Disney Academy

by All My Friends Are Heathens

...I did it. This is a re-write of my original Disney High fic, just because I can. This is not the final title, but for now... Enjoy. (I hope.)

9. This Is Halloween

Aurora walked back into her room and everyone turned to her expectantly.

"You were gone awhile..." Snow said.

"Everything okay?" Cindy asked.

"My aunt was here." Aurora replied, leaning against the door she'd just shut.

"Oh! Which one?" Giselle asked cheerfully.

"Mallory."

"Oh." Jasmine and Ariel both said at once.

"Who?" Lottie asked, confused.

Aurora shared a look with Cindy. Cindy, Snow, Giselle, Ariel and Jasmine all knew about her crazy aunt. Tiana and Belle were new, so they had no idea, and Aurora didn't really want them to know yet. And she just never wanted Lottie to know. Ever.

"It doesn't matter, Lottie." Jasmine said.

They moved on, just like that. But Aurora shared a look with those that did know as if to say, We'll talk later.

There was a knock on the door.

"Girls! Sandwiches!" Leah called cheerfully from outside.

Aurora's mom refused to let the group leave until she'd taken at least 90 pictures. This was the only way to make her happy so they could escape. And while it irritated Aurora to no end, it made the other girls laugh as they took stunningly beautiful photos in their costumes. Lottie was the most happy; The one place that the giggly blonde was most comfortable was in front of a camera.

"Be sure to take lots of pictures for yourselves, girls!" Aurora's mom called to them as they headed out to their cars. "These are memories you'll want to cherish forever!"

"Okay, thanks, mom!" Aurora called back before climbing into the driver's seat, with Cindy and Snow getting in as well. Giselle and Ariel went with Lottie while Belle followed Tiana to her car. Jasmine was walking to her own car, much to her friends' surprise. Her dad had let her borrow one of his older models for the night, in spite of her not being officially licensed yet. Apparently, she was Aladdin's ride tonight, and she'd convinced her dad that since he had a license, it would be fine.

"Your mom's a bit more...emotional tonight, isn't she?" Cindy asked.

Aurora sighed as she started her car. "I'll explain later."

Most of the school was packed in and around Naveen's manor home. Rapunzel gaped in awe at all the sights; The decorations, the food, the costumes- It was all way too spectacular. Merida chuckled as she watched her friend skip and twirl around, the multi-colored lights dancing over her slight form in her fairy princess costume. Merida had gone with the generic pirate costume; She didn't really care about Halloween, but the activities that came with it were too hard to pass up.

"Hey, guys!"

They turned to see Flynn and the group approaching leisurely. Merida couldn't help but laugh when she saw that Flynn and Esmeralda were both dressed as pirates as well. Phoebus and John were dressed as gladiators. Pocahontas was dressed as some kind of warrior, as well. Nakoma and Thomas seemed to have a Romeo & Juliet theme going on.

"Hey, Flynn!" Rapunzel grinned, then seemed to collect her energy as she tried to play it cool. "What's up, guys?"

Merida rolled her eyes while Flynn spoke.

"We just wanted to invite you guys to our own little Halloween celebration. You see, there's this thing we've always wanted to do every year, but we never have. But, since it's senior year, we figure it's now or never. Tonight, we're gonna go in the Haunted Mansion." Flynn smirked.

Rapunzel gasped.

Merida raised an eyebrow. "For real?"

"Yup! Well, all of us except Esme, since she's chicken..." Phoebus grinned at Esmeralda.

She playfully shoved him. "Actually, it's because I have work tonight."

"I still can't believe you have to work on Halloween." Flynn muttered.

Esme just shrugged.

Pocahontas looked at Rapunzel and Merida deviously. "So? You guys in?"

"Well-"

"Definitely!" Rapunzel cried, cutting Merida off.

"Awesome. We'll come get you when it's time to go." Flynn smirked at Rapunzel before leading the group away.

Merida looked at Rapunzel skeptically. "Seriously?"

"Well, I don't see why not." Rapunzel said lightly, shrugging.

Merida smirked and crossed her arms. "What about your mom?"

"She's out of town until Monday. Not a problem." Rapunzel replied coolly.

Merida shrugged, dropping it. Rapunzel's little crush on Flynn was obviously changing her. And Merida couldn't tell if she liked it or not.

"Don't Kida and Milo look great?" Aurora grinned as she asked Jasmine.

"Yes! They are so cute! But not as cute as Belle and Adam." Jasmine gushed.

