Author's Note: Okay, so most of you said you wouldn't mind reading Christmas chapters this early in the year so I will not be putting this story on Hiatus. It will be continuing as normal. The start of this chapter is the first of my Christmas chapters so if you don't wish to read it at this time of the year you can skip down to Carlos's POV. The Christmas part of the chapter ends there. Hope you like it. x
Belle's POV.
I had woke earlier then usual this morning. I was so happy the kids were back home early. I had done nothing but worry all week. Except for when I had seen the article about Mal. That had cheered my mood up a little, the fact that she was now getting good press would go a very long way. But now I was in the far end of the castle with Chip while Ben, Mal and Adam slept bringing all the Christmas decorations down.
I had planned to do this on Monday but since they were back early we may as well do it this morning while we had some free time. Philip and Aurora's coronation wasn't until 3pm this afternoon so we had plenty of time. Thankfully Chip was always an early riser so I had a little bit of help. It would be a pain to try and carry all this down myself.
An hour later and me and Chip had everything in the living room ready to be set up. The family Christmas tree was up and ready to be decorated and the smaller trees for our kids rooms were in piles with their personalised decorations sat with them. As I started arranging the decorations into piles for each room I heard someone coming down the stairs. Glancing at the clock I knew it wouldn't be either of the boys so that left one person. Mal.
Sure enough a few minutes later I turned to face the door and found Mal stood there looking confused.
"Um, mom?" She said. "Why is there a tree in your living room?" Mal asked me. I couldn't help but feel a little sad for her. She didn't even know what a damn Christmas tree was. This just wasn't right. She should have had a better upbringing then this. What parents in their right mind would deny their child a Christmas!?
Noticing Mal was still eyeing the Christmas tree suspiciously I thought it best to answer her. "It's a Christmas tree, Mal. I thought maybe you would like to help me and the boys decorate it." I explained to her. A look of understanding came over her face as I told her this. Maybe Ben had explained it to her but I couldn't help but smile as I noticed Mal nod. I noticed Ben come up behind her and wrap his arms around her, his hands resting on her growing bump. My smile grew at the action. They were going to make the most amazing parents.
"Come on then, lets go get something to eat first." I said as I heard Adam coming down the stairs as well. My kids turned and walked towards the dining room and as I moved to follow them I met my husband at the bottom of the stairs. "Morning." I greeted him.
He smiled at me as he moved to pull me into a quick hug. "Morning. So Mal's helping you to put up the Christmas decorations then." He stated and I couldn't keep the shocked look from my face. How did he know!? Hearing him chuckle as he led ma towards the family dining room I was brought from my thoughts. "Oh don't look so shocked. You had that 'it's almost Christmas and the decorations can finally go up' smile on your face."
As we took our seats near our kids I smiled again. I forget sometimes just how well Adam knows me and how well he can read me. The further through our breakfast I got the more I noticed Mal was fidgeting. "You okay, honey?" I asked her. Both boys also turned to her as I said this and I watched as she flushed a little and lowered her head.
"Yeah." I simply gave her a disbelieving look as she raised her head a little to look at me. Thankfully this prompted her to continue. "Guess I'm just a little excited to decorate my first Christmas tree." She admitted eliciting smiles from me, Adam and Ben.
Seeing she was finished and knowing I couldn't eat anymore I decided to ask her something. "Shall we get started now then?" I asked her. She didn't respond verbally, she simply nodded and practically leapt out of her chair. I chuckled slightly at her actions before remembering this was basically her, Evie, Jay and Carlos' first Christmas and I would certainly be spoiling them.
Standing up myself I moved to the end of the table, with Mal following my lead, before linking my arm with hers. It was then I heard both my husband and son groan. We both turned to find they were still eating and I couldn't resist a little joke for me and Mal at their expense. "Don't worry boys, you can join after you've finished feeding those beastly appetites of yours." I told them. Both me and Mal laughed at the expressions on their faces. Oh how I wish someone was there to take a picture of them like this. It was so funny.
We laughed all the way back to the living room. It took both of us a while to calm down and we were sat on the couch as the boys came through. I struggled to keep from laughing again as I saw their faces were still shocked and disbelieving. Mal didn't have such look and fell into my side as she started laughing again. I settled for chuckling.
