Hello! Here is another not so little update! I hope you guys like it and please let me know what you think!

Thank you to Tracie Adams for staying up late with me and helping me come up with some of the ideas for the stories!

Tracie Adams: You know what happens Lol, but I still hope you like the ending!

shortanamx: thank you! I hope you like it!

Sasamc123: Thank you! It was fun to write! I am putting it on a hole for a moment, but I am hopeful king going to have it out by summer. I want to finish the last chapters on Soulmates, the nanny, and starstruck before I finish that one.

brimason0201: Thank you so much! I am happy that you liked it! It will be HOPEFULLY out by summer. I know I keep putting it on hold but I want to get some of my other stories finished and completed before finishing and publishing that one.

InuKagLove22: yes she does!! It means... something... lol. I know it's subtle, but it will mean a lot more than it does now in my later chapters.

Guest: please let me know what you think!!:)

ENJOY!


Ben was running around the castle, trying to make sure that everything was perfect for Mal, her friends, and their family members. He had been going crazy ever since they had gotten back from their trip from the Isle that everyone thought he was thinking too much into it.

"Benji!" Chip yelled as he opened Ben's bedroom door, making the king jump.

"What?" Ben snapped as he turned to Chip. "Sorry," he said as he saw Chip's taken back look.

"It's fine," he said as he walked further into the room. "I just came to bring you downstairs. They are going to be here soon."

"What?!" Ben exclaimed, bringing his arm up to look at his watch. "It's not 2 yet!"

He looked at his watch, and couldn't believe that it was fifteen minutes until 2. He had been up early this morning, making sure that every room was perfect, and everyone who was coming had a place to sleep. He had a room made up for Mal just in case she wanted to stay in a room and not with him, but he was hoping that wasn't the case.

"Crap," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Where did the time go?"

"It went as fast as you ran around this castle," Chip told Ben, before he wrapped an arm around Ben's shoulder. "Stop worrying. You did everything, and there is nothing else you could do to make their stay more comfortable, other than carry them in yourself."

"I know, but I just want their first Christmas in Auradon to be the best."

"You mean, you want yours and Mal's first Christmas as a couple to be the best?" Chip asked.

"That too," Ben said as his cheeks started to flush red.

"Well, we can't make it the best if you keep running around the castle. So, come on," he said as he shoved Ben's shoulder and they walked out of the room to greet their guests for the holidays.


They were waiting on the top steps of the castle, very eager to start their holidays with the Isle residents. The limo pulled up to a stop, before the driver walked around and opened the door. The first to step out was Audrey, making the royal family look at the princess in confusion.

"What?" She asked as the rest of Ben's friends climbed out of the limo.

Chad, Jordan, Doug, Jane, and Lonnie all came out of the limo and smiled before the Isle residents started to pile out. Hades, Lady Persephone, Regina, Anastasia, Dizzy, Uma, Harry, Gil, Jay, Evie, and Carlos all came out of the limo, but Ben looked at the group with a confused look.

"Where's Mal?" Belle asked before Ben could.

Hades looked up and around the sky, before he smiled and pointed at a figure in the distance. The royal family squinted their eyes, not knowing what they were looking at, but when the figure got closer they saw that it was a dragon flying toward them. It was a giant purple dragon, and it looked like someone was sitting on the back of it. The dragon did a flip, making the person on its back almost fall.

"Don't do that Mal!" They heard Hadie yell. "I almost fell!"

"Mal!?" The royal family asked in astonishment.

"Since when did she know how to turn into a dragon?" Chip asked as he looked up at his brother's girlfriend in shock.

"Since this morning," Audrey said. "They came earlier, because Mal wanted to visit the Moors before coming to the castle. We were talking to Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, and they told us that Mal could potentially have the ability to turn into a dragon."

Everyone continued to watch as Mal circled the sky, with her brother on her back. It was truly amazing to see such a creature so close.

"It didn't take her long to figure out how to shift," Audrey said as she walked up the steps. "Maybe an hour."

"Mal has always been a fast learner," Hades said as he walked up the stairs, and before turning around. "MAL! It's time to fly down!"

Dragon Mal roared before she flew close to the ground. When she was nearly there, Hadie tucked and rolled off her wing, and she flew straight up, higher than the castle was built. A cloud of purple smoke surrounded her and when it cleared, Mal was in her human form, and she was falling. Ben's heart sank to his stomach, and he sprinted forward, in an attempt to catch her, but when she was five stories from the ground she disappeared, making Ben stop in his tracks. He looked all around for her, until he felt something jump on his back and wrap their legs around his waist.

"Miss me?" Mal asked as she snaked her around his neck.

Ben sighed in relief, knowing Mal was okay. "Don't ever do that again," he said as he grabbed her legs to hoist her higher on his back.

"I make no promises," she said, before she kissed his cheek.

"Come on, you two," Adam said, making the two look at him. "Let's get you all settled. Then we can tell you about all the activities we do here in Auradon."

After showing everyone where they were going to be staying Mal, Ben, and her family walked down another hall that Ben's room was in. Mal was still on his back, and she had stayed there for the entire tour of the castle.

"Here is your room," Ben said as he held one of his hands out, while keeping the other under Mal's thigh.

Hades and Persephone looked up at the big double doors, before looking back at Ben.

"I figured that giving the three of you a suite would be more comfortable," he said before he opened the door and walked in.

It was spacious with a small living area, a door that led to a bedroom with two queen sized beds, on the other side of the room was a door that led to a bathroom, and in the living area there were two glass doors that led to a balcony.

"This is very nice," Persephone said as she smiled at Ben. "Thank you King Ben."

"You are very welcome," Ben said as he finally let go of Mal, letting her feet hit the ground. "And please, no need for titles. You can just call me Ben."

"I prefer Bennyboy," Hades said as he sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "It has a nice ring to it."

"You can call me whatever you want," Ben said. "I'm dating your daughter, so I think it's fair."

"Atta boy," Hades said as he winked at Ben, making everyone laugh.

Hadie walked out of the bedroom, pointing behind him.

"Am I going to have to share a bed with Mally?" he asked.

"No," Ben said as he shook his head. "Mal is going to stay in the room that she stayed in last time."

"I am?" Mal asked as she turned to him and raised one of her eyebrows.

"Well… um…"

"I thought I was going to be sharing a room with you?" she asked.

Ben's eyes widened in shock. He was going to ask her, but he was going to do it in private, not in front of her parents.

"I thought so too," Hades said, making Ben snap his head at him.

"Excuse me?" Ben asked as he choked.

Hades shook his head and laughed before he reached into one of his bags. He pulled out a pair of blue boxers, and threw them at Ben before laughing. Ben caught the fabric, before realizing that it was a pair of his boxers.

"If you were trying to be sneaky, make sure to take all your clothes home with you," Hades said with a smirk on his face.

Ben's face turned as red as a tomato, before he looked at Mal. She was standing there, covering her mouth, trying not to burst out in laughter.

"Listen," Hades said as Persephone took a seat next to him. "You both are 25. You both are adults. You can make your own decisions. You don't have to be embarrassed to be sharing a room if you both want to. Uma and Harry aren't, so neither should you."

"He is right," Persephone said. "It's completely normal for couples to want to spend time together, so you don't have to hide your feelings for one another."

"Understand," Ben said as he shoved the boxers into his pocket and nodded his head. "Well, since that has been dealt with," he said as he turned to Mal. "If you want to stay in my room, you are more than welcome to."

Mak smirked at him before pinching his cheek. "Oh, honey," she cooed. "It's so cute that you think you had a choice." She grabbed his hand and started to pull him out of the room, before waving at her parents. "See you at dinner!"

The door closed behind them, and Mal's parents shook their heads in amusement.

"You let him off easy," Persephone said as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Well, I didn't want to embarrass him more than he already was," he said. "He was as red as I get when I'm mad. Imagine if I made a comment on the crowns on his boxers."

Persephone and Hadie laughed. They knew that Ben and Mal were responsible, and they could be trusted to make their own decisions.

