Chapter Forty


A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.

Smh, guys we're over 1100! This is now the most reviewed story I have on FFN—thank you all so much! I appreciate it more than you know!

Just as a friendly reminder—I will be offline this weekend for the Fourth of July (my parents and I are going out of town for the first time in over a year.) So I'm trying to update as much as possible this week to make up for the no posting over the weekend.

DS Rider: Hey Audrey could change—I mean it took seeing her future for Audie to change.

61394: The scary thing to think about is that the Audrey in the reading and the Audrey in the scrolls are pretty much the same person at this point. But that's a good point about Persephone—I used the phrase 'dead Pegasus' since it was Persephone talking and I wanted to make the vernacular fit her. Glad you liked the chapter!

Flaresouth: Hey, there might be! Anything's possible!

Quil: Oh yeah, that's not going to be a pleasant conversation for Ben to have. Honestly, with Chad, I have to wonder how much of that was truly his doing since I doubt Cinderella or Kit would have raised a kid to get others to do their work for them.

AmethystDragon14: Yay! Agreed, Ben needs to be saved from the Banshee! And never apologize for going on an Audrey rant—we've gone on many in our PMs after all! :D

HarmoniousRayllumLoVer13: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story and the updates! :D

medical ranger: Trust me, the thought of Evie and Mal not liking each other was weird for me too since I've only seen the movies. The bit of knowledge I have from the books is a combination of Wiki and Tumblr.

danifan3000: Oh I have no doubt that Audrey will insist that Ben's spelled. And that Aurora and Phillip Sr. need to have a long talk with their daughter.

Marcus Emrys: lol! I actually had to double check that and I'm the one who wrote the original story! Hmm, that's a good question, ngl. I think in order for there to be a world with magic, I think either the two worlds merged or Auradon was on the 'planet' Neverland was on. Especially since OUAT made a big deal about 'our' world being a world without magic.

Monkeymama1516: Ah yes that's a good point! Maybe Phillip Jr. but I think he'd be too busy laughing to actually get anything read. I'm not sure about bringing in Natalie, just because I hate writing her with a passion. But that'll be fun to write, the chapter where Leah finds out the hyenas send her packing!

Guest: In canon or in the story? Cause in the story, he was happy because it was the kick in the pants he needed to ask to be removed from the contract. In canon…yeah you're right. I guess it was the novelty of the whole thing?

Alyssa: Oh thank you so much!

twilightgirl587: Oh yeah that's a good point re: Eugene and Raps but then again since it was Abby who said that, she'd be a bit biased toward her parents. It's not weird at all to see them as Fred and George! :D As for Chip, it was just a report…for health class. :D

CrystalKaouri: Oh please don't rip out your hair! Leah and Audrey aren't worth it! :D You're right about Ben, he really is too much of a giver and puts others before himself. But he doesn't use his spine that we all have! I don't think Leah's going to be around for that scroll but Uberta's line would definitely fit Leah! It's one of my favorite lines in Swan Princess—second only to Rodger's 'You should write a book. How to insult women in five syllables or less.' :D

Hufflepuff24: I'm glad you liked the Fairly OddParents reference! :D

Anonymous Reader: Oh man I love Mal's thoughts here! I definitely agree with them! :D

LOST MUSES: Well Last Bridge's big bad has been dealt with…Choosing might have a 'bad' since there'll be another story after Choosing Home. Glad you're enjoying the story! And nope, I haven't seen Cruella!

AthenaArtemis25: Thank you! No worries, I know real life comes first! :D

Magic: As always, I love your one shots!

Roxas Itsuka: They really do, and getting anyone away from Leah is always recommended! And Ben's truly in denial but when he's as duty and honor bound as he is, he's going to deny his misery. Oh that's a good point about Mal and Natalie—I can definitely see Audie frantically start to warn Mal about Natalie. Heh, that will be interesting to see, Belle telling Bat and Banshee how she feels about them.

TheGirlofManyFloods: Oh thank you!

Hope you all like the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D


"You know it just hit me, I think I already read," Naveen chuckled.

"Well Naveen, I honestly don't think there's anyone who hasn't read," Tiana said, shaking her head.

"Good point Tiana!"

"Why do you always manage to talk me into these things?" Jay muttered two weeks later as Mal gathered the ingredients for the cookies they were going to make.

"Hey it's a bond you and Harry share," Mal said with a slight smirk. "You can never say no to your captains."

"Because I've known you since I was five and thanks to my dad, I'm fairly decent at smooth talking people," Mal said, propping up Maleficent's spell book as DeVil hopped on the counter after handing her the last ingredients.

"I taught you well," Hades said, looking over at Mal and giving her a proud smile.

"I learned from the best," Mal told him.

"And I'm here why?" Carlos asked, petting the small dog that was sitting next to him.

"Finally! Dude's in the picture!" Audie said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, there's a what near me?" Carlos exclaimed. What was he doing? Dogs were vicious pack animals that ate little boys who didn't behave! Everyone knew that!

"There's a dog," Audie reiterated. "Dude's a sweetheart Carlos, all he'd do is cover you with kisses before anything else. The two of you are inseparable in my timeline."

It had honestly been the shock of Mal's life when she had walked into Jay's room a few days prior to see Dude sitting on Carlos' bed.