"I know! I'm so happy with how their costumes turned out." Giselle giggled. "The whole project was so much fun!"

Aurora couldn't help but wonder what Giselle's sleep schedule was like.

"Absolutely loving the Wonder Woman costume, Rorie!" One of the Bimbettes cried as the sisters passed. (Aurora couldn't tell who was who.)

"I'd never imagined her as a blonde before!" One of the others called with a ditzy grin.

"But you make it work!" The last one cheered before they all disappeared.

"Thank you!" Aurora called back, though they obviously couldn't hear.

Jasmine stood up. "I should go find Aladdin."

"Oh! That reminds me, I need to find my Captain!" Giselle piped up, referring to Edward. She jumped up and skipped away, with Jasmine close behind.

Aurora sighed lightly, following the two girls. She'd opted not to invite Lir tonight, since it wasn't actually her goal to upset Phillip. But now, realizing she'd be alone most of the night, she slightly regretted that decision…

"Fjord! What the hell, man?!" Eric cried, clapping a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

Fjord was a petite guy; much too petite to accommodate his ego. His thick, curly hair was a deep brown and reached just under his chin, framing his pale and somewhat cherubic face. His chocolate-colored eyes gleamed with pride and his thin lips seemed to be forever set in a smirk. He looked like a true anime boy… Or maybe Timothée Chalamet.

Fjord rolled his eyes. "Cecilia insisted that we come."

It was then that a dainty girl with long, thick black hair came bounding up beside the brunet, wrapping one of his arms in both of hers. Her ocean-blue eyes glittered as she grinned at Eric.

"Hey, cous." She greeted Eric enthusiastically.

"Hey, you." He smiled as he walked over to hug his cousin.

She giggled. "What a great party!"

"It's alright." Fjord muttered, shrugging carelessly as he sipped at his beer.

Eric sent him a wary glance, his smile not wavering. He didn't like Fjord very much, but his younger cousin was absolutely in love with him, for some reason. The couple went to a rival school in the same district. In fact, the same school as Lir: Tom Thumb High.

"Is Ariel here?" Cecilia asked suddenly, acting like she hadn't heard Fjord at all.

"Uh, yeah... She's outside." Eric nodded.

"I've missed her so much! Take me to her, please?"

"Sure. Follow me." Eric started leading them out.

"Come on, Fjord!" Cecilia cried, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him along after Eric.

Aurora was following all of her coupled-up friends into the living room, where an impressive dance floor was in full swing. Charlotte suddenly stepped in front of her from out of nowhere, a nervous grin plastered on her face.

"Rorie, honey, hey! How are you liking the party? Can I get you anything? A drink, a snack, some weed, maybe?"

"Um…no. Lottie, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm great! Just great. But, ya' know, so tired of this room. How about you and I go hang out on the patio, huh?" Lottie was already trying to lead Aurora away from the crowd.

Aurora laughed off her friends' antics. "Lottie, you're disturbing me. Come on, I wanna dance…"

"But—"

Lottie didn't get a chance to finish. Aurora pushed past her to see Phillip and Tiana dancing together…far closer together than a couple of friends would. Aurora's expression fell, and all her friends started to fawn over her. Overwhelmed, Aurora broke away from the group and took off, disappearing into the crowd.

"I'm so sorry, ya'll, I wasn't expecting—" Lottie started to ramble.

"Don't worry about it, Lottie. We'll handle it." Cindy assured her, leading Snow away. Giselle was torn between following them or staying with the distressed Charlotte, but opted to choose the latter and check on Aurora as soon as she could. If anyone would have the details on how this happened, it was Lottie.

"I told you." Jasmine was fuming as Cindy passed her, a clueless Aladdin standing awkwardly at her side.

"Not now." Cindy quietly chided as she and Snow hurried outside.

Jasmine opted to join Giselle in trying to decipher Lottie's rambling, not wanting Aurora to see her so angry.

They found Aurora sulking on a bench on the wrap-around patio, facing the backyard. The churning mass of people in the dark made everyone's form and face completely unfamiliar. A few grotesque characters were illuminated by strobe-lights and glow sticks. The macabre figures were enveloped in a thick, rolling fog, with wispy tendrils reaching up into the air. The scene was perfect for Halloween night.

Too perfect. Aurora thought eerily, hugging herself. It was surprisingly chilly out, and her costume didn't cover much.