"I actually can't believe you just said that to us." My husband stated.
"Yeah." Ben said, agreeing with his father. But it was easy to tell it didn't bother either of them, they were just shocked I had actually said it to them.
As Mal's laughter subsided we carried on sorting out the Christmas decorations as I put my favourite Christmas CD in the CD player we had there. Before long we had all the decorations and tree's up in the library and hallway/stairs. We now just had the living room to decorate. I had decided to let Ben and Mal put the lights and tinsel on the tree while I cuddled into Adam's side watching and discreetly taking photos.
It actually didn't take the pair of them as long as I thought it would but I suspect that is down to a sneaky spell from Mal to untangle the lights, they were unusually tidy as Ben pulled from the box. As they turned towards us indicating they had finished an idea popped in my head. There was one ornament I had never let the boys put on the tree, I always insisted on doing it myself. I couldn't help but look down at in sat on the top of the decorations. It was a pair of gold/yellow glittered bells (fake bells of course) with a plastic sprig of holly at the top where the two bells meet/join together, that had been handed down in my family for years. They had actually belonged to my mothers grandmother and she gave me them just before she passed away.
Ben must have seen my looking at them as next thing I knew he was holding the ornament out to me. They were always first on the tree, it had become sort of a tradition of ours. I carefully took it from my son with a smile before I cleared my throat. Mal turned to face me and seeing the ornament in my hand went to move to the side. Shocking the boys but confusing Mal I held the Christmas ornament out to her.
I heard Ben actually gasp at my action before Adam spoke. "Belle." He breathed out. It was clear neither could believe what I was going and I don't blame them. I rarely let them hold the ornament yet here I was letting Mal hang it on the tree.
I watched as the young girl in front of me looked to a disbelieving Ben for an explanation, which he readily gave. "The ornament belonged to my two times great grandmother. It's been passed through the family for years. It's always the first to be hung on the tree and mom never lets anyone do it but her." He said and I noticed the tears gathering in her eyes.
"Are you sure?" She asked me. I simply stepped a little closer and nodded to her. As carefully as she could, Mal took the ornament from her and hung it almost exactly where I do, the top middle of the tree. I snapped a quick picture as she hung her first ornament in her first Christmas tree and couldn't help but tear up a little. It always upset me to think that they are only having these experiences now when they should have had them as toddlers. I had a feeling by the time the new year was here I would be able to fill three albums with the pictures I take over the holidays.
As we continued to put more ornaments on the tree I noticed Mal was softly singing to herself. I smiled over at Adam who was also close enough to hear her and saw the same smile on his face as I wore on my own. A proud loving smile. She had come so far in the few months she had been here and now, as an expectant mother, she was about to have her first ever Christmas. Our family felt complete and it was all thanks to my sons large, caring heart.
Before long we had finished placing the ornaments on the tree. I had made sure to leave some space free on various parts of the tree. We had one more tradition and that was on Christmas Eve we each got a new, personalised ornament to add onto the tree. This years we would have four extra ones to add and I couldn't wait to see their faces. I had already ordered them for the kids and Adam and I know Adam had ordered mine.
"Wow." Mal said, the childlike wonder in her voice didn't get missed by any of us. "It looks beautiful." She said to no one in-particular. Looking back at the tree I couldn't help but agree. But I also noticed something felt different about it as well. I was more excited this year. I haven't felt like this since Ben's first Christmas and it was a strange but welcome feeling. They would be remembering this Christmas for all the right reasons for a good few years.
I turned to smile at Adam when I caught sight of the clock. "Okay, we better start getting ready." I told the other three who turned to look at me straight away. I reread the time on the clock and sure enough we had less then an hour. "We need to leave at one and it's already ten past twelve." I told them. "Want me to help you with your hair, Mal?" I asked her. She nodded to me as she left. She had mentioned last night she wanted to curl her hair for today and I know from experience the first time you wear a crown it never sits right of you do it yourself.
Thankfully half an hour later we were all ready to leave, with both Ben and Mal wearing their crowns. Since it was a formal event we were attending they had to wear them much to both of their dismay. We got into the car and headed to Auroria hoping beyond belief that for once Leah wouldn't ruin something.
