Okay! This is the sneak peek I was talking about. Please let me know what you think and if you guys would like me to do the entire story on this one. Eel free to PM me if you have any questions and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can.
MAL'S POV
I closed the door behind me as I walked downstairs. Today was going to be a hard day. Not because Ben was going to be in Halloween Town, but because I was going to have to fight the urge to not find him. I missed him so much. I missed everyone. Not one day goes by that I don't think about my friends, Belle, Adam, and Ben. Not a day goes by that I have to tell myself that I cannot go back to Auradon, but I can't. I can't go back and face what I left behind, because what would they think? Would they be mad? Would they understand? I don't know, but I am scared to find out.
Sophie had gone to work early today, and I was hoping that meeting Ben and putting pieces together would go over her head, and she wouldn't figure out that that was MY Ben. I only hope that she doesn't figure it out.
BEN'S POV
"Ben," I heard my dad say as he knocked on my office door.
"Yeah," I said as I made sure that I had my wallet, phone, and keys in my pocket.
"We need to talk."
"About what?" I asked as I clasped my watch onto my wrist.
"About when you are going to start dating. When you will find a girl you want to marry," he trailed on, making me grip on to the edge of my desk.
It had been almost two years. Two fucking years since she disappeared. I understand where he is coming from, but I don't want anyone else. I want Mal.
"I'm not talking about this," I said as he pushed myself away from the desk and walked toward the door.
"Ben?" he said, making me turn to him as I was going to walk past him. "I know," he said. "I miss her too, but I don't want you to stop being happy because she is gone. I know you will always love her, your mother and I will always love her, but we want you to have a family. Have kids. Be happy."
"I know," I said. "But she is my happiness. I don't want a family without her. I don't want kids without her. I don't know why she left dad, but I am always going to hope that she will come back and we will be together again."
I know he doesn't want to push me, but I also know that he is scared for me too. He doesn't think that she is coming back, and I don't blame him for thinking about it. We don't know why she left, and everyone is still wondering why she did. Evie, Jay, Carlos, and I are still not the same and it has been two years. We have kept everything of hers the same. Her room at Evie's castle is the same, her room here is the same, and I don't have the heart to go into her art room that is next door.
"Okay, Ben," he said.
I looked up and his lips were pressed in a line. I knew he didn't want me to hang up on something that would probably never happen after all this time, but he knew not to push me on the subject because he knew how much she meant to me, and how much I loved her.
"When are you and Jane leaving?" he asked.
"Now actually," I told him as I looked at my watch. "She is waiting for me down in the library."
"Are you sure that you want to start communicating and doing business with other realms?" he asked.
"Yes," I told him. "I want to get to know other realms, not as a king who wants to rule, but a king who wants to be friends."
"Okay, but be safe and make sure Janey is safe," he told me. "I know that this place allows magic, and they have monsters and villains."
"Well, I would assume so," I told him as he followed me out of my office. "It's called Halloween Town."
He shook his head and laughed. I was glad that me and him could still make jokes, but things have been different since Mal left. We walked down to meet my mom, Jane, and Jen in the library.
"Ready, Janey?" I asked.
"Yep," she said. "I'm kind of excited too."
I smiled at her, making her smile back. She had come a long way from where she was. She used to be a shy timid girl who would run away when someone would make eye contact with her.
"Ben," Jen said, making me turn to her. "Please make sure that my baby is safe," she told me.
"I promise," I said.
"Where are you going to meet the mayor?" my mom asked.
"She told me that she was going to meet us in the town square," I said. "But she did say try not to teleport us in the middle of town square."
"Um… okay?" she said before she raised her hands.
A cloud of light blue smoke surrounded Jane and I. When the smoke cleared, Jane and I were standing in front of a huge jack-o-lantern.
"Hello," someone said, making Jane and I turn around to see a woman standing there in her late 20's, maybe even 30, smiling at us. "You must be King Ben," she said as she extended her hand for me to shake.
"Yes," I said. "This is my friend and sister, Jane," I said as I held my hand out to Jane.
"Hello," she said as she shook Jane's hand. "I'm Sophie Piper, the mayor of Halloween Town. Shall I show you around?"
"Please," I said.