"Rorie?" Cindy was suddenly sitting next to her. Snow stood timidly next to the bench. "You okay?" Cindy asked, worry clear in her features.

Aurora gazed at her for a moment, then smiled distractedly. She was obviously tired and unsettled. "I'm fine."

"Do you want a drink?" Snow chirped in a hopeful tone, her doe-like eyes softened by concern.

Aurora sighed. She'd had so much soda lately, but a beer didn't sound good either, and those were the only options... Lottie and Naveen weren't as good at the whole party-planning thing.

"Orange soda, please?" Aurora asked Snow.

Snow nodded and giggled daintily before skipping away, her little Supergirl cape flapping around behind her.

Cindy looked into Aurora's eyes. "You're the one who turned him down, remember? Besides, what about Lir?"

"I know… I just…wasn't expecting him to move on so quickly. I guess?" Aurora groaned. "And, I mean… What if I made the wrong choice? What if things don't work out with Lir, and I've thrown away my only chance to be with Phillip?" She looked hopelessly at her friend. "Is it wrong of me to think that?"

"A little."

Aurora hung her head sadly.

"Hey." Cindy gripped Aurora's shoulder. "This is high school. You don't need to find true love."

"You're one to talk." Aurora grumbled. She caught Cindy's offended expression and sighed. "Sorry. That was unfair."

Cindy smirked playfully. "Quit sulking, please. We're at a party." She poked Aurora in the ribs. "And you're Wonder Woman, for crying out loud. We can sort this out later, hm?"

Aurora silently nodded. Snow returned and handed her the orange soda with a grin. Aurora was starting to open it when a venomous voice made all of them freeze.

"Hey, girls."

They all looked up at Vanessa, who was dressed in a skimpy "bunny" costume. She smirked down at them, her lilac eyes gleaming dangerously. Snow took a step behind the sofa, glancing around nervously. Aurora glared up at Vanessa's smiling face while Cindy gave her an even stare.

"Hello, Vanessa." Cindy greeted coolly, seeming totally pleasant. "That's a nice costume."

Vanessa gave her a look before rolling her eyes over to Aurora, who was now speaking.

"Yeah. It suits you." Aurora's tone was flat.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow and smiled easily. "Thanks. And I have to say, yours is pretty nice, too. Although..." She pulled a face, "Don't you think it's a little, uh...showy?"

"What?" Aurora narrowed her eyes.

"I mean, it just seems kind of daring for someone who was recently... Well, you know." Vanessa shrugged.

"Oh, feel free to just say it." Aurora said plainly, crossing her arms. "After all, we all remember whose boyfriend it was."

Vanessa smirked. "Oh, that reminds me, I need to go find Gaston." She said suggestively, biting her lip. "Did you hear they might let him have his spot back on the team? You know, there's just something about a guy who takes what he wants that's so…hot." She laughed cruelly before strutting away.

Aurora felt her stomach turn, and bile rising in her throat. The haunting feeling of Gaston's hand prying its way up her leg made her shudder. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears and she took some deep breaths.

Cindy placed a gentle hand on Aurora's shoulder. "We'll make sure you don't see them for the rest of the night." She looked at Snow, who nodded in agreement.

"I feel so stupid…" Aurora said shakily.

"You're not." Cindy replied firmly before telling Snow to go grab the others.

"You guys don't have to stay with me all night." Aurora said as Snow slipped away again. "I don't want to ruin anything…"

"Stop it." Cindy said, pulling Aurora into a comforting hug.

Eric sat with Jim in the kitchen with Meg, Ariel, Phoebus and Esme. Phoebus was holding Esme in his lap and nuzzling at her neck while she giggled.

Meg smirked at the sight. It's about damn time.

Unfortunately, the cuddling was halted when Naveen suddenly ran up to the group. Although Naveen didn't really look at her, the surprised Esme sat forward, so that she was perched awkwardly on Phoebus' knee, leaning away from him. Phoebus looked confused at first; Then he just looked hurt. His jaw clenched.

Meg glared at the oblivious Naveen. Fucking idiot.

"Hey, guys." Naveen said absently to the group, not really seeming to see any of them. He seemed kind of buzzed. He tapped Eric's shoulder. "Have you seen Lottie?"

"Nah, did you check the patio?" Eric asked, sipping his drink.

Naveen groaned, as though the situation was helpless, and took off again.

Eric looked at Ariel. "We should probably go see what that's about, huh?" She nodded and they excused themselves to find their friends, leaving Meg and Jim to deal with the impending awkwardness.