Ben and Mal walked into his room, and he placed her bags on the floor as he closed the door.

"So," he said as she plopped on his bed. "How did your dad find my boxers?" he asked as he walked over to the bed.

"Oh!" she said as she started to laugh. "That was funny! He came over for a visit, and I was in my room, cleaning. I spilled my water on the floor, and he slipped. He saw them laying under my bed, and he started to question me, but it was more of him teasing me."

"He wasn't mad?" he asked.

"Nope," Mal said as she turned her head to look at Ben. "I have a very trusting and open relationship with my parents. I don't keep anything from them. He just wants us to be… safe."

"That's nice, and understable. My parents said the same thing," he said. "But that was embarrassing for me," he told her as he grabbed her ankle and dragged her across the bed. "What did he say?"

She laughed before shaking her head. "He asked me if you stayed with me, and I said yes. He obviously didn't want to know the dirty details, because what parent would?" she said. "But he is smart and he can put pieces together. After that, he just teased me about having a boyfriend."

"Why would he tease you for that?" Ben asked as he let go over her ankle to take his coat off.

"Because you are my first one."

"I keep forgetting that I am your first boyfriend," he said in slight disbelief.

"Why?"

"Because you are undeniably beautiful, and any guy would be lucky to have you," he said as he smirked down at her.

"Well, aren't you so lucky," she said as she smirked at him.

He chuckled before he leaned down and gave her a slow and soft kiss. He had been waiting for this moment since he had left the Isle a month ago. He didn't know what it was about Mal that made him crave her, but he was her willing prisoner, and he was more than happy to be.


A couple of hours later, Ben and Mal were walking downstairs with their friends, to join everyone else for dinner. When they entered the dining room, they saw his parents, Mal's parents, Regina, and Chip laughing at the table.

"What's so funny?" Ben asked as he pulled out Mal's chair and she took her seat.

Everyone looked at him, before chuckling again, making him grow more confused.

"Benji," Chip said as he started to control his laughter. "If you are going to stay with your girlfriend, and want to keep it a secret, make sure you take your underwear with you when you leave."

"You told him your dad found his boxers?" Jay asked as he started to laugh.

Ben's face grew red as he sat down, now knowing that he was going to be the joke of the holiday.

"More like, dad brought them with him, and threw them at Ben," Hadie said as he sat down next to Dizzy and his mom.

"Okay," Mal said as she held her hand up. "Let's stop making fun of the guy who is allowing us to stay in his castle for the holidays," she said. "We all had our laughs, but let's stop embarrassing him."

"But where is the fun in that?" Harry asked.

Mal squinted her eyes, before tilting her head at him.

"Two words. Docks. Towel," she said as she held up two fingers at the pirate.

"Aye," he said as he held his hands up in defeat. "I surrender."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked. "I want to know."

Handy pointed at Mal, before standing up from his chair. "Yee promised," he said.

"And I will keep that promise, as long as you stop teasing Ben," she said as she looked at all of her friends and family. "All of you."

"I make no promises," Hadie said as he sat back in his chair.

"Really?" Mal asked, making Hadie nod his head. "Two months ago."

"I give," Hadie said as he held his hands up.

She smirked before looking at everyone, but mainly the boys. "Pants and rooftop," she said as she pointed to Jay. "Outhouse," she said as she pointed to Gil. "And fur coat and closet," she said as she pointed to Carlos.

"Done," they each said, holding their hand up, and making everyone else in the room look at the boys in shock.

"What just happened?" Ben asked as he leaned in and whispered to his girlfriend.

"Mal just blackmailed all of the boys," Uma said as she smirked at her boyfriend. "I want to know what happened at the docks now, but I'll leave it be for now."

"Now," Mal said as she sat up and looked toward her boyfriend's parents. "What are your traditions for these holidays?"

"Well, you all will be here for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years," Belle said as she smiled at Mal. "For Thanksgiving, Mrs. Potts makes a fabulous meal for dinner. Then after Thanksgiving, we start setting up for Christmas. We decorate the castle with lights, a Christmas tree, we watch the first snowfall, decorate gingerbread houses, wrap presents, shop," she continued.

"That sounds fun," Persephone said. "I love Auradon at Christmas, and I have always wanted the kids to experience it."

"Well, we're very happy to be experiencing their first one with you," Adam said with a smile.

"Oh!" Belle said. "And we have a Christmas festival," she said in excitement. "Every year, the King lights up the town square for the holidays. There are games, hot chocolate, rides, performances, and all sorts of things to do."

"When is that?" Evie asked.

"On December 1st," Ben said. "It will be my ninth year doing it," he said.

"And don't forget the Christmas ball," Adam said.

"Ball!?" Evie asked in horror.

Evie started to panic. When they talked about coming to Auradon for the holidays, Ben or the others didn't mention a ball.

"E," Mal said as she held her hand up. "Calm down."

"What do you mean calm down?' Evie asked. "I don't have gowns AGAIN! I am going to have to make more dresses, and we're going to have to go to the Isle to try and find shoes to match. This is going to be a mess."

"Evie, sweetheart," Belle said as she looked over at the frantic young woman. "We can do what we did last time. There is no need to panic."

"Yes," Hades said. "But this time it is on him," he said as he pointed to the ceiling.

Everyone looked up at the ceiling, not knowing what Hades was pointing at.

"Um… dad?" Hadie said. "What are you pointing at?"

"BROTHER!" He shouted. "My niece needs money for dress stuff!"

Not thirty seconds later, a lightning bolt struck the table, making everyone jump. When the bright light cleared, two big bags that were overflowing with gold coins were sitting in front of Evie. She looked at the table in shock, before looking over at Hades. He gave her a smile and a wink, making her smile even brighter.

"Thank you!" She shouted toward the ceiling, making everyone laugh.

"I would have given her the money," Ben said, making Mal look at him.

"Yeah, but my dad said he was going to have Zeus pay for most of our stuff if we needed it," she said with a chuckle. "Plus, why would I want you to give me money to buy you a Christmas present?"

More lighting bolts struck the table, but this time it was in front of all the Isle residents. When the bright light cleared each one had a big bag of gold coins sitting in front of them, making all of their eyes widen.

"Thank you!" Each of them yelled up toward the ceiling, making the adults and their friends laugh.


A week later, it was Thanksgiving, and Ben woke up to an empty bed.

"Mal?" He called out, not knowing where she was.

He sat up, scanned the room, but Mal wasn't there. He knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no answer. He checked the balcony, but it was bare. He had no clue where she was. He walked over to his nightstand, and called her from his phone.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Where are you?"

"Good morning to you too," she said as she chuckled. "I'm in the kitchen with Mrs. Potts, our moms, Regina, and Evie."

"What are you doing there?" He asked as he sat on his bed.

"What else do you do in the kitchen?"

"Typically, I taste test all of Mrs. Potts' food before she kicks Chip and I out," he told her.

"And he better not do it this year," he heard Mrs. Potts shout over the phone.

"You heard the woman," Mal said. "Now, why don't you get ready for breakfast, because it will be ready in about 20 minutes."

"Okay," he said as he grew a smile on his face. "I'll see you in a bit."

"You sound so eager," she said jokingly.

"To see you? Always," he said.

"You're cheesy," she said.

"Get used to it. You're in Auradon," he said before he hung up the phone to get in the shower.

His first Thanksgiving with Mal, he thought. He was excited to be spending their first holiday together, and he couldn't want to share all of their Christmas transitions together.


Everyone was gathered in the dining room, mingling, while Ben entered. This was a different feeling from all the Thanksgivings before. Not only because his friends were here, and not because Mal was here. It was different because this was a step toward change. Watching the Isle residents and Auradonians getting along, smiling, laughing, and enjoying spending time together made him feel like he was following his dream.

"What are you staring at?" Mal asked as she walked up behind him.

He turned to her, and saw her dressed in a simple knee length leather skirt and a greed blouse. Her hair was loosely curled, and some of it was braided back with pins.

