, but supposedly it hurt. Others have died from it so we mostly stayed away." Evie turned away lost in her memories of having to watch those kids that got to close die.

Doug relaxed but he still wasn't okay with this story of Evie's life on the Isle.

It's horrific and inhuman over there. How can the counsel allow this?

Evie was unnaturally silent and seemed off in her own little world. Wanting to bring her back into his, Doug leaned over and kissed her cheek. Evie jumped in response but turned her head and met a smiling Doug.

"You aren't going back there ever again." He brushed the hair from her face. "I promise."

"Thank you" Evie grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek. "But you don't really have a say. That's the Kings job." Evie kissed his palm.

"Do you really think Ben would have the heart to send his best friend's love back? Or even his love's best friends? Or what about his own girlfriend?" Doug smirked at her knowing the answer.

"I guess you're right," she sighed.

"I am always right."

"Nerd" she joked as she pushed him away laughing. "We should get back before curfew."

"You never know what kind of punishment you are in for if you are caught after curfew. I don't want to be expelled." Doug sighed and stood up. He held out his hand which Evie gladly took to stand up. She dusted off her dress and they walked back in silence holding hands. Neither really knowing what to say, just knowing that they wanted to stay together. Talking about the Isle had put them in a depressed mood.

They reached Evie's room too quickly and it was time to say goodbye. Evie could tell that the lights were off in her room so she tried to be quiet when she opened the door so as to not wake up Mal.

"Goodnight Doug" she kissed his cheek and made to go into her room.

That's not enough!

Doug grabbed her face spinning her towards him and smashed his lips against hers. He pulled her in close to him and deepened the kiss. Tilting her head back, he plunged his tongue into her mouth and they began fighting for dominance of the kiss.

Too soon for both of them, the kiss ended leaving them breathless. Doug kissed her cheek and let her go inside. The room was empty when Evie opened it all the way and she made quick note that her roommate and best friend Mal were not there.

"Hey Doug?"

"Yes Evie" he asked puzzled. He liked to make sure that his friends were safe in their room before leaving.

"Can you check with Ben to see if Mal is there? She hasn't been back yet since this morning it looks like." Worry creeping into her voice.

"Sure, good night Evie."

"Night" Evie closed the door to begin her nightly ritual, letting Doug know she was safe by those actions. He turned to go back to his room when he was suddenly grabbed and forced into a dark room. He had missed the girl watching his interaction with his girlfriend. He heard a door shut before lights were flickered on and his kidnapper made herself known.

Bens POV

Ben woke to a stirring Mal. He had fallen asleep for a few hours watching Mal sleep. It was not that watching Mal was boring, it was that she looked so peaceful and comfortable in his arms that he just fell asleep. He felt bad about it because he was supposed to be keeping watch for her. He felt Mal move again and he opened his eyes, resolving to quit fighting his mind and just wake up.

Mal had a look of pain on her face and at first Ben thought she was uncomfortable, but after closer inspection, he realized that she was having a bad dream. Ben shuffled out from underneath her and set her on the bed.

She's so beautiful. How does she not realize how much I love her? Her perfect all her imperfections are? She's so strong.

He brushed the purple hair that was covering her face and saw her features relax a little bit. She no longer looked like she was having bad dream, but she did look uncomfortable. Ben leaned down and picked her up bridal style like he did on the stairs earlier. This time she didn't fight him and rested her head unknowingly against the crook of his neck.

She smells amazing. My sweet beautiful faery. I wish I could just kiss her now, but I can't betray her trust like that.

Ben laid her down in the middle of the bed with her head resting on his pillow.

I'm never going to get her scent out of my pillow now, not that that is a bad thing or anything.

He turned to his sofa and grabbed a throw to lay across her cold skin. He had the blanket covering her legs and was going to cover her waist when he noticed the scars again. Letting the blanket drop out of his hands, he sat beside her and ran his fingers over the raised flesh.

Each one of these scars is from a cursed blade. Who would do this to someone? What kind of person finds pleasure in permanently scaring someone? What kind of person cuts someone else? I swear I'll find out who did this to you Mal and I will personally make sure that no one ever harms you again.

He uttered a low growl in defiance against the person who hurt his girlfriend. He lifted the blanket up to her shoulders and leaned down to kiss her head.

If this is the only place that I can kiss her then I will do it every single damn chance that I get.

Leaving her to her dream, he left her side to go order dinner. They had missed dinner in the dining hall, but because he was King he could order food to his room whenever he wanted to. It wasn't just because he was King though, it was also because he was extremely nice to everyone that worked for him. Picking up the phone, he made his order.