Esme leaned back against Phoebus' chest, seemingly in relief. He glared down at her.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded in a low tone.

She acted confused. "What?"

Not again… Meg wanted to slam her head against the table.

Phoebus was remaining calm, but it was clear enough that he was torn up inside about what was happening. He shook his head, refusing to meet Esme's eyes as she awkwardly turned toward him.

"Pheebs—"

"Just get up, please. I wanna go."

"What? No, I—"

"Let me up, Esme. I don't want to be here right now, I wanna leave."

"Can we just talk-?"

Phoebus was seething now. He finally made eye contact, and the heated turmoil in his eyes was enough to make her slide meekly off of his lap. "What's the point? We've tried talking about it already."

"Well, not really—"

"And who's fault is that?"

Meg and Jim shared a look, wondering whether or not to step in. The two of them were both getting angry, but it still seemed like they were intending to keep the argument at a respectful volume, being mindful that they were in public.

Esme started shaking her head. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Pheebs..."

He sighed, raising a hand in protest. "I just wish you would be fucking honest for once."

"I am honest with you!"

"Not about him." He snapped, pointing in the direction that Naveen had gone. He collected himself, but his voice was uneven. "Not with me, or with yourself. I honestly worry about you, Es."

"What?"

"You don't care enough about yourself to see how he disrespects you! I mean, do you really think that is what you deserve?"

She shook her head angrily. "You're wrong. He doesn't disrespect me. He's one of my best friends."

"I was too, once. Now… I dunno."

Meg was seething in her seat while Jim was sinking as low as he could to try and escape the situation.

Esme laughed now, bitterly. "At least Naveen recognizes that I'm a human being who can make my own decisions."

"As long as those decisions benefit him!"

"We understand each other in a way that you can never hope for with me, or anyone for that matter, if you keep being such a stubborn, ignorant jackass!" She stood up to leave. "You know what? You don't have to worry about me! I'm not your girlfriend! You seem to think I am, but I'm not!"

"Esme, don't-"

"I know you said you wanted to leave, but you don't have to. I have to go to work anyway." Her voice broke and she rolled her eyes in annoyance as she turned to rush away, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. She took off through the crowd and out the front door. Phoebus ran after her, calling her name.

Jim turned to Meg. "You're not driving her tonight?"

Meg sighed. "She insisted she didn't need it. Finally got her car working."

"You gonna let Phoebus have it when he comes back?"

"Currently undecided."

Outside, Phoebus was sprinting across the courtyard to catch Esmeralda before she got into her car. He shouted over and over again for her to wait. Eventually, she cried in frustration and turned to face him.

"What do you want?!" She demanded.

"I don't want to let you walk away like this!"

"Then you shouldn't have talked to me like that!"

"Like what? You mean, I shouldn't have told you how it makes me feel like shit how you string me along when you obviously have feelings for that douchebag? I shouldn't be setting boundaries with you because you're obviously not used to it? Excuse the hell out of me!"

"Phoebus—"

"I mean, what is this we're doing here, huh? Is all this with me just, like, fun for you? What is it?!"

"Phoebus!"

"All right! You know what? I'm sorry, but I need you to understand—"

"No, I need you to understand!" Esme cut in, holding up a hand to silence him. He sighed impatiently and put his hands on his hips, waiting for her to go on. Esmeralda crossed her arms and continued, "Phoebus, there are things about me you don't know, because I don't want you to."

His expression softened considerably. "What?"

She sighed. "There are things I've done…thing's I'm doing, that I'm not proud of. But I have to do them. And I know you wouldn't understand why. Which is the reason why I've hidden so much from you, because just thinking about how you'd react, or imagining how knowing might change the way you think of me… It makes me sick." She scoffed hopelessly. "Everything's so twisted now… We used to be best friends. I used to tell you everything."

"You still can." He replied softly. He hadn't realized before that he'd had her convinced that wasn't the case. It broke his heart. "Esme, I just want what's best for you."

"Which is what? You? If this is the way you act when we're not even together, I don't want to think about what being your girlfriend would be like."

"Esme—"

"I can't be myself with you, Pheebs!"

He looked truly mortified. How long had she been feeling like this without him even realizing it? Suddenly it dawned on him…

"But with Naveen, you can…" He whispered, looking down at his feet. He was quiet for a minute. He felt like such a failure. "Okay… I get it now."