"On my bed?" Carlos reiterated, almost squeaking in fear. What am I doing? Do I want to get eaten?

"I'm not seeing things am I?" Mal asked Jay, still staring at the dog in shock. "You didn't turn DeVil into a dog did you?"

"Well one I don't have magic and two DeVil's apparently sitting right there Mal," Jay said with a small chuckle.

"If I did, would DeVil be sitting next to the dog?" Jay scoffed. "Also, I don't have magic Mali."

"You don't change much do you?" Emir asked with a small chuckle.

"I hate when you have a point," Mal muttered.

Aladdin tilted his head. "Well I mean, we don't know that for sure. Your father was a genie when he got defeated, Jay. You might have some magic."

"Still, DeVil's sitting on his bed next to a dog and not running back to the Isle?"

"Apparently Carlos met Dude when working on his Tourney stuff with Ben," Jay muttered back. "I came back from meeting with coach to see DeVil with the dog."

Benji shook his head. "I was working on sprints with Carlos when Dude came running up. Next thing I knew, Carlos was booking it to the grove with Dude on his heels. I ran after them to see Carlos in a tree and Dude wagging his tail at the base."

"Somehow this still doesn't crack my top ten in terms of the strangest things I've seen."

"Your mom and dad are Gods. Somehow. I'm not surprised."

"Can we hear your top ten?" Emir asked, Akiho looking excited.

Mal shook her head. "Sorry boys but I can only remember one and that was when I saw one of the hyenas wearing chicken feathers on his head like a crown."

"Was that Ed?" Harriet asked.

"Yep."

Uma shook her head in amusement. "Hang on Mali. What about the time Gaston Jr tried to keep a chicken as a pet and was talking to it like it was human?"

"Alibi," Mal and Jay said, Mal pulling herself out of her thoughts.

"Won't it be more suspicious if we're seen together?" Carlos asked. "Plus Evie's not here."

"Actually, I hate to say it, but all four VKs congregating might look more suspicious than only two or three," Chip said.

"Blueberry can do what she wants," Mal muttered, looking over the spell book.

Emma frowned slightly. I hope I've found Evie by this point and at least became her friend. I know the scroll said that Jane was hanging around with Evie but there's no such thing as too many friends.

She honestly hated the idea of doing this but Ben needed the kick in the pants to get out of the contract. That's all this was—Mal saw there was an antidote for the spell anyway. Once Ben got himself out of the betrothal contract, Mal would slip him the anti-love spell.

"…Maleficent's spell book has an antidote to the love spell?" Kristoff asked.

"Well I mean, it's Maleficent. Wouldn't spelling someone to think they're in love only to take it away from them be the most evil thing she could think of?" Anna suggested.

"You mean after spelling a baby to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die?"

"Oh…right…"

Kristoff shook his head, ignoring Leah's rant in the background. "Grand Pabbie always said that the heart isn't as easily changed compared to say the head."

"But that's just it. Wouldn't a love spell affect the head rather than the heart?" Anna asked.

Which would be negated by Ben's christening gift, Belle thought with a relieved smile. While she knew Mal meant no harm by it, it was still a relief to know that her son wouldn't be impacted by the spell.

The last thing I need is Prince Beastie mooning after me, Mal thought with an inward scoff before pausing at the last ingredient.

"Too late there!" Emir and Akiho chuckled.

Benji shook his head as he looked over at Malinda. "I wouldn't just moon over you. You're more than that. You're my moon, my stars, my sky, and my sun."

"Even after all this time, you're still producing cavities," Malinda said with a soft chuckle.

"Jay, we may have a problem," Mal muttered.

"Well that's no ominous at all," Hyllus shook his head.

"What's up?"

Mal pointed to the last ingredient listed in the recipe. "The recipe calls for one tear of human sadness. Human sadness Jay. I don't apply, and you and DeVil don't cry."

"Gee, if only you'd brought the other human VK that came to Auradon with you," Emma sighed.

"We could just cut up an onion," Carlos suggested. "Would the magic really know the difference?"

"Um…I…I don't think that would work," Evie said softly. "Both tears have antibodies and enzymes but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear."

"How'd you know that?" Mal asked, not noticing that there was a slight lack of malice in her voice.

Evie shrugged. "Alchemy is a form of science right? Well mother wanted to make sure I at least knew the basics in case I needed to resort to it to get a match. Though she…she thought I should rely more on my looks and not my brains."

"I'd rather not take the chance," Mal sighed. Of course, she'd know if an onion would have worked if Auradon actually taught students about magic. After all, the headmistress's own daughter was half fairy but knew nothing about magic.

"You know, she's got a point," Macaria said, looking over at Fairy Godmother.

Granted she didn't seem to have the good sense the Gods gave her, considering Mal found the younger girl paling around with Blueberry in their room on the rare occasion Mal spent time in her dorm.

Evie perked up as she heard that. It sounded like she'd finally get a friend in Auradon!

"I don't mind that," Jane said softly. "Evie seems like a nice person to be around."

"Look, let's just get this started," Jay said with a frown. "We can cross this bridge when we come to it."

Eugene shook his head. "Planning on thinking outside the box? A half finished plank never ends well."

Mal nodded and they got to work on the cookies. Soon, however, there was nothing left to add but the tear.

"Alright…" Mal sighed. "Which one of you boys wants to cry?"