"I am just happy to see everyone getting along," he told her as he looked back at everyone. "I haven wanted this for so long, and to see everything falling into place makes me very happy to see where all our futures are going to lie."

"Well," she said as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Every dream begins with a dreamer, but you need to remember that the strength, the passion, and the patients you have within you is the key to reaching for the stars and to change the world."

He looked down at her and gave her a small appreciative smile. The words were very nice to hear. She scrunched her nose and smiled at him, before walking into the dining room to join everyone else. This was going to be good, he thought to himself. Everything is going to be great.


"What did you think of your first Thanksgiving in Auradon?" Ben asked as he closed his bedroom door behind him and Mal.

"My first?" She asked as she threw herself on his bed. "Does that mean I am invited to more Thanksgivings?"

"You are invited to every future Thanksgiving and more," he told her as he shrugged his jacket.

"I see," she said as she sat up and smiled at him. "But what if you get bored of me?"

He huffed a laugh before looking up at the ceiling. "Me getting bored of my perfect, super talented, godling, fae, and dragon girlfriend? How would that even be possible?" He asked as he started to unbutton his shirt.

"You never know," she said with a shrug. "I may not turn out to be as perfect as you think."

He stopped and looked at her. She sat there, staring at him with a smirk on her face. Ben had a few relationships in his past, but he had never felt this way about a girl in his life. He walked toward her, making her look at him with a raised eyebrow. He placed his hands on the bed, on either side of her hip, before moving close to her face.

"Can I be honest with you?" He said, making her gulp from how close his face was to hers. She slowly nodded her head, as her eyes shifted to look at his lips. "I have had girlfriends before," he told her as he pushed himself up, turned away from her, and continued to undo his shirt. "Not a lot of them, but a couple."

"Okay," she said, trying to steady herself.

"And I have never felt like I do right now, until I met you." He slung his tie over a chair and then shrugged his shirt off. Mal watched him with lingering eyes, wanting to hear the words fall off his mouth. She slowly walked toward him and stood behind him, close enough to smell his cologne. "I don't know if you feel the same way or if I am being too forward…" he said as he turned and froze when Mal crushed her lips to his hungrily.

She snaked her arms around his neck, making his land on her waist. He pulled her as close as he could, wanting to let the kiss linger. He bent his knees just enough to grab the back off her legs, and picked her, making her wrap her legs around his waist. He pushed her back up against a wall, deepening the kiss. They fought for dominance, as she brought her hands up to his hair and knotted her fingers in it. After a couple of minutes, they broke apart breathlessly.

"What was I saying?" He asked as he pressed his forehead against hers and huffed a laugh.

She chuckled before she cupped his face and looked into his hazel-green eyes. "I love you too."

He smiled at her, before he pressed his lips to hers again. Hearing it come from her first made him so happy. He loved before, but he had never felt this type of love in his life. A type of love he would give everything up for.


"You almost ready?" Mal asked as she walked out of Ben's bathroom.

Today was their council meeting, and the day Ben was going to tell the council his idea of bringing the barrier down. He turned to look at her and saw she was wearing a dark blue business suit with a dark purple blouse.

"Yeah," he said as he nodded his head and clasped his watch on. "I am just a little nervous."

"Everything is going to be fine," she said as she walked up to him and put her hands on his chest. "I don't know anyone who isn't going to hear you out."

He grabbed her hands and held them in his own, before kissing her knuckles. Anytime he was stressed around her, she always made him feel better. They hadn't known each other long, but just her presence made him at ease.

"Can I give you something before we head down?" he asked.

"Um… sure," she said with some slight hesitation.

He pulled away from her, before walking around the bed and to his nightstand. He opened the top drawer, and pulled out a small long box. He walked back around the bed and held it out for her, and she gave him a curious look.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Open it and find out," he said as he held the box in his hand.

She took the box into her hands, and opened it to see a silver bracelet that looked like a chain with a crown sitting in the middle of the links. She looked up at him with a slightly shocked expression and saw him smiling down at her.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"It's beautiful," she said. "But why?"

"Well," he said as he took it out of the box and grabbed her wrist. "It was intended to be one of your Christmas presents, but I thought why not." He clasped the bracelet onto her wrist and smiled as her eyes brightened. "You can add charms to it too, and I have some, but you will have to wait until Christmas to get those."

"I love it," she said as she touched the crown charm.

"It represents you being crowned Queen of the Moors."

She smiled up at him, before pushing up on her toes and giving him a sweet kiss on the lips.


"Okay," Ben said as he walked into the council room and as everyone else stood. "Thank you all for being here today. I know things are getting crazy in all of your kingdoms with Christmas coming up."

He stood in front of the long table and saw everyone smiling at him. He gestured for everyone to sit, and they all obliged before Ben started to continue his introduction.

"We have some newer members," he said as he nodded to Mal, Hades, Evie, Uma, and Persephone. "Queen Malloy Drakos of the Moors, King Hades of the Underworld and the Isle of the Lost, Queen Persephone of the Underworld and the Isle of the Lost, Lady Uma Eladis of the Isle of the Lost, and Princess Evie of Charmington."

Evie gave Ben a confused look, before Snow White took her hand under the table. She turned to see Snow giving her a kind smile, before returning it herself.

"We are here today to discuss the changes that are going to be made to the Isle."

"What are the conditions?" Tiana asked. "I know you and your friends went for a month, and now you have a better and personal understanding of what we were told during the last council meeting."

Ben took a deep breath before shaking his head. He knew that the council heard what was wrong with the Isle, but to see it first hand was a completely different thing.

"I think his majesty is having flashbacks," Uma said as she leaned back in her chair and smirked.

"No," Ben said as he shook his head. "I am more thinking about what would be the best place to start."

"Déjà vu," Mal said as she chuckled to herself.

"I would say the first thing to start off is the food," he said. "It's more than inedible… it's…"

"Garbage," Uma said. "Like we told you in the last meeting."

"Yeah," Ben said. "Well, during our visit, Queen Persephone made us comfortable by bringing food and resources to keep the food fresh from Auradon."

"I thought the Isle had trouble with electricity," Merida said as she raised her hand.

"It is not the best, but we, and when I say 'we' I mean Carlos," Evie said, making her friends laugh. "Find a way to make it work."

"I see," Merida said as she sat back in her chair. "Good to know."

"Back to the food," Ben said. "It is very inedible and nothing is healthy for anyone to eat."

"Excuse me," Mal said as she looked at her boyfriend. "You hit a perfectly good apple out of my hand when we showed you."

"If you consider an apple that was brown and squishy to be 'perfectly good' then that is a problem," he said as he looked at her, making her chuckle.

"Have you never had applesauce?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Applesauce is not dark brown," he told her, making her shake her head and laugh. "Now, as I was saying. The food is inedible and that has to be the first change we make."

"The barges leave from Charmington, your majesty," Snow said as she raised her hand. "If we could, we could send more than one barge a month."

"I was thinking the same," he said with a nod. "I think that we should send food barges twice a week if not more."

"Twice a week?" Uma asked in shock. "We wouldn't know what to do with all of that food."

"You guys eat garbage," Ben said. "Two times a week is absolutely nothing to worry about, and it will all be fresh."

"Well, if we want it to stay fresh for them, we need to fix the electrical part of the Isle," King Kristoff said.

"Carlos can do that," Evie said. "Like I said. He is the techy one, and if he can get the resources to do it, he can."

"We can't send everything over in one chunk, but we can start by sending something," Ben said. "I will talk with Carlos about it later, and maybe Doug can help him if he would need it."

"Absolutely," Doug said with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Doug," Evie said as she gave him a sweet smile.

"Are we allowed to volunteer?" Queen Tiana asked. "I would love to help with improving food on the Isle, and…"

"All of you are more than welcome to help," Ben said as he held out his hands and looked around the room. "I would love to see the initiative, and I think the Isle would too."

"We would just like to know who and when you would like to come," Mal said. "We want to make sure that someone is going to be with you at all times, because there are still people on the Isle who don't want to change."

