Grocery Run

[Mal and Evie's home. 10:20 am]

Mal's POV

The next morning, I let Evie sleep in due to her being tired from the long flight back from Paris. Before going to sleep last night, Evie and I showed how much we missed each other in bed. I'm so glad Evie loved everything I did to the house. Not that I knew she wouldn't, of course. But I'm so thrilled.

After getting out of bed, I put my nightdress on and quietly used the bathroom. While washing my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror, admiring my new hair. Afterwards, I quietly left the bedroom and walked down the stairs to the foyer. Along the way to the kitchen, I fed the three angelfish their tropical flakes food. Then I headed to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

A half hour later, I was done cooking and put some eggs, bacon, and toast on two plates on the counter by the stove from the fry pan. As I turned around, I noticed Evie slowly walking towards the island. Her nightdress was on, but a little crooked with her hair was a bit of a mess.

"Morning, Evie." I said.

"Morning, Mal." Evie said with a deep yawn.

As she was yawning and talking at the same time, she bumped into the island, and would have fallen to the floor if I hadn't caught her in time.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine, babe. Just...tired and...and out of it."

Evie was feeling strong jet lag.

"E, sit down." I said as I guided her to a chair at our dining table.

I had Evie sit down to regain herself. I grabbed a hairbrush that was sitting on the countertop nearby and began to brush her hair, trying to straighten it out a bit.

"I'm surprised you haven't fallen down the stairs. You didn't fall, did you?" I asked.

"No. I think the feeling came around after I was down the stairs." Evie replied.

"Thank goodness. I'm glad Gabi is giving you the next few days off. You're going to need it." I said.

"Mal?"

"Yes?"

"You're so pretty."

"So are you, Evie."

I gave her a kiss on the lips before walking back into the kitchen. I grabbed some utensils from a drawer as well as our plates, and returned back and put a plate in front of Evie. It took some food and more time for Evie to feel halfway decent.

"How are you feeling now?" I asked as I brought Evie a small glass of orange juice.

"Better. I'm now able to think properly." Evie replied after taking a few sips.

"That's good." I said.

"It is. Because I want to tell you all about my trip to Paris."

Evie then yawned deeply.

"I would love to hear all about it, E. But for now, you just need to focus on feeling better. Maybe you should lay back down for a bit." I said.

"Yeah, maybe I should." Evie said with another deep yawn.

"You should sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. I don't want you taking another chance with the stairs." I said as I helped Evie up and guided her to the foyer.

"Oh, Mal. You're so sweet." Evie said.

"I know." I said.

I walked Evie to the first bedroom and helped her into bed and tucked her in. But as I was about to leave, Evie grabbed and held onto my arm.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Stay with me." Evie said as she patted the empty space next to her with her free hand.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I sighed. I love cuddling with Evie every chance I get, but the kitchen...

"I need to clean up the kitchen." I said.

"Oh come on, Mal." Evie whined.

"I need to clean it up, then I'll be back, okay?" I asked.

Evie sighed, but smiled.

"Okay. Hurry back." she said.

I speed walked back into the kitchen to clean up the dishes and pans. After spending ten minutes cleaning the dishes and the kitchen, I returned back to the bedroom.

"Took you long enough." Evie laughed.

"Yeah, whatever." I said with a smile.

I got in the bed and snuggled close to her.

"Alright, tell me about your trip." I said.

"Okay, I got on the plane, which was luxurious. Remember those photos I sent you?"

"I do."

"Well, that's where I was. Business class." Evie said.

"Yeah? So what did you do during the twelve hour flight?" I asked.

"Sleep, watch movies, eat, use the bathroom, and talk to Gabi."

"Sounds nice." I said.

"It was." Evie said.

"Alright, tell me, what was the first thing you thought after you stepped off the plane and saw you were in Paris?" I asked.

"Shit!" Evie replied.

I laughed.

"Seriously?!" I asked.

"Seriously." Evie replied.

"Wow. Imagine that."

"Yeah."

Evie talked about the sights she saw along the way to her hotel suite. It was then she was starting to get tired. So I covered her with her blanket, gave her a kiss, then left her to sleep, promising me that she'll tell me the rest later.

[Mal and Evie's home. 4:30 pm]

Mal's POV

Several hours passed. I took a bit of a nap myself along with Evie and woke up first. Evie woke up after me when I left the room to walk across the hallway to use the guest bathroom. After I finished doing my thing, Evie approached me as I was washing my hands.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hi. How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better. Much better."

"That's good." I said.

After I dried my hands, Evie pulled me into a nice kiss.

"Thanks for taking care of me." she said.

"Of course. It was my pleasure. Are you hungry?" I asked.

"I am. Very."

Evie followed me into the kitchen, only to see we don't have too much to choose from. I haven't gone grocery shopping since before Evie left due to the remodel, so we needed to go to the store bad.

I checked the weather on my phone, curious to know what temperature it is, and saw it was getting cold outside. Well, it is nearly October. The leaves have already begun to change. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm happy that it's starting.