Carlos' POV.
Okay so I was starting to get a little nervous now. I knew Jay had gone out with Audrey, Evie and Doug on a double date so Jane would be on her own. I thought it would make it easier but if anything I felt more nervous. Since our summer at the castle I had done mothing but think about what Mal and Evie had said, that maybe Jane felt the same way about me as I did her. And sure I was still worried my mother would use Jane to get to me but I also know now that none of us would let our parents near any of our Auradon friends. So I had decided to take my sisters advice for once and talk to Jane.
A little reluctantly I knocked on Jane and and Audrey's dorm room door, immediately wishing I could turn around and run away. But since the door opened instantly I didn't have that choice. I had expected Jane to be stood in the doorway so when I noticed the absence of a body there I looked into the room and found her sitting on the bed smiling to herself. Her magic lessons must be going well.
"Hi Carlos." She greeted me, a little shyly. She was always a little more shy then normal when we were alone with each other. Maybe my sisters were right. Not that I would ever, ever tell them that though.
"Hi." I greeted her in return. Now she was actually in front of me I felt rather sick. I hadn't asked anyone out before or been in a relationship before so I was really worried about how this would go but there's always a first time, right.
"So, what's up?" She asked me. I took a deep breath knowing if I didn't ask now I would probably chicken out and not say anything.
"Well... Erm... I was wondering... If maybe you would... like to go on a... date with me?" I stuttered through my question and just hoped she understood it. I didn't expect her response though, she started chuckling. Jeez, is it really that funny that I'm asking someone out?
"Funny, Carlos. Which one put you up to it? Evie or Mal?" She questioned me. Okay it stung a little that she thought I was joking but with her mentioning only Evie and Mal maybe she did have feelings for me and spoke to them. Maybe that's why Mal said what she did over the summer.
"None. Jane I'm being serious." I told her. She quickly stopped laughing at this. I could see the disbelief on her face but I carried on talking in the hopes she would realize just how serious I was. "I really do care a lot about you, Jane. I have for a while. Hell I think I actually love you. I just haven't have the courage to tell you in case you didn't feel the same. I mean sure dating a VK will probably get you bullied and things but..." I would have continued more but Jane cut me off.
"I don't care what people say anymore." She states. It's a first for her to sound this confident when it comes to how others see her. "I care a lot about you too. But just to clarify you mean a date as is boyfriend and girlfriend right? Not friends?" She asked. It wasn't hard to see she was doubting herself and I knew just how to put those doubts out of her head.
"Will you be my girlfriend, Jane?" The smile that broke out onto her face after asking this question was huge. Like seriously, I thought it would split her face in half. I couldn't help but return her smile with one of my own.
"Yes." She said before pulling me into a hug. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around my neck.
"Go on a date with me tonight?" I asked her. I felt rather then saw her nod her answer to me. As I leant back from the hug a little by eyes locked onto her green ones. It was then I heard Dude barking before running to the door. We shared a laugh at that dogs awful timing as we both looked over to him. I smiled at her before stepping out of her embrace. "Guess I better take him out." I said. "I'll pick you up around 8?" Again Jane just nodded and I leant forward and kissed her cheek before quickly leaving the room with Dude, not seeing her pull her phone from her pocket.
Mal's POV.
Well so far so good. We had arrived with plenty of time to spare before the coronation and the ceremony had been simple enough and Fairy Godmother her quickly coronated the two as King and Queen of Auroria. It reminded me of Ben's without the whole trying to steal the wand and a villain turning up and interrupting fiasco. Although it made me wonder of Fairy Godmother did all official ceremonies for royals. I would have to ask Ben about it but now was certainly not the time. For some reason you had to be announced as you walked into the party and we were just about to walk through the door.
"King Ben and Queen Mal of Auradon." The guy announced causing everyone to turn to us and bow/curtsy as we walked through the doors. Urgh, I really hated this. I don't care what people say I will never get used to it.
Thankfully everyone soon went back to their conversations leaving me and Ben to our own devices. "Want a drink?" Ben asked me. I nodded to him and he quickly left. As I looked around I found that Leah wasn't actually here, although that didn't mean she wouldn't turn up. I just hoped if she did she didn't cause a scene. It's bad enough she ruins important events for me and Ben without her Ruining this for Aurora and Philip as well.