"Which brings up my next point," Ben said as he loosened his tie. "I want to bring the barrier down."

The room fell silent, before he looked to see a mix of emotions. Some looked shocked, while others looked scared.

"I understand that some may…"

"You just said that some people do not want to change," General Shang said as he looked over at Mal. "If King Ben brings that barrier down. What about those certain people? What if they try to do something?"

"That is where I step in," Uma said as she stood up. "I had an idea. There is a remote island that is just off the coast of the Isle. We could create, and I hate saying this, another Isle."

"You want to create another Isle?" Aurora asked.

"Technically, yes," Uma said. "There are only a handful of people who don't want to change, and if FG is willing to, we could put a barrier around that smaller island."

"We would, obviously, not treat it like how the Isle has been treated," Mal said as she stood from her chair and started to walk around the room. "They may not want to change, but they are people. We won't starve them or make their living conditions unbearable, but it would be the best move to make for the Isle residents who have changed."

"How would we know if they really changed?" Shang asked. "They could be lying."

"Very true," Mal said as she nodded her head. "We are very good at that, but you have us here to know who really changed and who is bullshitting, pardon my French," she said as she held her hand out. "I can assure you that we want what is best for the Isle and Auradon. We would do nothing to ruin your kingdom."

Shang smiled before he nodded his head. He may have sounded harsh, but he just wanted to know what they were saying was true. He sat back down, he held his hands out for Ben to take the lead.

"All in favor?" He asked.

It was a unanimous vote. The barrier was going to come down, but it was just a matter of when. Mal, Uma, and Evie ran toward each other and hugged before breaking apart. It was normal to be excited, but they wanted to stay professional.

Ben shook his head and chuckled, before he held his hand out for them to take their seats back. The three of them chuckled before taking their seats and looking back at Ben.

"Okay," he said as he smiled at the council sitting in front of him. "Let's get deeper into this."


"That went better than I ever thought it was going to go," Mal said as she plopped on the couch in Belle's library.

"What were you expecting?" Ben asked as he grabbed her legs to sit down, and placed them on his legs. "Were you expecting a riot?"

"Kinda," she said as she looked up to meet his eyes. "I know people are more… welcoming? Toward us. But I didn't think that they would be jumping at the bit to go to the Isle."

"That is a great way to put it," he said as he laughed and rubbed her leg. "But now we just have to wait until the holidays are over and then we can work with the first group."

"Great," she said as she threw her legs off of him and sat up. "What is next on the Auradon Christmas agenda?"

"Well, tonight is the lighting of town square."

"That festival thing you were telling us about when we got here?" Uma asked.

"The very one," Belle said as she walked into the library with everyone else behind her. "Almost all of Auradon is going to be there, but it is nothing fancy," she said as she pointed to Evie who had a worried look on her face. "It is a festival full of games, foods, music, rides, and a lot more fun things to do."

"So we just get to have fun?" Gil asked as he stood next to Audrey.

"That is what we are hoping for, and if we don't want to be late, you guys better hurry and change. It's going to be cold tonight."

Everyone smiled before walking out of the library to get ready. This was going to be the Isle residents first Auradon Christmas festival, and the royals could not wait to show them everything.


"Hello, Auradon!" Ben exclaimed as he walked up to a podium that was in the middle of town square. "Welcome to this year's Christmas festival!" The large crowd cheered as his friends and family stood off to the side, by the stage. "I am so happy to be here with all of you tonight, and I am very excited for this Christmas."

Mal stood next to her parents, brother, and Ben's parents as she watched her boyfriend make his speech. It still felt so weird to her, saying she had a boyfriend. And not to mention that her boyfriend was the King of Auradon.

"This is a very special Christmas," Ben said, making Mal break out of her thoughts. "This year is the first year some of the Isle residents will be joining my family and I for Christmas," he said as he peaked to the side and smiled. "And I hope this is the first of many with them."

Belle wrapped an arm around Mal's and gave her a tight squeeze, making Mal lean her head on Belle's. She liked how welcoming Ben's family was to her.

"Now," Ben said. "Without further adieu. Let's get this festival started!" He exclaimed as he pushed the giant red button on the podium.

Beautiful lights cascades around town square, lighting up the entire area. The Isle residents looked around with astound looks on their faces. They had never seen so many lights in their lives, and they looked so beautiful.

"Are you ready to have some fun?" Ben asked, making Mal turn to see him standing behind her.

"Yeah," she said, before he took her hand and they walked into the festival to have fun with their friends and family.

About an hour and a half later, Ben was playing a carnival game with Hadie, Jay, and Gil. It was one of those games where you had to shoot the ducks to win a prize. Jay and Hadie thought that Gil was going to win, but were completely shocked to see Ben win.

"I can't believe that I lost," Gil said as the man gave Ben a stuffed green dragon. "And my dad is a hunter."

"What can I say?" Ben said with a shrug and smug smile on his face. "I'm a good shot."

They went in search of everyone else, but Ben was confused when everyone was standing next to the stage.

"Where is Mal, Uma, and Evie?" He asked as he walked up to his dad, Hadie, and Harry.

Harry pointed to the stage, and when Ben turned he saw Mal, Uma, and Evie standing on the stage.

"Hello," Mal said as she waved at the crowd. "So, me and my friends do not know much about your Auradon Christmas traditions, because we don't do Christmas on the Isle. Though, there is one thing that we do know about and that is Santa Clause." Sleigh bells started to jingle as the three girls started to sway back and forth on the stage.

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Oh, Santa!

Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make him mine, mine

Oh, Santa!

Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make him mine, mine

Oh, Santa!

Even more people started to surround the stage as the girls started to sing, and no one could blame them. The girls were very good singers and they were a joy to see and hear.

Santa

If you get this letter

Won't you help me out

I know you're kinda busy with your elves right now

And I don't know how

You do the things you do while I sleep on Christmas Eve

But it's amazing

And I bet that you could bring me back my baby

Because every time I see Christmas lights

I feel this void inside

And I just can't take it

Doug watched Evie as she sang on stage. He had found her very beautiful the first time he saw her, but she was much more than that. To him, she was the smartest, sweetest, and strongest woman he had ever had met.

I saw them shopping last week

And his new girl was so bleak

And then I swore to myself

Santa's gonna come and make him mine this Christmas night

Ben watched his girlfriend sing her heart out. He could not believe that she could make him this happy, but she did. Ever since he met her, she had turned his life upside down, and he was never going to let her go.

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make you mine, ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas night

Mal saw her family and friends watching and sweating back and dancing as her, Uma, and Evie sang. She watched her dad spin her mom and pull her close to him as they started to dance together. Their relationship made Mal so happy. She wanted something like that, and maybe she would have something like that with Ben.

Oh, Santa!

I heard that it's really gonna snow this year

So I hope Rudolph and them other eight reindeer

Get you safely here

So you can scoop him up

And swoop him right down my chimney

I've been really, really, really good this year

So put on that red suit and make him appear

'Cause Christmas cheer

Just ain't the same without my baby

Come on oh Kris Kringle save me help

"Can I say thank you," someone said behind Ben, making him turn to see Evie's mom standing behind him. Ben was about to ask her what she meant, but she held up her hand. "I am thanking you for changing the lives of our kids," she told him. "You may have changed Mal's in an intimate way, but you have changed my Evie's just as much if not more."

"Can I ask how?"

"Because of you, Evie is finally going to meet her father," she said as she shed a tear and looked up at her daughter.

They say it's unrealistic

But I believe in you Saint Nick

So grant this wish for me right quick

Santa won't you come and make him mine this Christmas night

Regina turned back to Ben, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I should explain myself, because I assume you're confused."

Ben was confused, because Evie was born on the Isle, so her father would have to be from the Isle.

"I was one of the last 'villains' to be taken to the Isle," she started to explain. "I thought making peace with Snow would help me, but it didn't. Auradon was still looking for me. Snow tried to hide me as best as she could and so did my husband, but it wasn't enough," she continued, and saw how Ben was very intrigued by this. "I was two months pregnant when I was taken to the Isle, but before they took me, I cast a spell on myself to freeze my pregnancy."