"Technically it'd have to be Carlos," Lucas pointed out. "Jafar was a genie when he got sent to the Isle so can you really say Jay's one hundred percent human?"

"Mal, we're from the Isle," Jay said. "You cry, you die remember?"

Well we're just going to have to fix that, Lonnie thought. It's not healthy to not cry if you're upset.

"Well sorry Jay but unless you're content to just stand here by raw cookie dough, we just wasted about forty five minutes."

"Um, no you didn't," Emma said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, raw cookie dough's the best!" Ruby exclaimed with a grin.

"Why is this so important?" Jay asked. "I mean, I know I'm the one who suggested becoming allies with Ben but—"

"It's nothing Jay," Mal told him with a small shrug. She didn't know why she was so determined to get these cookies done.

"Sure, it's nothing Mali," Uma said with a slight smirk.

"You know that takes a lot of trust," Aziz said. "To just blindly do something with no real explanation."

"I trust Mal with my life," Jay said with a shrug.

Maybe it was just to wipe the smug grin off of Audrey's face whenever the brunette princess saw her in the hall, maybe it was because it wasn't fair to Ben to be trapped in a relationship he no longer wanted to be in.

Chip sighed. "He can get out of it, he just won't ask to."

It was clear to anyone with eyes—yet Ben insisted on it. Though it could have been the reason why he was almost always in his office, much to the consternation of his shadows.

"Well that and the fact that Ben's a workaholic," Emir nodded.

Mal sighed as she thought back to her first Ben Dinner Shift as they were called.

"Okay, which one of us is on Ben Dinner Duty?" Akiho sighed as he sat down at the table about a week after the VKs arrived.

"Why were we not informed of this?" Jasmine asked. "This shouldn't be your job boys."

Emir and Akiho looked sheepish before both of them shrugged.

"Normally if it got too bad, we'd just threaten to go to coach," Akiho said. "It usually bought us a week of Ben trying to prove nothing was wrong."

"I think Emir is," Lonnie said.

"Lonnie?" Mulan asked, looking over at her daughter.

"I ran into Akiho on one of his dinner shifts and I joined in," Lonnie said. "I wasn't on a sports team so I couldn't go to Coach Jenkins when it got too bad though."

"I'm sorry, what now?" Mal asked, taking a break from shoveling down food as fast as she could and tilted her head in confusion.

"Ben often works through dinner," Emir explained. "He claims he doesn't but the number of times we've had to bring him dinner or breakfast says otherwise. What are we up to now Akiho?"

Phoebus shook his head in amazement. "They've got more loyalty in them than some people twice their age."

"I think twelve times this year," Akiho said. "Thankfully it's steak night again so a nice big slab of protein will keep him full."

"Dad, remember, this hasn't happened yet," Ben said quickly. The last time the scrolls mentioned how he skipped dinner, his father had threatened to postpone the coronation.

It wasn't that Ben was all that eager to take the crown but his dad needed the time to mourn Abby. Time he had denied himself while he was ruling Auradon. He couldn't mourn properly if he was still the King.

"I'm aware of that but don't think that won't get you out of a talk, Ben," Beast said.

"Wouldn't this be Audrey's job?" Jay asked. "I mean, even if she didn't know before, she knows where Ben's office is now. He gave us directions right in front of her."

"That would require the banshee to think about someone other than herself," Emir muttered and Mal snorted in amusement.

Ben sighed. "Really Emir?"

"Does it not suit her perfectly?" Emir asked with a slight smirk.

"I mean, she does cause our eardrums pain with every shriek," Akiho nodded.

"Huh, I think I'm really beginning to like these two," CJ chuckled.

"Oh Gods," Harriet sighed.

"You know Ben's going to catch on that you gave her that nickname," Lonnie said dryly.

"Ben hasn't caught on that Audrey's just in the relationship for the crown and it's so obvious that Mama Odie could see it," Akiho told her. "It doesn't help that he and Audrey have been friends longer than Ben's been friends with us."

Akiho shrugged as Ben and Audrey looked at him. "I'd say I'm sorry but it's only the truth."

"That is one toxic friendship then," Jay muttered.

"It's not a friendship," Lonnie muttered. "There's no friendship left."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Emir chuckled and Mal couldn't help but shake her head slightly. This was her life now apparently: hating Sleeping Brat with the son of Aladdin.

"And yet it doesn't really hit the top ten of the strangest things that happen to me," Malinda added.

"Why don't I take the food?" Mal offered, not realizing how 'girlfriendy' she sounded. Ben was always there, making sure the VKs got anything they needed. Like she said, they repay their debts on the Isle.

"For the last time, you don't need to feel indebted to me for being a decent human being," Ben said, shaking his head.

Not to mention, she was longing to knock some sense into this boy! He didn't know how good it was, having the option to work through food. On the Isle, if you did that it was likely you wouldn't eat again that day!

"Unless you were lucky enough to have an ally to get food for you," Harriet said.

"Or if you had a parent with a restaurant," Celia added.

Mal nodded. "That's right. The Hun kids did pretty well for themselves despite not being in any of the gangs."

"You know there's a rumor that Zevon and Yzla are part Hun?" Uma told her.

"Why…?"

"Who else would be brave enough to handle that?" Harry snorted.

