Chapter 8

"It's late, why don't we leave Mal and Ben alone for a few minutes." Belle said opening the door to the office.

"Thanks mom." They all hugged Mal one more time and went to bed. "Mal." Ben said.
"I…I did it because I love you Ben, you know that right?"
"I do. But I wish you had trusted me."
"I made a mistake, and I will pay forever for it. I ruined our first summer together." The regret in her voice, broke him. Whatever anger he held for her leaving just floated away, for the time being.
"We'll have more, many more. Come here." She crossed the room to where he stood looking out his window at the Isle. She placed an arm around his waist and he returned the gesture. "I waited for you to help me pick the names of the new kids. Jay, Carlos and Evie tried to help. Well the boys mainly. Evie really didn't know anyone."
"True. Dr. F has a daughter Ben, maybe if we have Freddie that might draw him out."
"Funny thing about that, even before we found out it was him, she was on the list. Jay said she is a master manipulator." He looked at Mal, reminding her how she had used words to get what she had wanted when she first came to Auradon also. Mal looked away, knowing he was right.
"Like her father. I don't know who her mother was, but it's rumored that she was also another voodoo artist, it's possible Freddie could have a strong bit of magic."
"That will be considered. The others are the Gaston Twins."
"Well your mom did kind of bring that on herself." Mal teased.

"She did. And I need another girl. I wanted to balance it again two boys two girls."
"Who do you have?"

"The boys suggested Harriet Hook."
"That might be tough to get her here without Sammy Smee and her other gang members."
"Well that was the issue they brought up. Does Freddie have any friends…I mean someone she hangs with?"
"Harriet. On the rare occasions Harriet isn't with Sammy Smee and the rest of her father's pirate gangs' kids. I am not sure Harriet will come without her pack. But then again Freddie might be just the ticket to get her here. I wonder if Freddie knows her father is over here?"
"They need their parent's permission and we need to see the parent sign it. So that could be the ticket to see what she comes up with, and how much she can control people into helping."
"A good point." She smiled at him.

HE pulled her close and kissed her. It was a deep kiss of passion and loss. Mal could tell she had hurt him deeply in her leaving, and she can only hope that she could heal the hurt she left in him by leaving. But first she needed to know where she stood with Ben.

"How bad did I mess us up Ben?"
"Trust Mal. You didn't trust me."
"It wasn't that I didn't trust you, I love you. And well…I have never loved anyone before. The need to protect you was so strong, I couldn't fight it." She smiled and patted his arm, she needed him to know she left because of herself, not to hurt him at least not physically. "I hurt you. I tried to kill you. There was no way I could let him try that again! And you couldn't trust me enough to tell me about the enchantments. That hurt me Ben." Ben looked at the floor, he knew she was right, they both had a bit of trouble with trust. He couldn't trust her with the truth about the enhancements and she couldn't trust him with her fears about hurting him, or someone else.

"You are right, we both hurt each other. It's time for us to make an agreement." Ben took the first step.
"Go on?" She wasn't sure where he was going, but if it brought them back to where they were before she left she would do anything to fix it.

"No more lies, no more hiding, no more pretending."
"I can agree to that. Is there anything you need to know? Anything I haven't mentioned you'd like to know."
"Tell me about the isle. The truth."
"It wasn't great. I mean honestly Ben, it isn't a great story to tell."
"MAL." He warned, and it wasn't in a playful tone.

"OK. Look we all agreed not to talk about it when we came over, but we have since agree to answer any questions anyone ever asked. We weren't looking for pity, so we agreed to leave the isle out of it."
"I understand that, but I need to know what made you, you."
"Yeah, I guess you do. It's only fair since I know all about you and where you come from." Mal knew she was about to tell everything. Everything that made her who she was, unloved and guarded. Well now she was loved, but still guarded. And this confession should help her break through the latter. And they both need it.