"But when you got to the Isle your spell would have uncast itself," he said.

"Very true," she said with a small smile. "The barrier keeps dark magic out, but I have light magic. It is very different from dark magic, but the barrier still did slowly weaken my spell."

"When did you go to the Isle?" Ben asked.

"Almost two years after it was formed," she said.

"That means you would have been pregnant with Evie for two years," Ben said as he looked at Regina with a stunned look on his face.

"I indeed was," she said with a nod.

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make you mine, ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas night

Oh, Santa!

"The barrier weakened my spell, but it took over a year for the spell to completely leave me," she explained. "I was living with Maleficent, and she told me I had nothing to worry about. That my baby would be fine, and that no harm would come to her."

Oh, Santa (Oh, oh, oh)

Oh, Santa

Come on, Santa (Oh, Santa)

"When I gave birth to Evie, Maleficent asked me who the father was," Regina continued. "She never asked me before, because she wanted to respect my privacy, but she had opened her home to me and made me a part of her family."

"If you don't mind me asking," Ben said, making Regina turn to him. "Who is Evie's father?"

She smiled before looking at Evie and then back to Ben. She held her hand out for him to shake, making him grow confused. "Hi, my name is Regina Hood. My husband is Robin Hood."

Santa gon' come and make him mine this Christmas (Oh, Santa)

Santa gon' come and make him mine, mine

Santa gon' come and make him mine this Christmas

Santa gon' come and make him mine, mine (Oh, oh, oh)

Ben Smiled before he took her hand and shook it.

"I changed my name when I got to the Isle, and before I had Evie. I didn't want anyone to mess with her or I. I thought it would be the safest that way."

"So, Evie's name is Evilyn Hood?"

Regina nodded her head and smiled at the young king. "Snow reached out to Robin after their visit last time. So, if you don't mind, would it be okay if he surprised Evie tomorrow with her father and brother?"

Ben smiled and nodded his head. "Absolutely," he told her. "Sir Robin was already invited to the ball in a couple of weeks. He is more than welcome to stay at the castle, along with Roland. You did not need my permission to surprise your daughter with her father."

Regina said with a chuckle and thanked the young king. "Snow said that Roland is very excited to see Evie."

Oh, Santa Claus

If you get this letter

Please don't make me wait

Cause all December I'll be counting down the days

So hop on your sleigh

I promise that I won't forget the milk and cookies

"If you don't mind me asking, does Evie know who her father is?"

"Yes," Regina said as she nodded her head. "Evie knows everything, including the name switch for her protection."

"So she knows her last name is Hood?"

"Yes," Regina said with a smile. "Now, I do not want to take up all of your time. So, let's finish watching the girls and we can enjoy the rest of the night."

Both Ben and Regina turned their attention back to the stage, and the girls were still singing and dancing across the stage.

The tree's all sparkly and gold

But inside I feel so cold

So soon as you leave the North Pole

Santa won't you come and make him mine this Christmas

Hades turned to see Ben smiling at the stage. He had never seen anyone look at his daughter the way Ben does. With such admiration and joy. He didn't know what was going to happen between Mal and Ben though their relationship, but he was hoping that they would be together for a long time.

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine, mine

Mal looked down at Ben and saw him smiling up at her. She couldn't help the blush come on to her cheeks. He made butterflies go wild in her stomach and she never felt this way before.

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine, mine

Harry watched as Uma spun on the stage. She had always had this free spirit about her, but she tucked it away to protect those on the Isle, and he was so happy to see her letting loose and having fun.

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

Ho, ho, ho

Santa's gonna come and make you mine, mine

Hadie spun Dizzy around before he kissed her cheek. They had been officially dating for just over a year, but they had been friends since they were 5.

Santa's gonna come and make you mine this Christmas

Santa's gonna come and make you mine

The girls stood on the edge of the stage as they sang the last verse. The crowd started to scream and cheer, making the girls laugh.

"Thank you!" Mal said into the microphone. "Have a Merry Christmas!"

They put the microphones on the stands and rushed down the steps toward their friends and family.

"You ladies were amazing," Seph said as she pulled Uma and Mal in for a hug and Regina pulled Evie in for one.

"That was amazing," Belle said as she walked up to them. "I didn't realize how talented you were."

"They sure are," Ben said as he pulled Mal close to his chest, and gave her the stuffed dragon plush he won. "Are we all ready to go back to the castle? It looks like it's going to snow."

"Let's go," Mal said, as she turned and laced Ben's fingers with hers.


Everyone was standing on the terrace of Auradon Castle waiting for the snow to fall. They were all dressed in comfortable warm clothes, and were talking to each other.

"So, I will take you all shopping tomorrow," Belle said as she looked at Mal, her friends, and their parents. "Ben, Adam, and the others have a meeting tomorrow. So, we have the day to get Christmas gifts."

"I would love to go, but I have a meeting with the big guy in the sky," Hades said as he pointed to the sky.

"I know," Persephone said as she rolled her eyes. "You and your brothers are having a 'meeting'," she said as she threw air quotes around meeting.

"Why the…"

"Because we all know that you, Poseidon, and Zeus are going to be figuring out what you are going to get Hera, Amphitrite, and I for Christmas," she said as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

You would have thought that after many many years together, Hades would know that he could not hide anything from his wife. She was smart, and Hades always thought he could outsmart her, but he would always fail.

"That counts as a meeting," he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "A very important topic too."

Everyone chuckled and then Ben tapped Mal on the shoulder. She turned to look at him, but saw he was looking behind him.

"What happened?" She asked as she put a hand on his chest. She saw that he was smiling, and then when she turned to see what he was looking at, she saw Audrey and Gil smiling and laughing. "I see." She said as she smiled at the pair. "Did I tell you that he had a crush on her from when he saw her at the meeting?"

"No," he said as he looked down at her with a shocked look. "You never…"

"I was a bit preoccupied to remember," she said as she smirked at him. "But going back to that, he told the boys that he was not going to say anything because she was dating Chad at that time. When I tell you that he smiled so big, when Uma said she and Chad broke up, we all thought his face was going to break into two."

Ben chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close so her face was against his chest. Everyone had gone off in their own couples or smaller groups to mingle, but Ben and Mal stayed at the top of the terrace in a close embrace. Ben looked down at Mal with a loving smile, while she looked back up at him. Her eyes shifted when she saw white flakes starting to fall from the sky. Everyone started to look at the sky as the snow started to float toward them. The Isle residents had never experienced snow, and they never knew how cold it was.

"It's cold," Gil said as he held his hands out.

"It's like frozen rain," Audrey said as she held her hands out. She showed him as snow flaked started to land on the palms of her hand and melted in an instant. "See," she said as she wiped the water off her hands. "It melts pretty quick until it starts to snow harder and it starts to stick to the snow."

"That's amazing," he said as he looked down to see that a couple of snowflakes were sticking to her eyelashes. "You have some snow on your eyes," he told her as his cheeks flushed red.

She chuckled before she softly brushed the snow off her eyes, before pushing herself up on her toes and giving him a kiss on his cheek, making his cheeks flush even redder than they already were. It also didn't help seeing how cold it was outside either. She smiled up at him, before they both walked back over to their friends who were pretending that they weren't watching the entire interaction between the two of them.


The next day, Belle took Mal, Evie, Uma, Harry, Gil, Jay, Carlos, Dizzy, Hadie, Persephone, and Regina shopping for Christmas gifts, along with Jordan and Jane. They were all shopping for each other and the others who were not with them. Mal had gotten mostly all the gifts she was shopping for, and was waiting for Evie, Regina, Belle, and Persephone when a swarm of people surrounded her, blinding her with flashing lights.

"Queen Mal!" They shouted at her as they started to ramble questions she could barely make out. "What are you doing here? How are you liking your first Auradon Christmas? Are you and King Ben serious? How long have you two been dating now? There are rumors that the Isle is going to be fixed? What are your plans for the Isle?"