We returned to the bedroom to get dressed. We decided to wear the clothes we bought here in Vancouver. Not really wearing our Auradon or Isle clothes anymore. Well, I'm not. Evie still does a bit for work. But I pretty much am not anymore. Only wearing the new clothes I bought the day I had my hair changed.

After we were ready to go, Evie grabbed her blue Isle jacket, due to it being thicker in material, and put it on from the closet. However, she was concerned when she didn't see me put mine on.

"Mal? You know you're going to need a jacket, right? I don't want you catching a cold." she said.

"I know, but I'm not going to wear my purple one. Instead, I got myself a new one." I said.

On the day I had my hair changed to blonde and bought myself some new outfits, I got myself a new jacket as well. A white quilted jacket with black buttons. Very soft on the inside.

"Wow, you really have changed." Evie said.

"Is it too much?" I asked worriedly.

Evie smiled warmly at me.

"Not at all. You're always beautiful to me." she said with a kiss.

[Vancouver, Canada. 5:20 pm]

Mal's POV

We arrived at the store a bit later. After I got out of the car, it started to rain a little and the air was getting cold. Evie grabbed her purse and locked the car, then she put her arm around me and we quickly walked together to the entrance. As we approached the entrance, there was this group of young boys who were standing underneath the roof with skateboards in hand. Who probably don't want to ride in the rain.

"It's getting cold out here." said one boy.

"Yeah." said another.

"Can't ride in this weather."

"Yeah. Our weenies are going to shrivel up like a stack of dimes." said another boy as Evie and I walked past the group.

"Thank you for that visual." Evie whispered.

I glanced at Evie, who had an unamused look on her face, while I was smiling to myself.

When we walked inside the store, Evie grabbed a basket and I followed her from behind. We went to the deli and picked out a nice size, delicious looking, nice size rotisserie chicken.

"Oh, that's a good one." I said.

"Yes. I have a recipe that I'll use to make wonderful dinner with it." Evie said.

We walked around the store getting what we needed. Milk, eggs, chips, drinks, vegetables, some in cans and some fresh in a bag. After filling up half the cart with other things, we headed to a checkout to pay. While waiting, there was this stupid guy who got what he wanted, but didn't have his wallet.

"Oh, I forgot my wallet in the car. I'll be right back." he told the cashier.

The cashier wasn't pleased. Neither was I. That was just stupid. Another cashier opened up a register and directed me and Evie to his lane. After paying, we walked outside to sprinkling rain. I helped Evie place the bags in the trunk of our car. After the last bag was in the car, I offered to take the cart to the corral for Evie. She gave me a kiss as a sign of thanks, but as I was about to start walking the cart back, we both heard a familiar voice call to us.

"Hey, it's you two!"

I got nervous for a second, thinking it was someone from Auradon, but it wasn't. Not even close. Someone who had no relation to that whatsoever. Instead, it was our space pirate friend we met when we first arrived, Luka.

"Luka?" I asked.

"Hi, Mal! Hi, Evie! Long time no see." she said.

"Indeed, it has been." Evie said.

Evie and I exchanged hugs with Luka.

"I love your new look, Mal. So fresh." Luka said.

"Thanks. I certainly feel fresh." I said.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Evie asked.

"Oh, he's...around here somewhere. He was just behind me. You know, he does that sometimes. Wanders off without saying anything. But I know he'll find me. But how have you both been? How's the search going on for your forever home?" Luka asked.

"It went well. We found a house about a month after we met you, and bought it. We just finished having it remodeled. So now we have our forever home." I replied.

"That sounds great. I can't wait to see it. That is, if Marvelous and I are still invited, of course." Luka said.

"Of course!" I said.

"You're more than welcome." Evie said.

That was when Marvelous walked up.

"Hey." he said.

"Hi." I said.

"Hello." Evie said.

"Wow. Haven't you got prettier." Marvelous said to me.

"Thanks." I said.

"Where have you been?" Luka asked him.

"Inside, at their deli. This store makes great chicken." Marvelous replied.

He was holding a clear plastic container that had four pieces of fried chicken. Five, including the one he was currently eating.

"You went inside without me?!" Luka asked.

"I'm hungry."

"You can't just do things without telling me!"

"I do what I want." Marvelous said as he took another bite.

Luka scoffed and turned back to us with a smile.

"So, when would be a good time to visit you?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" Marvelous asked.

"Well, if you were here, you would know that our friends have their forever home." Luka said.

"Oh, so you found your treasure?" Marvelous asked.

"We have." Evie replied.

"And they had it remodeled, so it looks nicer than when they bought it." Luka said.

"Yeah? Well it can't be nicer than where we live." Marvelous said.

"Yeah? And where do you live?" Evie asked.

Marvelous smiled and pointed to a large grassy field behind the store. And in a viewable distance was their red three masted galleon spaceship.

"How did we not see that before?" Evie asked.

Evie and Luka talked a bit more, while I was out of it, only staring at the galleon. That's when something hit me.

"I think I have a way." I said.