"Under fifteen's present," Mal reminded him. "And my braincells don't need that image permanently tattooed on them."

"I second that," Ben muttered earning a small snort from Mal.

"Thanks," Emir said without a second thought, handing Mal a plate with the biggest steak he could find and a heap of potatoes.

"Appreciated," Mal told him with a small nod of her head. It was really amazing how much the AKs trusted them-she couldn't imagine letting someone she'd known for only a week to be alone with the person who was next in line to rule the Isle.

"Um…Mal? Aren't you technically the next in line to rule the Isle?" Carlos asked.

"What do you mean? I'm not next in line to rule the Isle," Mal scoffed.

"Well…I mean…the other citizens of the Isle see you as Maleficent's daughter and she does rule the Isle…"

"Oh."

"DeVil's got a point," Uma nodded.

"Jay, watch my food. I'll be back."

Hopefully with a wayward prince, she thought before banishing it out of her head. She strode off, making her way to Ben's office and clutching the plate of food as firmly as she could to keep any from spilling off the plate.

"Thank you Mal," Belle said, her voice soft.

Malinda shook her head. "Ben would have done the same for any of us."

"Ben?" Mal called as she marched into his office, not bothering to knock.

"Huh? Oh, hey Mal," Ben said, looking up from his paperwork. "What's up?"

"And so the trend was born," Benji chuckled.

"The trend?" Ben asked.

Benji smiled as Malinda rested her head on his shoulder. "This one here will always barge into our office if she thinks we're working too hard."

"I'm your cue to stop working," Mal said, holding up the plate of food. "Unless you became a robot and I missed the notice?"

"There is speculation about whether or not Ben's human," Rowyn mused.

Ben shook his head. "I've bled enough on the Tourney field to prove those rumors false."

"What? But dinner's not for…" Ben said, trailing off as he looked at his watch. "Oh. I didn't realize what time it was."

"Alarms are your friend," Malinda said. "Start setting one. Or you can have Akiho whack you over the head with a rolled up copy of The Gazelle until you go to breakfast/lunch/dinner?"

"I'll set an alarm! Just don't give him an idea!" Ben said quickly.

"Too late!" Akiho grinned.

"Obviously. Now, come on. Away from that desk," Mal insisted. "If you insist on being in here, you can eat on the couch but you're going to eat!"

Ben smiled slightly as he got up and sat down on the couch next to her.

"Ooh I like her," Abby said with a grin. "Ben, if you let her get away from you, I'll haunt you!"

"He's in a relationship!" Leah protested.

Not for long, Akiho though. After all, if the contract isn't valid, there's no point in Ben staying in a relationship he finds trying.

"You know, I don't insist on being here Mal. I just got caught up with work."

"If you can work through your body telling you you're hungry, then yes you are insisting. Now, eat up," Mal told him as she handed him the plate.

"Just like your mother," Hades said with a small chuckle.

"I'm taking that as a compliment Hades," Persephone said, giving her husband a small smile.

"As well you should," Hades said, kissing her forehead.

Ben took the plate and began eating. "Oh, this is good," he said after swallowing. "You know, I half expected Emir or Akiho to come in."

"I took their shift from them."

"Shift?"

"If they've done it twelve times by this point, wouldn't Ben already know what they call it?" Herkie asked.

"Ben Dinner Duty shift," Mal explained. "Apparently this is the twelfth time they've done this?"

"Not surprised. They think I work too much."

"You do," Emir, Akiho, and Lonnie said in unison; their voices flat.

"You know, I'm starting to think that too."

Ben shrugged. "Coronation has to get planned and the paperwork's not going to fill itself out," he said as he continued to eat.

"Ben, just because dad's retiring doesn't mean he can't do some of the work," Abby said with a sigh.

"That doesn't mean you can't eat," Mal said as she shook her head.

"I eat," Ben said softly. "Akiho'll bring me sandwiches especially if we've got Tourney practice the next day."

Demeter shook her head. "A sandwich is not sustainable for a full day if you didn't eat the night before."

He paused and looked at Mal for a second, as if trying to see if something was wrong. "Where's your food?"

"Don't worry, I'm good—"

"You sure? No need to be hungry just because you brought me food Mal."

"And there's no reason for you to go hungry just because you're in the office," Mal said, rolling her eyes.

"I got Jay guarding my portion."

Ben nodded. "Well, I should get back to—"

"You barely touched your food Ben," Mal said. "That paperwork's not going anywhere. Eat!"

Poseidon chuckled. "As stubborn as Hades," he said, shaking his head.

"We have no problem with that!" Chip, Emir, Akiho, and Lonnie said in unison.

"Yeah, Mal's getting Ben to eat and not be around paperwork. That takes some stubbornness," Emma nodded.

"Okay, okay," Ben chuckled as he took a bite of steak. He couldn't help but feel a bit touched that Mal felt concerned enough to check on him, even if she was potentially dating Jay.

"Okay we're just going to put this out there for all of you to hear," Mal stated. "Jay. Is. Practically. My. Brother! Same with Harry!"

"Didn't you have a flirtationship with Harry when we were thirteen?" Uma asked.

"I was curious as to what flirtationships were like and Harry was one of three boys I trusted full stop not to hurt me or push me into something I wasn't comfortable with. And there was no way I was going to Henry, he'd turn me down before the words got out of my mouth. Not that I'd want that but you know, blow to the rep," Mal said with a slight shrug; never noticing how Uma seemed to perk up at the idea that there were truly no feelings involved there.