"You majesty." I heard various voices greet me at once. I turned to find three older women rising from a curtsy. It wasn't until I looked at the colours on there dresses I noticed who there were. There was only one group of the women I know that dressed in red, green and blue. The good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. The ones that help defeat my mother and hated her. I couldn't stop the panic taking over me as I looked at them. Now I'm going to get it for what Maleficent did.
"Please don't panic." The green fairy, Fauna told me. I tried my best to calm myself but found I couldn't. Until Ben came back and placed his arm around me that is. I looked to him and found him smiling down at me.
"Better?" He asked. I nodded to him feeling instantly a lot calmer before turning back to the three fairies.
"I'm sorry for that." I apologised.
"Don't worry about it." The red fairy Flora told me. I only knew who was who because my mother hated them for different reasons and to different degrees and she made sure I knew it as well. Me, I have wanted to meet them since arriving here at Auradon but was too scared of their reactions to me. Apparently I was worried for nothing.
"Thanks." I said. It was my first time meeting them and I really didn't want to screw it up. I didn't get chance to say anything else since since Merryweather chose that moment to talk.
"We just wanted to tell you that we bare you no ill will." She stated and I could stop the shock spreading across my face if I wanted to. "Our issue is with Maleficent not you. And you are most certainly nothing like her." I smiled a little at the compliment she had given me. No matter how many times I heard differently from Ben and the others it always worried me I would be like her.
"We also wanted to offer you our congratulations." Fauna said as she glanced down at my stomach making sure I knew what she meant. Me and Ben nodded our thanks to them and I'm sure they would have carried on talking but at that moment Aurora and Philip came over to us.
"King Ben, Queen Mal, I'm so glad you were able to come." Aurora said as we turned to her and I saw the good fairies smile at me and then each other before leaving. I couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself. That is the first time I've met someone new here and it hasn't turned into a disaster.
"We wouldn't miss it." Ben said as I turned my attention to the couple in front of us.
"I assume you will be returning to your honeymoon tonight?" Philip asked. It seemed like a weird question to ask but Ben didn't seem phased so I just went with it.
"No. Actually we decided to return last night." I told them. They smiled at that and we made small talk for a while before they left to talk to some of their other guests but not before apologising for Leah again. Surely they are getting annoyed with the apologies now, I know I am. There's only so many times you can hear an apology for the same thing and I am now passed my limit.
At that moment I heard my phone chime. Looking at the screen I swiped it across after seeing a text message from Evie. I scanned the message before I exclaimed "Finally." causing Ben and our parents, who had just joined us, to look at me weird. I turned my phone to face them and they looked at the photo of Jane in a lovely blue dress, small kitten heels and her hair nicely curled before reading the message underneath.
From Evie: Jane's all ready for her first date with Carlos. He manned up and did it! And it's about time! X
"Well Evie's right. It is about time." mom stated causing me and Ben to laugh while dad merely smiled fondly.
"Yeah they've been skating around their feelings for months." Ben said and I couldn't help but nod my agreement. Of course I had told Ben after me and Evie had spoken to Carlos and I had spoken to Jane. We had been trying to get them to admit their feeling to each other since it was blatantly obvious to everyone around them. We just needed to get Lonnie and Az together properly now.
I sent a quick reply back to Evie before I placed my phone back into my clutch bag. I smiled at the thought of my little brother finally getting his happy ending. Both Jane and Carlos are only fifteen. They had both skipped a year and ended up in the same year as us. With how close we have come to Jane, Audrey and Lonnie they're like sisters to us, the same as Doug is like a brother to us. All I will say to anyone who tries to give Carlos and Jane a hard time is god help you. Because I know how protective we all are of them and it certainly won't be tolerated.
I glanced at Ben and knew from the look in his eye he was thinking the exact same as me. We smiled at each other in silent agreement. No one was going to mess with our siblings/friends and that was it.
Author's Note: Okay so the traditions I have mentioned are actually ones me and my fiancée have (even the ornament is based off one I have although mine is red). So I apologise if some of them seem bizarre. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. x