"What?" Evie asked me.

"I thought of a way to have them come over here." I said.

"What are you talking about?" Evie asked.

"I found a way to have our family come over during their fall break." I said.

"How?" Evie asked.

I know this is kind of a crazy idea. But, I believe it's the simplest solution. I approached Marvelous, hoping he'll be okay with my proposition I'm about to give him.

"Marvelous, I know this is the second time we've met, but I'd like to ask you a favor." I said.

"Favor?" Luka asked.

"Pirates don't do favors." Marvelous said while folding his arms.

"I know. But I'm asking you, just this once. It would mean a lot to me if you did." I said.

"Mal, what are you trying to ask?" Evie asked, knowing I was kind of hesitating a bit because I'm afraid of how he may respond.

"What I'm trying to ask is: would you travel to Auradon and bring my family here so they can visit me and Evie during their fall break from school?"

I braced myself on the inside, hoping he won't automatically say "no".

"Why can't you go back to Auradon and get them yourselves?" Marvelous asked.

Okay, not an instant no.

"Because, well, it's not that we can't. But I'm not very welcomed there right now. Nor am I too popular. Evie and I are kind of runaways. I'm a wanted person there, while Evie is a missing person." I replied.

"I don't understand."

"Long story short, Mal had beaten up this...girl, who pretty much gets what she wants, provoked Mal to no end. She provoked her by telling Mal lies and very mean things. So Mal beat her up badly. Unfortunately, this girl has a way of making Mal's life miserable. So Mal and I packed our things, got a yacht with the help of the small family we have and sailed here without anyone else knowing." Evie explained.

"I see. That's what you meant when you told us you were "having a dispute with some people". This girl, has she been provoking Mal for a long time?" Luka asked.

"Yes and no. But she was never really kind to Mal. Only to me." Evie explained.

"I understand now. You can't return back because you're a criminal there, and if you dare to step foot there, you will be locked up." Marvelous said.

"Or banished." I said.

Marvelous smiled and patted me on the shoulders.

"I like you, Mal. And your girlfriend. I understand your situation. So therefore, I guess I will be happy to get your family and bring them here." he said.

I felt so happy and relieved.

"Really? Thank you so much!" I said happily.

I instantly went up to Marvelous and gave him a tight hug.

"Okay, you're being too touchy." Marvelous said after a few moments.

I laughed and let him go.

"But you want me to beat up this girl for you? You just tell me who she is, and I'll find her and wreck her." Marvelous said.

Evie and I laughed nervously.

"No. That's okay. I just want you to get my family. That's all." I said.

"But one thing in return, I'll cook you both an amazing dinner." Evie said.

"Now you really have yourself a deal!" Marvelous exclaimed happily.

"So who, when and where in Auradon do we pick up?" Luka asked.

"We'll let you know soon enough. It isn't quite time yet. The fall break won't start until a few weeks from now." Evie said.

"Good idea, E. We'll need to call them and let them know beforehand so they can prepare." I said.

Luka nodded and Evie took a piece of paper out of her purse along with a pen and wrote down our address.

"Here is our address. You're really welcome over anytime. But we'll let you know when to get them." Evie said.

"Sounds good." Luka said.

After that we said our goodbyes for now and went our separate ways.

When we got back home, we put the groceries away from the car and Evie started making our dinner for that night: parmesan baked chicken breast. As Evie was getting things prepped, I stood behind the island, watching her getting the stovetop heated up. I then noticed the chicken sitting in front of me.

It looked so delicious. Fresh, juicy and it smelled delicious too. I wanted to eat it so much. I know I would just dig in and eat it like crazy. But I was willing to settle for a small piece. Like a part of a leg, or a wing. I decided to go for it and grabbed a corner of the lid of the container the chicken was in. But as I just barely pulled a part of the top off the container…

"Ah! Hands off the chicken!" Evie exclaimed loudly which made me jump back.

Evie walked over to me and closed the lid where I managed to open and grabbed the chicken and sat it on the counter where she was prepping.

"Bad girl! You stay away from it until I say so." Evie said sternly before a smile.

I raised my brows and looked away from her. Thinking "Okay. Whatever." Next to the spot where the chicken was, I saw a box of snickerdoodle cookies. I licked the side of my lip, eager to have one. But as I put my hands on the box, Evie's bracelet was thrown right at the box, which caused me to jump back away from the island again.

"Oh come on, Evie. Just let me have one cookie." I begged as she approached me to retrieve her bracelet.

"Alright, baby. You can have one..." Evie said.

"Yes!"

I grabbed the box and cut through the price label that was sealing it shut. But after I opened the box, Evie forced my hand to close it.

"After you eat a nutritious dinner!" Evie said.

"Geez, when did you become my wife?" I asked as I backed away from the island.

Evie stared at me for a moment before responding with a short laugh.

"Oh, you just wait until that day." she said.

I couldn't help but think Evie was playing a little game with me. I'm sure she was serious about me not having a cookie or a piece of chicken, but the rest was all fun.