It was more than Audrey did—truthfully Ben felt like he was putting all the work into the relationship.

"You are," Emir, Akiho, and Lonnie all said once again in unison.

Chip sighed. "It feels like that because like they said, you are Benji. Honestly no relationship should bee like that. It's not even a relationship, it's you being her glorified arm candy."

"So…do you normally have this much paperwork?" Mal asked.

"No…but like I said, coronation needs to be planned out—"

Mal frowned slightly. "But…by you?"

"She has a point," Emma said with a slight frown. "I mean, it's good that Ben has some input since it's his coronation but he shouldn't have to plan the whole thing."

"It's my coronation."

"I just thought you'd have committees to handle this," Mal muttered.

"The committees are the council though," Ben said. "Royals have their own work."

"It does go through my dad's council but it needs final approval," Ben explained.

"But…isn't your dad still the king? Why wouldn't he give his final approval?" Mal asked. "Hand some of it off to him! You're not king yet, he can't just pass off his job."

"I will be taking some of that work Ben," Beast said firmly.

"It's just three hours a day Mal," Ben shrugged. "Sides, it has to be done so why not by me?"

"I'm sorry, how many hours?" Beast asked, looking at his son.

"…three." Ben said after a slight pause.

"Uh huh. Then why do I recall one of the scrolls starting with you sleeping on your paperwork Benjamin? It's been a while since I've attended a math class but I'm almost positive that sounds like more than three hours."

"You know, this might actually be the best thing for Ben," Emir whispered to Akiho.

"I have to agree," Akiho whispered back.

"Maybe because you're sixteen and should be focusing on homework, sports or whatever else you Auradon kids do?"

"Oh I do that too," Ben nodded. "School, homework, captaining the Tourney team along with R.O.A.R…"

"And that's all well and good Ben but it doesn't give your brain a break," Mal told him.

Mal shook her head.

"So um…thanks for bringing me dinner by the way Mal," Ben said after a few minutes.

"You needed to eat, it was nothing," Mal said with a shrug.

"Still, you've known me for a week," Ben said, not wanting to add that he had friends who'd known him a lot longer who wouldn't have done that.

"Chad!" Kitty coughed.

"Audrey!" Ashaki added, coughing as well.

"You know, I think there might be a cold going around," Rose said with a slight smile as Cinderella and Jasmine quickly scolded their daughters.

"Thanks you. You should go eat though, don't let your food get cold."

"Okay," Mal said softly.

"See you around?"

"Sure," Mal nodded. She'd work on getting him to take a break later, at least he was eating. "School's only so big after all."

"No!" Chip groaned. "First Belle and now you Mal? You were doing so well! Drag him out of that office never to return!"

"In my defense, I only had a small idea how bad he was at that point," Malinda said with a slight shrug.

Benji shook his head. "I wasn't that bad Mal."

"Pick your battles Benny," Malinda deadpanned.

"Yes dear," Benji said with a sheepish smile.

Mal sighed and shook her head, pulling herself out of her thoughts. After that, she and Jay had doubled their 'Ben guard' efforts as they called them. DeVil really did have a good idea with that.

Carlos perked up a little as he heard that. It was one thing for another VK to say he had a good idea. It was another thing entirely for Mal to say it.

"Talk to Lonnie," Emir said. "She's the head of the student version of Ben's security so she can add you to the guard roster. You can talk about tips and shifts with her."

However, it was a lot harder than it looked considering Ben didn't have classes with either of them. Or DeVil. Or Blueberry.

"Or me. Or Akiho. Or Miguel. Or Brenden. Or Will. Or Li. Or Conner. Or Lonnie. Or Emma. Or Elle. Or—."

"They get it," Aziz said, shaking his head at his little brother.

It didn't help matters that Ben was practically a workaholic, only stoping for breaks for Tourney, ROAR or if someone forced him.

Ben shook his head. "I'm not a workaholic."

Malinda raised an eyebrow as she looked him square in the eye. "Ben, as the cousin of the God of Medicine, I can say with certainty that you are a workaholic."

"Just nod," Benji said as Ben opened his mouth. "When it comes to arguing with your wife, you need to pick your battles wisely. Besides, there aren't a lot of arguments we win against Mal anyway."

"Besides, there's no arguing with the fact that you are a workaholic Ben," Chip chuckled.

Akiho had said at one point that he was just about ready to borrow Sven from his father and use the reindeer to drag Ben out of his office.

Mal wasn't going to lie. She'd pay good money to see that.

"She's not the only one!" Chip spoke up. "Akiho, if you need any help with that, I'm more than willing to give you a ride to Sven's stable."

Kristoff shook his head. "No borrowing Sven to drag Prince Ben out of his office!"

"Dad!"

"I mean it Akiho! Honestly, you should have talked to your mother or me about your concerns. Hell, you could have talked to your Aunt Elsa!"

"…that probably would have made more sense in hindsight," Akiho said after a moment.

But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that tear.

"We still need the tear," Mal muttered under her breath, looking over the recipe once more.

"Hey guys!" Lonnie said as she walked into the kitchen, not noticing Mal frantically covering up the spell book.