"Hey Chip"

"Yes Sir," came the voice on the other end. Chip was a few years older than Ben, but was his personal assistant. Chip and his mother had helped raise Ben when Belle and Adam were off doing their royal duties. Ben couldn't think of anyone better to be his personal assistant. Chip was always attuned to everyone's problems and was very understanding. He made more of an advisor then a personal assistant.

"Can you have dinner sent to my room please for two?"

"Yes Sir! Is there anything else you need?"

"Can you also bring up a cup of coffee and the bills that were dropped off for me?"

"Right away Sir."

"Oh! Before I forget, can you make sure there are some fresh strawberries as well?"

"I'll be right up with it all sir," he chuckled. Chip knew about Ben's feelings for Mal and who the strawberries were for. Despite what the Council was saying to Ben, Chip enjoyed the two of them together. He thought that they brought the best out in each other and would bring the best out of the kingdom.

Ben smiled to himself and hung up the phone, noticing Mal stirring again he made his way back over to her to sit on the bed and watched her sleep. She looked like she was struggling with something. Ben took the tip of his finger and dragged it from her forehead down to the tip of her nose all the while watching as the tension drained from her face and was replaced with peace.

I hate this. I want to stop whatever worrying her. This is so frustrating! Why can't she let me in?

Ben let out a strangled breath when his eyes dropped to her plump lips. Ben felt the tip of his finger glide past her nose and down the center of her soft lip. His finger landed on her bottom lip causing her lips to part just enough for the tip of his finger to feel the warmth her lips could give him. He started to tremble from the ecstasy of the feeling.

I want her lips on mine. I need them. Oh gods I'm losing control, I can't hold it back much longer. I have to feel her lips, I have to!

Ben felt his face inching closer to hers in pursuit of her lips.

Ben stop, stop it right now! This relationship is too fragile to do this! You can't betray her trust! Stop!

But it was like yelling to a brick wall. His body wasn't listening at all to his mind. He only knew that he needed to kiss her and soon.

Ben was broken out of the trance of Mal's lips by the sound of knocking at his main door. He lifted his finger from Mals's lips and tried to control his breathing. Knowing who was at the door, he only called out to his friend instead of getting up to answer the door.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal a tall lean brunette man that was long everywhere in his body. He was once a very small child but grew so much in such a small amount of time that his name became more of a joke than anything else. He was pushing a cart with two trays covered in silver tops and a bowl of fresh strawberries. There was also a pot of coffee and two mugs, one of which was already poured with milk and sugar. Beside the food was a stack of papers that Ben needed to look over and either sign or reject.

Sighing, Ben left his girlfriend's side and made his way to his desk to begin his never ending work as King.

"Just set it over here for now Chip," he gestured to the top of his desk that was already overflowing with stakes of papers. There was a small amount that he had already signed, a large amount that he had rejected, and many varying amounts of things he needed to look over or requested more information on.

"You can take these back to my father too," he said as he handed Chip some of the stacks of papers.

"Sir," Chip looked back at the young half-faery lying in Ben's bed, "Should you leave her to wake up alone?" Ben glanced up and glared at his friend.

"We didn't do anything if that is what you're trying to say." he answered in his King voice.

I already have enough on my plate from the Counsel about this relationship, I don't need you instigating any more rumors when I haven't even kissed her!

"Okay sorry," Chip replied as he answered his hands in surrender.

"She fell asleep here and I didn't have the heart to wake her," Ben told chip as he sat in his chair and leaned back. "Besides, we haven't even kissed yet." he confided.

I don't understand!

"Why not?" Chip asked concerned, it was highly unusual for a couple to not kiss in Auradon.

"Every time I try to and there is a special moment and all, I don't know, she pulls away. It's like she's afraid or something."

"Have you talked with her about it?"

"No," Ben answered sheepishly.

"Sir! You have to talk with her about the relationship!"

"I know, but I don't want to scare her away."

"Sir," he gave the King a pointed look, "talk."

"Alright, alright, alright I here you." He sighed and grabbed his coffee off the desk. "That's all for now Chip," Ben looked up to stare Chip in the eyes, "Thank you," he told the man sincerely.

"Your welcome Sir," Chip answered as he bowed and left the room with his new stack of papers. Ben took a long drink of his coffee and settled in to work. He glanced at the sleeping girl in his bed to make sure that she was still in a deep sleep. The first paper that Ben picked up to review was the request for more kids from the Isle.

How can I approve more children to come? They want at least two more to come this week! On the one hand, the children we brought over the first time chose good and have proved that they aren't their parents. But on the other, I have only heard bad things coming from the Isle.

Ben looked closer at the sleeping half-faery. He remembered the scars that riddled her back.

I can't bring more.

He made the decision and checked the box, denying the request. But he added that he would bring four more children after the term ended.

I hope I'm not making a mistake.