They stood for a minute, not looking at each other. The only sound between them was Esme quietly crying. Eventually, he hoarsely asked, "How many ways can I say I'm sorry?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not ready to hear any of that right now. I have to get to work." Truthfully, she knew she had some apologizing to do, too. But she wasn't ready to get into all that yet.

"Esme, I—"

"We can talk about it later." She turned away and got into the car, slamming the door between them. Phoebus watched the beaten-up vehicle drag itself out of the driveway and scream out of sight. He winced slightly at the sound, wishing she would drive more carefully. He heard someone walking up behind him and turned to see Aladdin with a sympathetic expression on his face.

"How bad is it?" Aladdin asked.

Phoebus hung his head, and Aladdin put a hand on his shoulder.

"Al, I… I've been such a dick."

"Yeah. Uncharacteristically so. But truth be told, I don't think it's all on you, dude. I mean, I love you both, but…you've really done a number on each other."

"How do we come back from this?"

Aladdin looked hopefully in the direction that Esme's car had gone. "You guys'll find a way."

"You ready, Blondie?"

Rapunzel turned to smile at Flynn as he approached with Pocahontas and John.

"Almost... Just waiting for Merida. She's asking Jim if he wants to go." Rapunzel replied.

"Here!" Merida called as she led Jim toward the group by the arm. They were followed by Meg, who looked as skeptical as ever. Her arms seemed forever crossed.

"Ah, joining in, Nutmeg?" Flynn chuckled.

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you have beer?"

"We've got an ice chest all stocked up for our little field trip." John answered.

"Then I'm in." Meg replied shortly.

A troubled Phoebus came wandering up, looking like a zombie.

"Pheebs! You wanna come check out the Haunted Mansion or what?" Flynn asked.

Phoebus looked confused for a second, then his face was blank. "Oh, uh, sure."

"Awesome! Let's go!" Flynn cheered as he led the way out.

Jasmine was tired of being around Eric's cousin and her asshole boyfriend. And seeing Eric carry Ariel up the stairs had given Aladdin some ideas.

"Hey, Jazz. Let's get out of here." He murmured with a smirk.

"And go where?" She asked in mock-suspicion.

"Let's snag a blanket from somewhere and find a clearing in the woods. We could stargaze."

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Yeah."

"Well... I have blankets in the car. We could drive till we find a clearing." She felt a little nervous, knowing that if her dad found out this is what she'd used the car for, he'd probably have a conniption fit and never let her drive again.

"Cool. Let's go." He grinned.

They said goodbye to Cecilia and Fjord before sneaking off.

Flynn thought it would be a good idea to grab some snacks on the way to the Mansion. It was Halloween, after all. And Halloween demanded candy. As he and Phoebus were checking out at the closest convenience store with treats for everyone, Flynn felt someone bump into him from behind. He turned to glare at whoever it was, and was surprised to make eye contact with a short, older woman in a periwinkle coat. She smiled warmly up at him.

"So sorry, my dear. Didn't mean to bump you." She said sweetly.

"Ah, it's no problem." He assured her. Phoebus finished paying the cashier and the two of them headed out the door. "Happy Halloween!"

"You stay out of trouble out there!" She called after them, waving.

Flynn and Phoebus shared a look as they walked to the cars, where everyone was waiting.

It was 11:30 when they reached the mansion. They had to stop the car outside the gate, which was shut, and stood 20 feet tall. Flynn, Phoebus and John approached it, thinking it was locked. But no; The lock was broken and hanging by its chain from the gate's handle. A thick layer of dust had settled over the rusted, black iron, and spider webs had wound their way all over the forgotten gate.

"So... No one's been here in a while." Phoebus said flatly, crossing his arms.

"Nope." Flynn grinned. "No one's got the balls except us, I guess."

John and Flynn laughed while Phoebus rolled his eyes. Flynn stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

"This thing should open up pretty easy..." He mumbled, placing one hand on either side of the snapped lock. He pushed forward with about half of his strength. The gate creaked but didn't budge. "Huh..." He pushed again, now with all his strength, but to no avail.

"Try pulling?" Phoebus offered.

"Oh, right..." Flynn wrapped his hands around the bars and pulled as hard as he could. The iron whined and barely moved toward him, scraping through the dirt.

Flynn sighed and stepped back, dusting off his hands. "Damn thing's rusted shut..."