Malinda shook her head. "Oh Lonnie noticed. How could she not? I wasn't exactly the most subtle—she was just too polite to say anything."

"What are you…oh making cookies? Midnight snack huh?"

"Yeah, just couldn't sleep," Mal lied, nodding her head a little. Lonnie grinned and stuck her finger in to grab some of the dough. Mal froze, not sure how to react. Anything too sudden could be suspicious but she didn't want Lonnie to be under the love spell too.

Not that it would be all that bad if she was, Jay found himself thinking.

"Um, I don't think you should—"

"What? I'm not gonna double dip," Lonnie said, giving Carlos a small smile as the younger boy softly voiced his objections. "Hmm, could use some chips."

"Chips?" Mal asked, looking at Jay in confusion.

"Why didn't it work?" CJ asked.

"Probably because the tear wasn't added," Mal said with a slight shrug.

Malinda chuckled. "Well that and I hadn't said the incantation over it. I mean it's a spell so there'd have to be a spell to enchant the cookies. Otherwise it's just some cookies with a tear in them."

"So why'd you choose that one?"

"It got the best reviews," Malinda shrugged.

"…love spells get reviews?" Kristoff asked.

"Chocolate chips!" Lonnie elaborated with a grin as she got some from the pantry. "Only the most important food group," she added as she poured some of the chips into the bowl.

"Is…is chocolate a food group?" Ben asked.

"You bet it is!" Akiho, Emir, Rowyn and Lonnie said with a nod. Anna couldn't help but give her son a proud smile as she heard that.

Hadie leaned over to Mal. "Should I be worried that it seems like they all share a braincell?"

She paused when she realized that none of the other kids seemed to know what she was talking about. "Wait…didn't your moms ever make you chocolate chip cookies?"

"…mom did once," Jay said softly. "I have a hazy memory of it, might have been back when the food barges were still somewhat edible but we lucked out and got the stuff to make cookies. Sans chocolate. I don't remember how we were able to bake them but mom gave me some good thieving tips over those cookies."

Mal froze, glancing at Jay and Carlos. She knew she was lucky—she was probably one of the few kids on the Isle who could say she was loved by her parents. But Jay still found talking about his mom to be painful even if it'd been years since her death and DeVil would probably run the other way if Cruella actually baked cookies out of fear they were poisoned.

"DeVil, I have no shame in admitting that if Cruella baked anything, I'd probably run the other way too," Harriet said.

"Same," CJ nodded.

"I think the only ones who wouldn't would be Zevon and Freddy now that I think about it and that's just because they lack the braincells," Uma said, tapping her chin with her finger.

"Ooh! Permission to sneak baking materials over to the Isle so that Cruella bakes cookies to give to Zevon or Freddy?" Jay asked, looking over at Mal.

"Even if I say no, you're going to do it anyway aren't you?"

"You know me so well."

Though to be fair, most kids would have done that too.

"Like when you're feeling sad," Lonnie elaborated, not noticing the reaction of the VKs. "And they're fresh from the oven and she gives you a big glass of milk and makes you laugh and puts everything into perspective…why are you all looking at me like that?"

"I'm guessing it's either because they're having a hard time picturing mom of all people baking cookies or because they're from the Isle," Lil Shang said.

"To be fair…I still can't picture Mulan baking cookies," Malinda said.

"It's rather relaxing," Mulan said with a small smile. "Besides, sometimes a situation calls for a spar and sometimes it calls for a listening ear. The latter is when cookies come in handy."

"Oh Gods…does my foot taste good or something?" Lonnie muttered. "Stop talking self."

"It's…it's just different where we're from," Jay told her. There was no delicate way to say 'you lot don't throw out stuff to bake cookies with' and Lonnie was one of the few AKs who were genuinely trying to make the VKs feel welcomed.

"Yeah mom, couldn't you have brought ingredients back with you?" Hadie asked. "It would have been nice to have cookies. They sound good."

"Oh," Lonnie whispered and then tried to regain her cheerful attitude, "well I mean, I just thought…you know even villains love their kids."

Yeah…until Auradon takes them away from us, Jay thought, never realizing that Harry was thinking the exact same thing.

"Some do though," Uma said. "Uncle Hades and Aunt Steph love Mal and Hadie, no one can deny that."

"And your dad loves you, Freddie, and Celia at least in his own way," Mal added as Hades and Persephone smiled at their kids.

"And Aunt Ana!" Dizzy said with a grin.

"Even if 'Lord' Tremaine probably gives her more stress than he's worth, she still loves the brat," Celia nodded.

Mal, Jay and Carlos stayed silent; Mal didn't want to rub her relationship with her mom in the others faces. Jay had been loved by his mom—until her death when he was four. Auradon was partially responsible for it too, thanks to the fact that they had a stellar lack of a medical system.

Belle and Beast winced at the reminder that they'd been partially responsible for taking kids from their parents and parents from their children.

Jacqueline may have been a thief but she truly loved her child.

Hades sighed. "Only the good parents of the Isle are brought to me," he said, his voice low.

"I'm sorry but are we saying that being a thief makes it so you don't love your kid?" Aladdin asked.

"According to Boreadon? Yep," Mal nodded.

Meanwhile Carlos was sleeping in a nest of furs surrounding by bear traps.

Hyllus stared at Carlos in shock. "I'm sorry, surrounded by what?"