"Hold on," she said as she tried to shoo them back, but they kept on pressing her.

"STOP!" They heard someone yell, making all of them freeze.

They turned around to see three angry mothers and Mal's angry best friend standing behind them. Persephone, Regina, and Evie looked pissed, but if the looks Belle was giving the press could kill, they would be dead.

"What are you doing?" Belle asked as she walked up to the group and glared at them. "What gives you the right to bombard a young girl like that?" The press stood frozen as Belle continued to glare at them. "If you would have liked to ask her questions, you could have asked instead of being so pushy. I should report all of you for disturbing her. You would never treat King Ben like this, let alone any of the other royals," she lectured. "Like you said, Mal is a QUEEN. Be respectful and treat her as such."

Jay, Carlos and the others walked up to the group and were confused when they saw Belle lecturing a group of people.

"What happened?" Hadie asked as he walked up to his sister.

The press started to bombard me, and they are now getting a lecture from Belle," she said.

"I have never seen Belle so angry before," Jane said as she pointed at her aunt. "And she lives with Uncle Adam."

"And the next time I see any of you bombarding Mal or any of her friends," Belle said as she pointed at each and every one of them. "You will be dealing with the Auradon royal council instead of just being fined. Do I make myself clear?" She asked.

They all nodded their heads, before they scurried away with their tails between their legs. Belle huffed before she turned back to the others and gave them a kind smile.

"I am so sorry about that, Mal," she said as she looked at her son's girlfriend. "They should have known better."

"It is okay, Belle, but thank you," Mal said as she gave Belle a side hug. "I was about to tell them something, but it was fun to see them get scared of you."

Belle chuckled, before she sighed. She knew she hated when the press bombarded her, so she could only imagine how flustered Mal was possibly getting.

"Are we all ready to go back to the castle? The others should be out of their meeting and dinner will probably be ready in an hour or so."

Everyone nodded, before they all headed toward the limo, and made their way back to Auradon castle. When they pulled up, Ben was waiting out on the top steps, pacing back and forth. When Mal got out of the car, Ben rushed over and started to ask her if she was alright.

"I'm fine," she said as she started to grab her bags. "How did you even find out?"

He held his phone out and she saw a video of her being surrounded by the press, and Belle was storming up to them.

"It was nothing," she said as she handed him some of her bags. "Your mom handled them before I could."

"Those vultures," he said as he and Mal followed everyone into the castle. "I hate when they do that, and I especially hate that they did it to you."

"They wanted to get to know Queen Mal," she said as they walked toward his room. "And King Ben's girlfriend."

"They could get to know you without being fucking pushy and rude," he said as they walked into the room and closed the door behind them.

"It's fine, Ben," she said as she turned around to look at him. "Nothing happened, everything is fine. Please, don't get mad. I don't want you to be mad tonight."

Ben knew that tonight was going to be special for them, but more for Evie and Regina.

"Okay," he said as he nodded his head. "I promise not to let it get under my skin."

"Thank you," she said as she pushed up on her toes to give him a kiss on his cheek.


They were all eating dessert, when Belle called Evie's name. "I have something I would like to give you," she said, making Evie look at her in confusion. "Would you mind following me?"

"Sure," she said as she slowly stood up and looked around at her mom and friends.

"They can come too, dear," Belle said as she held her hands out for Evie to take.

Everyone got up and followed Belle and Evie up the stairs. They walked down a corridor that Evie had gone down so many times in the two visits to Auradon. Belle stopped in front of the sewing room, and held her hand out for Evie to open the door. Evie was confused. She opened the door to see everything just the way she had left it, before they left to go shopping.

"I am confused," Evie said.

"I am gifting this sewing room to you, dear," Belle said, making Evie's mouth drop. "You use it more than I ever did, and I see how much you like it. I know you have only been to Auradon twice, but I have a feeling that you and your friends are going to be coming around here a lot more."

"I, personally," a voice said, making Evie jump and turn around to see a man with light brown haired man standing in a corner of the room. He was wearing a leather vest and had a beautiful leather quiver over one of his shoulders. "Would love for you to come here more."

Evie looked at the man curiously, not knowing who he was. She took a step forward as he did the same. When she got closer she saw he had three sets of initials engraved on the strap of his quiver. R.H., E.H., and another R.H. She looked up as her eyes started to fill with tears.

"Dad?" She asked.

"Hello, my darling," he said as he cupped the side of her face and pulled her in for a hug.

Her knees buckled as she started to cry. She had always dreamed about meeting her dad, but now that it was happening, she couldn't believe it.

"No tears," he said as he held his daughter close and kissed the side of her head. "No more tears. We are together," he whispered into her ear. "I love you so much, my darling," he told her as he started to tear up. "I have waited for this moment for so long."

"Can I cut in now?" Another voice said and another man walked out from behind the folding screen. "I would like to hug my sister."

"Roland," Evie said as she unwrapped her arms from around her dad's neck and flung herself at her brother.

"Hello, Evie," he said as he picked her up and spun her around.

Robin walked over to his wife, pulled her close, and crushed his lips to hers. "Hello, milady," he said as he cupped her face and smiled down at her.

"Hello, thief," she said as she smiled up at him.

Before they were married, and even after, they still called each other the names that they used to. They turned to look at Roland and Evie and saw them smiling at the pair.

"Mama Gina," Roland said as he held his arms out and walked over to Regina. The two hugged, while Robin walked over to Evie and pulled her to his side. "You haven't aged a day," Roland said as he pulled away from Regina and smiled down at her. "You age like fine wine."

She laughed and shook her head, before she put her fingers under his chin. "You have gotten so big and handsome," she said. "And I see you are a smooth talker."

He shrugged, before looking at the others in the room and then spotted Mal standing next to Uma and Ben. He raised his eyebrows before he puffed his chest up and strode over to her.

"And you my dear," he said as he looked at her. "Are ravishing."

He leaned against the wall, not noticing how Ben was giving him a weird look.

"I haven't heard much about you all, but I remember names from what dad and I heard," he said as she furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Are you Mal or Uma?"

"Alright," Evie said as she walked up to her brother and best friend. "This is Mal, she is my best friend, and she is King Ben's girlfriend. So she is off limits," she added as he looked at her and away from Mal.

Ben wrapped his arm around Mal's waist, pulling her to him so that her back was pressed against his front. Roland looked back at Mal, and that is when he noticed Mal chuckling and Ben looking at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"My apologies, your majesty," he said as he bowed his head to Ben.

"It's fine," Ben said as he tightened his hold on Mal's waist a little tighter. "I would have thought the same if roles were reversed."

"Thought?" Mal asked as she looked up at Ben.

"Well, I am king," he said. "I can't be so forward like others could be."

"Yet you never let anyone get within 5 feet of me when we came the first time," she said.

"I can't think of a good comeback at the moment," he said, making everyone chuckle. "Give me a moment."

"Well, while you take that thought," Belle said as she walked over to her husband. "Why don't we show Roland to his room."

"You're staying?" Evie asked as she turned to her parents and brother.

"Of course," Robin said as he looped Regina's arm through his. "The king invites us to stay for the Christmas holiday."

Evie looked at Ben and his parents who were smiling at her kindly.

"We were originally going to surprise you at the Christmas ball, but I reached out to the castle late last night, and asked if I could come a little early," Robin said.

Evie turned back to Ben and his parents and gave them a teary eyed smile. "Thank you. So very much."

"It is our pleasure," Adam said as he took Belle's hand. "Now, let's show Roland to his room, and then we can all have a good rest of our evening."


It was Christmas Eve and Ben rolled over to see that Mal was not in bed. He sat up. And looked around the room, but she wasn't there. He checked to see if she was in the bathroom or the balcony, but both places were bare. He called her and she answered on the third ring.

"Good morning, your majesty," she said with a happy tone.

"Good morning," he said. "Where are you?"

"Oh! Evie wanted to get the last fitting in for my dress for tonight," she told him. "I didn't want to wake you up to tell you, because you looked too peaceful."