She looked at me and squinted her eyes, making me give her a confused look.
"Sorry," she said. "You just look very familiar to me."
"Oh, well maybe I just have that face," I said.
"Maybe."
She showed us around town and there were so many cool, fun, and interesting things around the town. It was like our town square back in Auradon, but with Halloween decor. There were different kinds of monsters everywhere, and so far, they were all friendly.
"Halloween Town was founded many centuries ago, and was ruled by my family. The Cromwell's," Sophie told us. "My grandmother Slendora Agetha Cromwell, was the next Queen of Halloween Town, but she didn't want to be. She, and I quote, just wanted to be Aggie Cromwell."
"That's understandable," I said. "The stress can be killer sometimes."
"I can't imagine. I may be mayor, but I don't have kingdoms to look after," she said, making me laugh.
"What happened?"
"My sister," she said. "Grandma and mom thought that my sister, Marnie, was supposed to be the next leader of the Cromwell's, but it was actually me. After my sister saved Halloween Town for the fourth time, she tired out. Her powers dimmed, but she still has them. It wasn't until I moved to Halloween Town, that we realized that I was the one to be the head of the Cromwell line."
"Where is your sister now?" Jane asked.
"She lives in town, but she is a professor at Halloween Town University and has a husband and kids," Sophie said as she stopped in front of a store. "Do you mind if I stop here real quick?" She asked. "My roommate ordered something, and asked me if I could bring it home with me."
"Not at all," Ben said.
They entered an art store, and Ben froze when the smell of paint hit his nostrils. The last time he smelt paint like this was when he walked into Mal's art room to find her dancing and painting.
"Hey," Jane said as she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I said as I nodded my head and cleared my throat.
"Thank you, Sammy," Sophie said as she took the bag from the zombie. "You okay?" She asked me.
"Yeah," I said to her. "Just… the smell of paint makes me think of my girl… ex girlfriend," I said, correcting myself.
"Oh," she said. "What happened?"
"She moved," I said, not really wanting to explain the whole situation.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "What was she like?"
"She is amazing," I said as I started to think about Mal. "She's spunky, smart, artistic, an amazing singer, and sassy."
"Sassy would be an understatement," Jane said, making me laugh.
"She sounds like my roommate," Sophie said. "Where are both of you from again?"
"Auradon," Jane said.
Sophie's eyes widened for a second before she swallowed and paled.
"Are you okay?" I asked. "You look pale."
"I'm fine," she said as she looked down at the ground.
She froze and then hitched her breath for a second before snapping her head up, and making direct eye contact with me.
"Would you like to see my home? It's one of the oldest and historical homes in all of Halloween Town," she said.
"Um," I said in a confused tone. "Sure."
"Great! Follow me," she said as she turned on her heels and walked and held her hand up in the air.
A yellow cab stopped abruptly in front of Sophie, and when I saw the driver, I was shocked to see that he was a skeleton.
"Hey Benny," Sophie said.
"Heya Soapie," Benny said,making Sophie shake her head and laugh. "What's with the two blueberries following you?" He asked, making me and Jane laugh.
"These are my guests," Sophie said. "That is King Ben…"
"Another Ben?" He asked as his jaw dropped. "No way! Over my dead body that he is an actual Ben too," Benny said.
"Too late," I said, trying to be funny.
"Okay," he said. "I like him."
"Good," Sophie said. "And that is Jane."
"Hello, blue eyes," Benny said as Jane smiled and waved at him.
All three of us climbed into the cab, and when we were all buckled in, Benny turned his head to us.
"Where to, madam mayor?" He asked.
"To Cromwell manor please," she said.
As Benny drove through town and through different streets of the town, Jane and I looked at everything in awe. We had never seen anything so interesting and different, and we lived in a land of fairytales. I was so focused on everything that was going on outside of the cab, I didn't even hear half of the god awful jokes Benny was saying.
"And we're here," he said as he pulled up in front of a gate. "Shay Cromwell."
Sophie got out of the cab, letting Jane and I follow her out, and stopped right outside of the large black gate with a frog lock keeping it closed. On the other side, there was a big White House that was two stories.
"Come on," Sophie said as she pushed the gate, making the frog lock fall to the floor and turn into a real frog.