Carlos shrugged. "Yeah…it's not the best but…better that than in the streets or alleys," he whispered. "At least I have something soft to lay on."

"But…bear traps?" Melody asked with a small frown. "That's not safe at all! What if you got caught by one of them getting out of bed?"

Carlos shrugged again. "Then I keep it hidden from my mother until it scars over."

Okay, so we're definitely adding therapy for this group of VKs as well, Ben thought.

At least, if Jay was telling the truth from the one time he tried to rob Hell Hall, Mal thought, once again referring to the smaller boy by his first name. At least, in her head.

Trust me Mal, I wouldn't lie. Not about that at least, Jay thought as Carlos continued to try to avoid everyone's eyes at the new revelation.

Lonnie frowned as the three of them stayed silent, gently resting a hand on Jay's shoulder.

The start of Jonnie as one of the sports entertainment reporters called them, Malinda thought with a small smile. Honestly Lonnie could have comforted any of them but it was Jay she chose to rest her hand on.

After all, it was safe to assume that if Mal was publicly stating she was Lady Persephone's daughter then there was some love in that relationship.

"I will always love my daughter," Persephone said firmly.

"Oh guys…how awful," she whispered, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. One of Lonnie's tears dropped down her cheek and landed into the bowl.

"Lonnie!" Audrey exclaimed. "You're helping them steal my boyfriend!"

"Okay, first off, lower the volume Audrey," Lonnie snapped. "And second of all, you can't steal a person. But if showing some sympathy to people who've had it worse than us helps get Ben out of his relationship with you, I'll do it again in a heartbeat! On that note you can't steal a person! Because a person isn't an object Audrey! But even if you could steal a person, I'd help Mal steal Ben from you because then I'd know my friend isn't in a toxic relationship! Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if you didn't somehow get swapped at birth with Mother Gothel's kid or something. Your parents are kind, fair, selfless people so I have no idea how your mother birthed a selfish, toxic cow of a daughter!"

"Lonnie!" Shang scolded.

"Aren't you going to control your daughter?" Leah snapped at Mulan.

"I can either save China or control Lonnie," Mulan said with a slight shrug, indicating that she was on her daughter's side.

"And I'm sorry but Princess Audrey has had more outbursts during this reading than all the kids combined," Esmeralda said. "Aren't you going to 'control' her?"

"Audrey's simply passionate about what she feels is right," Leah said with a small sniff.

"Uh huh," Poseidon muttered and leaned over to Demeter. "If that's 'passion' then I'm the God of Dance."

"I'm sorry dad but it's true," Lonnie said as Demeter snorted in amusement. "And Ben I see you shaking your head like you want me to stop talking but I'm not! You know she told me I couldn't be your friend when you officially started dating her last year? I had to become her friend too! Me and Jane!"

Jane nodded. "It's…it's not just Emir and Akiho she's gone after, Ben. If you don't meet her 'approval' you're out."

"And I'm sick and tired of keeping quiet about it!" Lonnie said firmly.

Kitty raised her hand. "Does it disturb anyone else that Audrey seems to actively make it so the only friend Ben's around most of the time is Chad? Sometimes I'll see Jane or Doug around him but if Audrey's there, Chad's the only one around."

"Guy, guys, really," Ben shook his head. "Chad, Audrey, and I just have the most classes together. That's it. Besides, with how much work I've got, I'm sometimes lucky if I see anyone."

"You see? Bennyboo is fine! He wants to stay with me!" Audrey exclaimed.

Yeah, I never said that, Ben thought with a small sigh.

"You're all harping about how I'm supposedly abusive but what about you all forcing him into a corner?"

Benji looked at Audrey with a slightly sad look on his face. "So you never talked over him? Never tried to force shows of affection? Never say threw his worst fears in his face? Don't forget Audrey, I am him. Everything's he's going through, I've been through so don't try to deny this."

"I never threw your fears in your face Bennyboo," Audrey said firmly. "What, are you referring to that comment I made…or will make by the lockers? Gods, did they all poison you against me that much that a simple comment is considered abuse now?"

"He told you that was his biggest fear. He trusted you with that as his girlfriend and you just casually brought it up like it didn't matter just to prove your point. What else would you call that?" Malinda growled as Benji rested a hand on her back.

"Hey, crazy idea, but we've got a lot more scrolls to read," Ben said, clapping his hands together and looking extremely uncomfortable. "We really don't need to go into this. Really. We don't. I'm fine, guys. Really. So we can drop this."

Belle glanced at Beast before nodding slightly. They could always talk about it more in private if Lord Hades would allow them to use the room he used for his family's private talk.

"Well," Mal sighed, noticing it but trying not to be suspicious and rush Lonnie out of the room. "Like we said, it…it's different where we're from."

"That would be an understatement," Ashaki stated.

Lonnie nodded. "Hey, if you guys ever want to spend the night, Jane and I usually have a sleepover with Akiho and Emir. Sometimes Ben joins too if he can tear himself away from his paperwork."

"Fairy Godmother's okay with this?"

"What she doesn't know doesn't hurt her," Lonnie shrugged. "Just…think it over okay?"

Fairy Godmother sighed. On the one hand, as headmistress, she needed to uphold the rules of Auradon Prep. But on the other hand…it was nice seeing Janey having some friends.