Ben chuckled before running a hand through his hair. He never really slept longer than Mal did, but he was really tired from last night. He was up late with Lumier, Cogsworth, his mom, Jane, and Mal's mom, finishing up the ballroom for tonight. He didn't know what time he crawled into bed, but he was happy to be falling asleep with Mal next to him. He turned to look at the clock and saw that it was almost noon.

"I wish you would have woken me up, because it's almost noon," he said as he sat on the edge of his bed. "Now, I don't get to steal you away for the hour I wanted to because we have to start getting ready and I have to make sure everything is perfect."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't… ow, E! You stuck me."

"Sorry," Ben heard Evie say.

"Anyway, I didn't know you wanted to spend time together or else I would have woken you up," she told him.

"It's fine," he said as he stood up. "I'll steal you another day."

"Good, because he isn't going to be able to see you until the ball," Evie said.

"Why won't I see you until the ball?"

"I am assuming because Evie is going to hold Uma and I captive until the ball so she can use us as her personal dolls," Mal said, making Ben laugh.

"That's okay," Ben said. "I'll see you at the ball then, and I would like to share more than one dance with you this time."

"Then ask me," she said with a chuckle.

"I tried last time, but you were very popular," he told her, returning a laugh.

"Then I will take this as you asking me to dance with you more than once," she said. "But, I'm going to have to go, because Evie wants to finish my dress."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Laters, baby," she said, making Ben cheeks flush red and the phone went dead.

Ben put his phone down, before walking to his bathroom to shower. He wasn't going to take that long to get ready, but the sooner he did it the sooner the ball would be.


"Announcing King Benjamin Anderson of the United States of Auradon."

The giant doors at the top of the stairs opened and Ben strode in while everyone lapped at his arrival. He looked down at all of the royals, but stopped when he saw his purple haired girlfriend clapping and smiling at him with the rest of the crowd. He walked down the steps and shook hands with all of the Auradon royals, until he stopped in front of his parents and Mal. He gave his father a hug, his mother a kiss on the cheek, and pulled Mal in for a loving kiss.

"What was that about not being so forward?" She asked as she looked up at him and wiped the lipstick off his lips.

"That was before you were my girlfriend," he told her as he looped her arm through his. "Now it's all fair game."

Mal laughed as he led her to the dance floor, and spun her around before pulling her close to his chest. He led her through the first dance, and was joined by all the other guests after.

The ball was two hours in, and Ben was trying to find Mal. He spotted her talking with her parents. Dizzy ws dancing with Hadie in the corner of the dance floor, with all of their other friends, and Evie was dancing with her father. Ben walked up to Mal, making her parents smile when he approached.

"May I steal your daughter for a dance?" He asked.

"By all means," Hades said as he took Persephone's hand. "I do believe that I owe my wife a dance as well."

Ben led Mal onto the dance floor, but was stopped by Doug.

"What's up, Dougy?" He asked.

"I want to ask Evie to dance, but I don't know how," he said.

Mal chuckled, making both guys look at her. "If you are afraid to ask her, just do what Ben did," she said as she smiled at them. "Ask her dad."

With that said Ben and Mal walked onto the dance floor, leaving Doug standing there frozen. He waited until the song was over, and when Evie and her father were walking toward her mother and brother, he walked forward.

"Excuse me," he said, making Robin and Evie turn to Doug. "Would you mind if I ask Evie to dance?"

Evie's cheeks flushed red, letting Doug know she didn't mind, but he was waiting for her father to answer.

"Of course," he said, letting Doug sigh in relief.

He took Evie's hand and led her to the dance floor.

"I hope you don't think…"

"I was waiting for you to ask me," Evie said, cutting Doug off.

"I… um… you were?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said, making his cheeks flush. "I think you are the sweetest guy I have ever met."

"Th… thank you," he said. "I think you are the smartest and most talented girl I have met."

Across the dance floor, Ben and Mal were watching the pair.

"Look at the blush on Doug's cheeks," Mal said as she chuckled.

"And Evie is almost as red as her lipstick," Ben said. "I remember that feeling."

"What?"

"The warm awkward feeling I got whenever I talked to you," he said. "I mean we haven't known each other long, but I feel like I have known you my whole life."

Mal scrunched her nose and laughed. She loved Ben and never felt this way about any boy before. A Christmas song Mal had heard at the mall started to play, and she remembered liking it a lot.

I really can't stay

Mal sang as the song started, making Ben smile.

Baby it's cold outside

Ben sang as he guided Mal around the room. They alternated each verse as they went around the room.

I've got to go away

Baby it's cold outside

This evening has been

Been hoping that you'd drop in

So very nice

I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice

Everyone who was dancing started to watch the couple as they sang, but continued to dance around them.

My mother will start to worry

Beautiful, what's your hurry?

Father will be pacing the floor

Listen to the fireplace roar

So really I'd better scurry

Beautiful, please don't hurry

Maybe just a half a drink more

Put some records on while I pour

Hades and Persephone laughed as Mal sang about them worrying, because even if she was an adult, they would always worry about her.

The neighbors might think

Baby, it's bad out there

Say, what's in this drink?

No cabs to be had out there

I wish I knew how

Your eyes are like starlight now

To break this spell

I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell

Belle and Adam watched their son sing and dance with his girlfriend, and couldn't help but be happy about how relaxed he has become since Mal had come into his life. She brought something out in his that made him so happy.

I ought to say no, no, no

Mind if I move in closer?

At least I'm gonna say that I tried

What's the sense in hurting my pride?

I really can't stay

Baby don't holdout

Ah, but it's cold outside

Ben Spun Mal out and then pulled her back, and held her close.

I've got to get home

Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there

Say, lend me your coat

It's up to your knees out there

You've really been grand

Thrill when you touch my hand

Why don't you see

How can you do this thing to me?

Everyone continued to dance, as the couple started to sing. Both Ben and Mal were lost in the moment that they didn't notice all the eyes in the room were on them.

There's bound to be talk tomorrow

Think of my life long sorrow

At least there will be plenty implied

If you caught pneumonia and died

I really can't stay

Get over that hold out

Ah, but it's cold outside

Oh, baby, it's cold outside

Oh, baby, it's cold outside

Ben started to spin Mal around the room faster and belted out the last line. When they finished they laughed as everyone else started to clap. Both of their cheeks turned red, because they didn't know that they were being watched. For the rest of the evening, everyone danced late into the night, and they all went to bed tired, but excited to celebrate Christmas the next morning.


Mal woke up to Ben growling in his sleep. She smiled at him before she ran her fingers through his ruffled hair. He stirred awake, and opened his eyes to see his girlfriend resting her chin on his chest.

"Good morning," he said as he stretched his arms up. "Or should I say Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," she said as she rolled over and grabbed her phone. "We should get ready and get ready. Everyone is going to be waiting on us if we don't hurry."

Ben looked at her phone when she showed him, and saw it was almost 9 am. He nodded his head before he rolled out of bed and quickly changed. They left the room, walked down the hall, and ran into Dizzy and Hadie as they were making their way downstairs.

"Merry Christmas, Mally," Hadie said as he gave his sister a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Little Flame," she said as she returned the hug. "Merry Christmas, Diz."

"Merry Christmas, Mal and Ben," she said as she smiled at the couple.

"Merry Christmas," Ben said. "Are we ready to head down. I bet everyone else is waiting for us."

"Yeah," Hadie said as he laced his fingers with Dizzy's. "I heard Jay banging on everyone's doors about an hour ago."

"He didn't bang on ours," Ben said.

"That is because he knows better," Mal said as she wrapped her arm through Ben's. "After your visit, I told him that if he ever woke me up like that again, he would never see the light of day again."

"Ah. Nothing like a threat to keep Jay at bay," Ben said as they walked down the stairs.

"It wasn't the threat," Jay said as he walked up from behind them. "It was remembering the treat, and remembering that Mal can turn into a dragon now."

"Smart," Ben said. "Very smart."