"Woah," Jane said.
"Not used to magic?" Sophie asked.
"It's kind of ground upon where we are from, but not against the law," I said as I walked next to Jane, following Sophie up the pathway to her home.
"Well that… sucks," she said as she walked up the steps of the house.
She unlocked the door with a skeleton key and when she walked inside, the first thing to greet us was a broom sweeping the floor by itself. The house seemed warm and inviting, but what caught me was the smell. A smell that made my stomach turn, and a smell I haven't smelled in two years.
"Would you guys like some cookies?' Sophie asked as she walked toward, what I would assume, would be the kitchen. "My roommate makes the best cookies."
"Sure," Jane said as she followed Sophie, and I followed behind.
The kitchen was big, not as big as the one in the castle, but it was big. There was a large countertop with a big plate of cookies on them, and they looked just like the ones Mal used to make.
"Here," she said as she pushed the plate close to Jane and I. "Have as many as you would like. She makes them all of the time," she said.
I slowly took one from the plate and was going to bring it up to my mouth, but stopped when Jane moaned. I turned to see Jane enjoying her cookie more than she would when Mal used to make them.
"These are amazing," Jane said.
I took a bite of the cookie, and my mind exploded. They were exactly like Mal's, and I was about to drop to my knees. I put the cookie down on the counter, and nodded my head.
"Yeah," I said. "They're great. I think I'll save mine for later."
Sophie slowly nodded her head. She had been acting a little weird since the art shop, but I didn't want to say something that could potentially hurt her feelings.
"Why don't I go and tell my roommate that we are here, in case she comes down and gets scared," she said as she walked toward the door. "I'll come back down, start some tea for us, and then we can sit in the living room so I can tell you more about Halloween Town and you can tell me about Auradon."
"Okay," I said as she left the kitchen and started to head upstairs.
Jane and I trailed behind to head to the living room, when Sophie started to shout to her roommate.
"Hey! I'm here!" she shouted as she reached the top of the stairs.
I heard someone shush her, but headed toward the living room so that Sophie could get what she needed done. The walls were scattered with pictures, assuming that they were of Sophie and her family. There were pictures of an older woman with white hair and a red dress. She was standing in front of the huge pumpkin that was in the middle of town square. Next to that picture was another one, that was in the same spot, but there were four other people in the picture. A younger version Sophie, an older girl who was about 13, a boy with glasses who was probably 11, and another woman with red hair. I assumed that they were Sophie's siblings, mother, and grandmother. As Jane and I walked further down the hall, the pictures showed a story of how their family grew, and the last picture was of Sophie, her sister, her brother, and mother, but with 4 smaller children and another woman and man.
"Can you just stop being stubborn?" Sophie said as she started to walk down the stairs. "You're just being irrational."
Sophie walked down the rest of the stairs, meeting Jane and I at the bottom.
"Sorry about that," she said. "She didn't know we were going to have… company," she said as she shifted her eyes back upstairs.
"It's okay," Jane said. "It's understandable."
"Shall we go into the living room and we can chit chat?" she asked.
"Lead the way," I said as I held my hand out for her to go first.
"So, those pictures are of my family and I," she started as she sat down and pointed to the hallway where the pictures were.
Jane sat in a chair that was facing the couch, and I sat down on another chair with my back to the stairs.
"The older woman in the red dress in my grandmother Aggie, the woman with red hair in my mom Gwen, the older girl in my sister Marnie, and the doofus with glasses is my brother Dylan," she said.
"Who are the kids in the last picture?" Jane asked.
"Oh! William, Taylor, Briana, and Luke," she said. "William, Luke, and Briana are Marnie's and my brother-in-law, Ethan's, kids, and Taylor is my brother Dylan and his wife Aneesa's daughter."
"They're cute," I said.
"They're a handful," she said with a chuckle before she snapped her fingers.
A whistle came from the kitchen, making Sophie smile.
"Teas ready," she said as she stood up.
"I can get it," Jane said as she held her hands out for Sophie to stop. "You have been so nice and welcoming to us. I don't mind."
"Oh," Sophie said as she sat back down. "Okay. Um," she said as she snapped her fingers again. "There is a tray with everything on it on the counter," she said as Jane nodded and headed to the kitchen. "And you can bring a plate of cookies too."