Mal nodded. "Thanks for stopping by Lonnie. Evil dreams!"

Lonnie chuckled. "Thanks. Sweet dreams to you guys too."

"You know, despite the differences, we're really all the same," Rachel said with a small smile. "Mal and Lonnie are both wishing the other a good night in their own way."

As soon as Mal was sure Lonnie was out of ear shot, she said, "let's get these guys in the oven."

Jay nodded and quickly dished out the cookies, getting the tray into the oven.

"We've got to be out of our minds," Mal muttered.

"This was your idea," Jay muttered back.

"Technically…you could say it was Audrey's," Dizzy said.

"What?!"

"You were the one who said that Mal might spell Prince Ben," Celia said, coming to her best friend and cousin's defense as Audrey spluttered in rage.

"I know. But now…there's a million ways this could go wrong. But it's the only plan we've got. Unless you want to be saying Queen Audrey a few years from now?"

"Only in our nightmares," Elle muttered.

"I hate to say it but odds are you still will," Phillip Jr. sighed. "Even if the contract gets removed from the equation, Audrey's mom's heir. At some point, Audrey will become Queen of Auroria."

"So…how are you guys going to get Ben to eat this cookie?" Carlos spoke up. "I'm just saying he's probably been coached a million different ways to avoid eating strange items."

"You see Ben? Don't trust anything they give you!" Leah exclaimed.

"Just ask him first," Jay said with a shrug.

"You want one of us, VKs, to ask Ben to eat a cookie?" Mal asked slowly.

"He ate a plate of steak and potatoes you handed him willingly," Evan pointed out. "What would be different about getting him to eat a cookie?"

"He is a very trusting guy. I mean he spent a good ten minutes alone with me in a tree grove that was slightly overgrown," Carlos pointed out. "It shouldn't be that hard."

"DeVil, no offense meant but it'd probably be more concerning if Benny spent ten minutes alone in an overgrown tree grove with Gil than with you," Uma said.

"Especially if Mal does it," Jay teased. "He seems to have a better report with you than he does the rest of us. Unless you want Blueberry simpering after him?"

"You know I find it interesting that my hatred of Blueberry gets me lectured but Jay also makes fun of her and no one says anything," Mal said, rolling her eyes.

Mal sighed but shook her head. "I can't promise he'll take it though."

"This was your idea Mal. No weaseling out of it," Jay told her. "All you can do is try."

"Bennyboo has the good sense to avoid eating anything you have to offer!" Audrey exclaimed.

"It's Ben," Emma said. "That boy places his happiness on the happiness of others. You really think that he'd want to disappoint Mal by turning down a cookie Audrey?"

"Just saying that if you say yes to that, you really don't know your boyfriend," Robin added.

"So…who wants to tell Lonnie that we mainly eat their leftovers?" Carlos asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Carlos, if you want to be the one to break that girl's world view into a million pieces be my guest," Mal sighed. She didn't even realize she'd called the younger boy by his first name. "We're wicked, not cruel. There's a difference."

Carlos shrugged. "I'm not that cruel," he said with a small smile at hearing his first name.

"What did you just call me?"

"Carlos. Why, you go by something different now?" Mal snarked.

"Maleficent once called me a little fur freak," Carlos said softly.

"Yeah we're not calling you that DeVil," Harriet shook her head.

"Besides, Maleficent's a few pitas shy of a full pocket anyway," Meg muttered.

"No you…you normally just call me DeVil," Carlos said with a shrug but Mal could see a small smile pull at the younger boy's lips.

"I really need to train Lacey and Brooke to cheer 'Hail Satan' when Carlos walks into a room," Lucas mused.

"Lacey LeGume?" Mal asked.

"Yeah. You know her?"

"She's Gil's youngest sister," Uma said. "We try to look after the LeGume girls as best we can. Well except for Locklyn."

"She sided with Freddy, she deserves what she gets," Mal said and then looked at Malinda. "We still hate her right?"

"Oh yeah," Malinda nodded.

"You have a problem with me calling you by your first name?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?" Mal asked. "Jay calls you 'Carlos'."

"Could…could it be less because of it being Jay and more…more because Mal's a woman who has power over him?" Jane said softly.

"Jane's got a point," Rowyn nodded. "I mean…Carlos, what does your mom call you?"

"Um…you know, what all moms call their kids I guess," Carlos shrugged.

"Not all moms make their kid sleep on a nest of furs surrounded by bear traps," Macaria said firmly.

Carlos shrugged. "Just at Tourney practice and I think that's just so the others don't think anything's weird considering none of them refer to each other by their last name."

"Carlos, you're the only one of us with a last name," Jay snarked.

"Hey DeVil, we could form a club," Harry chuckled.

Uma smirked. "You know Gil would have to join that club with you? He's got a last name."

"Never!" Harry declared, never noticing Carlos' amused smile.

Carlos smiled slightly. "Anyone else slightly worried about their hearing when Ben breaks it off with Audrey?"

"No matter where we are in the school, we'll be able to hear her," Mal predicted as the timer went off for the cookies. There was no turning back now.

"Oh I have no doubt Olympus will hear her as well," Chip said, nodding his head.

"The Isle too!" Emir added.

Naveen shook his head. "That was the end of the scroll. Who wants to read next?"

"I'll read," Celia said.