They all walked into Belle's library ready to enjoy their first Christmas together. This Christmas most of the royals were at the castle. The fair Godmother was there, Aurdrey's parents were there along with her grandmother, Chad's parents were there, Zeus and Posiden were there with Zeus' kids were there, and Snow White and her family were there too. Everyone was enjoying their time, and were enjoying watching everyone open their gifts. Mal had received a tablet from Belle and Adam. Her parents had gotten her a new sketchbook, a new set of paints and pencils, a new purple and blue leather jacket, and a pair of new platform boots. Ben had given her more charms for her; a dragon charm, a heart charm, a flame charm, a flower charm, and a book charm. After he helped her put the charms on her bracelet, he handed her another small box, making her smile at him. She took the top off and saw a gold ring that looked identical to Ben's crest ring.

"It looks exactly like yours," she said as she picked it up out of the box and put it on her index finger.

"That's because it is," he told her, making her look at him with a shocked look on her face.

"Ben," she said. "I can't take this," she told him. "This is way too special."

"You are special," he said as he took her hand. "I want you to have it. Please." Mal gave him a smile and a nod, before she pushed herself up and gave him a small kiss on her lips.

Ben never gave his crest ring to any of the other girls he dated in the past, but he knew for a fact that he wanted Mal to have it.

"I have one more thing for you," he said.

"More?" She asked in shock. "What more could you give me?"

"Well," he said as he reached around his chair and pulled out nine small boxes. "It's more like I have something for each of you."

"I heard present," Jay said as he walked over and smiled at Ben and Mal.

"First, I didn't say present," Ben told him. "And two, you are right though. I do have one more gift for the nine of you."

He handed Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Uma, Harry, Gil, Hadie, and Dizzy each a small box, and they opened them to see a set of keys in the box.

"What is this for?" Carlos asked.

"Go outside and see for yourself," Ben said as he nudged his head toward the door.

Mal gave him a curious look, before getting up and walking out toward the castle front door. Everyone followed them out of the castle, and each of them froze when they saw a line of colorful motorcycles sitting in a line in the driveway. One was placed with purple and blue flames, it had a dragon on one side, and her mother's emblem on the front. Another was red, white, blue with a small amount of yellow. There was an arrow on the side and a heart on the front. The next one was yellow, blue, red, and black with a cobra running from the front to the back. The next one was black and white with a bone x on the front. The next one was teal and gold, and had waves on the side. Another was red and black with a hook on it, and it looked like the hook was scraping the side of the bike. The seventh one was brown and had a pair of bull horns on the front. The next one looked like Mal's but was all black with blue flames. And the last one was black with multiple colored paint splatters all over it.

"What do you guys think?" Ben asked, after nothing had been said for a while.

"Mine is the one with the paint blotches right?" Jay asked as he pointed to the bike.

"Fuck off, Jay," Dizzy said as she ran over to Ben and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you, King Ben!"

Everyone ran to their bikes and were so excited to try them out.

"Hold up," Hades said as he walked down the stairs. "I think that one is mine," he said as he pointed to Hadie's bike.

"Not a chance, old man," Hadie said before he kicked the bike into gear and rode off down the driveway.


The next morning, Ben woke up to Mal putting on her boots.

"What are you doing?" He asked, making her jump.

"Sorry," she said. "Did I wake you?"

"No," he said as he shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I just woke up. Where are you going?"

"I was going to the Moors for about an hour or two," she said. "I wanted to get a couple more plants for my mom, before we head home."

"You're not leaving for almost another week," he told her as he stood up and stretched.

"I know, but I would like to spend some time with you before we leave, because after the new year, the Isle is going to start it's remodel," she said.

"Fair point," he said. "What would you say about me going with you?"

"You want to go to the Moors with me?" She asked as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not," he said with a shrug.

"Okay," she said as she smiled up at him. "I was going to fly, but can we take your car or my bike?"

"Sure," he said. "We can take my car, since you are going to be bringing some plants with you."

"Okay. Why don't you get changed and then we will leave."

Ben nodded his head, before he rushed to the bathroom to fix himself up and change. He wanted to spend every moment he could with her, and if that meant going to the Moors and picking some flowers, so be it.


Their trip to the moors was great. Mal had picked some of the plants she thought would look wonderful in her mother's meadow. Ben and Mal were walking back to Ben's car when she turned to him and smirked.

"Can we have a race?" she asked.

"Well, seeing that we brought my car, I don't see how we could race," he said as he put the plants into his back seat.

"Oh, honey," she cooed. "Did you forget that I can turn into a dragon?" She asked, making his eyes widen.

"You want to race me back in your dragon form?"

"Uh huh," she said as she nodded her head.

"Well, I feel that the odds are going to be in your favor, but okay," he told her with a smirk.

He hopped into his Jeep while Mal consumed herself in purple smoke. When it cleared a giant purple dragon was sitting a couple of years away from his Jeep.

"Ready, babe?" He shouted.

Dragon Mal shook huffed letting smoke come out of her nose. Herevved his engine, while Mal flapped her wings.

"Ready," he said as he watched Mal hunch down. "Set! GO!" He yelled before he sped forward and Mal flew straight up in the air.

Ben was speeding forward toward Auradon castle. He knew Mal was going to beat him, because she didn't have to make a bunch of tunes, but this was fun. He looked up and saw that Mal was ahead of him and she was swaying left and right. He was amazing at her, and couldn't believe that it was her. As they got closer, Mal did a flip before she flew in place. And Ben drove up the driveway. He parked as Mal landed on the pebble stone driveway and consumed herself in more smoke.

"See," she said as the smoke cleared and she rushed toward him. "I told you I would win."

"Yes," he said as he leaned down and gave her a small kiss on her lips. "And I told you that you were."

She scrunched her nose and chuckled before they took the plants out of the back seat and took them into the castle. Ben followed her in, but started to feel sad because she was leaving soon. He didn't want her too, but he knew he would see her soon. The Isle renovations were going to be started at the start of the new year, meaning he would see a lot more of her than the big breaks they have had.


It was New Year's Eve, and everyone was celebrating in the ballroom. The Isle residents were going to be leaving on the second, and Ben was having a hard time letting Mal leave his side.

"I am not leaving for another day," she said as he guided her outside onto the balcony.

"I know," he said as he swayed their hands back and forth. "I'm just going to miss you."

"You're going to be coming over in a week," she told him.

"And that is a week without seeing you," he said.

"You have gone 25 years without me, and after we met it was months," she said as she leaned on the stone railing. "I doubt a week is going to kill you."

"And now I have gotten used to waking up to you every morning, and cuddling with you too," he told her as he pulled her close to his chest.

Mal smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was going to miss him too, and she was hoping that the separation wasn't going to be hard, with all the time they spent together this holiday. Mal looked up at him and gave him a small kiss, before turning around and looking up at the sky.

"You know," she said as he put his chin on her head. "I really wish my mom was here to see all of the changes we are going to make on the Isle." Ben smiled, before he buried his nose into her hair. "I hope she is proud of me."

He pulled away, turned her around, and pulled her close. "She is," he told her. "You are amazing. I never met her, obviously," he said, making her chuckle. "But I know she is looking down on you and she is so proud of you."

Mal smiled up at him, before she pulled the front of his dress shirt and crushed her lips to his.

"10…9…8…" they heard everyone from inside starting to count down to the new year, but they didn;t break their kiss.

"7…6…5…4…3…2…1…"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Ben and Mal continued their kiss. They loved these small moments and couldn't wait for more of them. When they broke ke apart, the smiled and laughed before joining the others for the rest of the night, missing the brightest star shine brighter in the night sky.


Okay! Just as a reminder, my rotation is

Soulmates (1 more chapter)

Star Struck (2 more chapters)

The Nanny (1 more chapter)

Neighbors: Home Again

Time For Changes

Two Worlds

Connections

Descendants: A Different Tale

Missing Pieces (NEWLY ADDED)

The final Fifty Shades will HOPEFULLY be posted by summer. I know I keep pushing it back but I have a lot of stories out... and that is all my fault lol

Until next time my lovies! xoxo GM