Jane nodded before she disappeared into the kitchen.
"So, tell me more about this girlfriend of yours," Sophie said as she turned to look at me.
"Um, well…" I started. "That's hard."
"I could tell," she said. "I have always had a knack of sensing people and as my powers grew that sense grew stronger. I could tell that you were more off, than you were actually saying, in the art shop, and even more when you came into the house."
"It's been hard," I told her. "I just miss her so much."
"What would you tell her, if you could talk to her right now?" she asked.
I looked at her with a confused look, and then hung my head.
"That I love her," I said. "That I don't care why she left, and all I want is to have her back, hold her tight, and never let go," I said.
There was a crash, making Sophie and I look toward the sound. I looked up to see Jane standing there in shock with tea, cookies, and broken glass surrounding her feet.
"Jane?" I said as I stood up and walked over to her. "Are you okay? What happened?"
She nodded her head, but kept her eyes forward in shock. Her mouth was agape and it almost looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. She pointed toward where I was sitting, and when I looked I froze. Standing behind the chair I was sitting in was Mal. Her eyes were red, but she looked just as beautiful and she did the last time I saw her.
"Hi," she said quietly as she gave Jane and I a tight smile.
I took slow steps in her direction, until I was right in front of her. I didn't know if this was a dream, but if it was, I never wanted to wake up from it. She looked up at me with red eyes, as I brought my hand up to touch her cheek and she leaned into it, making her tears fall from her eyes. I cupped her face and crushed my lips to her's, something I have wanted since she left. I heard Sophie and Jane walk out of the room, but knowing how in shock Jane was, she probably had to be dragged out of the room. When I pulled away from her, I smiled. An actual and genuine smile that I have not done in almost two years.
"Am I dreaming?" I asked as I looked at her with water eyes.
"No," she said as she shook her head. "I'm here."
"My gods, Mal," I said as I pulled her into a tight hug. "I missed you so much."
She wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me back. "I missed you too."
We stood there for a couple of minutes before we pulled apart.
"You have been here? All this time?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said in a soft voice.
"Mal? Why did you leave?" I asked.
"It's complicated," she said. "And I don't know if you would or are going to be mad at me if I tell you," she said.
"Please?" I asked. "I have been a wreck for almost two years because I don't know why you left."
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Can you please tell me?" I asked.
She took a deep breath before nodding her head.
"Let's take a seat," she said as she pointed to the couch.
I laced my fingers with her, and held on tight because I was afraid if I let go, that she would disappear again. She took another deep breath, and I'm assuming it was to settle her nerves.
"First," she said. "I want you to know that you were not the reason I left," she said. "I did have a reason for leaving, and I hope you understand why."
"I'll try," I said.
"Do you remember Jay's 19th birthday?" She asked.
"Yes," I said. "That was…"
"Okay," she said, cutting me off. "Well a couple of weeks later, I was sick," she said.
"Okay," I said, trying to understand what she was saying.
"I found out that I was pregnant after that night," she told me, making me look at her shocked.
"You left because you were pregnant," I said.
"Yes," she confirmed. "I didn't know what to do. You had your tour coming up, and you were just getting the hang of being king. I just did not want to give you the burden of being a father so young," she told me.
I didn't know what to say. I am so confused. Mal left because she didn't want to burden me with a baby. Our baby.
"I know you probably hate me now, but I truly didn't want to ruin your life," she said. "I didn't want you to have to go through the drama the council would give you, what the press would say, and not to mention what everyone else would say," she went on.
"I'm a father," I said in disbelief.
"Um… yes," she said as she looked down at her hands.
"Mal," I said as I took her hands into mine. "I understand why you felt the way you did, but why didn't you come to me?" I asked. "I could have helped you. I could have been there for you. I could have been there when our baby was born."
"Babies," she said, making my stomach twist.
"Babies?"I asked. "As in, more than one?"
"Yes," she said as she nodded her head. "I had twins."
Again please let me know what you think!
And this is not the first chapter. This is part of a chapter like I did with soulmates, just so you know. There is a before part.
Unlike next time my lovies! Xoxo GM