Phoebus nodded. That made sense. No wonder no one had been worried about the broken lock, which actually looked like it had been sawed. Truthfully, no one had heard of any kind of maintenance being done to the property since the late 80's. The dirt below them seemed like it had been completely untouched till they started driving over it; Almost as though no human had ever set foot near the place, which they all knew wasn't true. Like the structure and the gate and all the property had just kind of sat here of its own accord, unbothered, just daring trespassers to disturb it.

"Maybe we should just leave." Phoebus said casually, shrugging. "Maybe this just wasn't meant to happen."

"Aw, come on, buddy!" Flynn clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We finally get the opportunity, and you wanna let some rust stop us? No way. We're getting in. John?" He gestured toward the gate.

John stepped forward. "You grab the other side." He placed both hands on the right side of the gate, while Flynn took the left, and they wrenched it toward them. The metal gate screamed and shuddered, dragging its feet through the dirt in protest. They gritted their teeth while the metal ground and popped. There was a final, definitive crack when the gate finally snapped open. Phoebus helped them push one side all the way over. They stared down the cobblestone path to the house; the stones had wild grass and weeds sprouting up in between them, uprooting quite a few. All around there were wild plants and spider webs overtaking the courtyard. It was a misty, cool night, and beyond the headlights of the car, the only light they had to travel by was that of the full moon.

Jasmine and Aladdin were comfortably laying on a thick quilt in the middle of a large clearing, gazing up at the night sky. She kept catching him looking at her deviously, and it made her smirk.

"If you think we're going to be doing anything, you're about to be very disappointed." She said.

He feigned innocence. "I don't know what you mean."

She turned over on her side to face him, and he followed suit.

"I mean that you want to have sex with me." She raised her eyebrow.

He scoffed, then shrugged. "Well, yeah... But-"

"Don't defend yourself. I'm not mad. I like that you want to." She stroked his cheek, pushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "I'm just not ready yet."

He smiled and kissed her so softly and so quickly that she was surprised she felt it. Her cheeks turned red and he laughed.

"That's okay. You're worth the wait." He smirked.

She grinned and snuggled up against him, grabbing his shirt. "Great. Now come here and kiss me for real."

"Belle! Belle, come here!" Cindy called, waving at the brunette who was battling her way through the crowd of dancers to get to the kitchen, where Cindy, Snow, Aurora, Tiana, Phillip, Charming, Ferdinand, and Adam were waiting for her.

Belle smiled and waved back, finally finding a break in the crowd. But just as she was about to enter the kitchen, one of the Bimbettes walked in front of her. Belle tried to go around her, but the giggling blonde just moved in the same direction and continued to block her.

Belle laughed nervously. "Excuse me..."

The girl just continuously giggled and moved in any direction that Belle did.

"What the hell...?" Tiana frowned.

Just as Belle was beginning to get frustrated, a second Bimbette bumped into her from behind. The first blonde stepped aside to let Belle stumble forward. Before Belle could right herself, the third triplet came out of nowhere and tripped her, grinning ear to ear. Belle cried out as she fell, ending up sprawled out so her bottom half was in the living room and her top half was in the kitchen. The Bimbettes giggled in unison and strutted away as a unit, sitting on a sofa on the far side of the living room with Vanessa, who had watched the whole thing from the comfort of the oblivious Gaston's lap with a triumphant smirk and gleaming purple eyes.

Meanwhile, Adam was helping Belle up with meticulously gentle hands. The rest of the group was surrounding them.

"Belle!" Aurora cried, gripping Belle's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Snow chirped.

"What the hell was that about?" Phillip asked incredulously.

"I... I dunno. But I'm fine, really. I might just be a little bruised..." Belle gripped her elbow and winced.

"I'll get you some ice." Tiana said before going to make up an ice pack.

Adam led Belle to sit at the island. He was absolutely seething.

"I'll be right back..." He muttered as he started to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Charming asked.

"To teach them a lesson." Adam said gruffly in response.

"Whoa, hey, buddy." Phillip said, grabbing Adam by the arm. Adam whirled around and stared down at him, obviously pissed and definitely not wanting to be touched.

It was only then that Phillip realized how much taller Adam was than him. Not many people at school were taller than Phillip, but Adam had a couple of inches on him…not to mention quite a bit more muscle.

Phillip pulled his hand away from Adam, in fear of it being ripped off. He held up both hands to show that he meant no harm.

"I don't think that's a good plan. They're just some stupid girls, and Belle said she's fine. Besides, messing with them means messing with Gaston, and I'm pretty sure everyone's done having drama with him." Phillip said reasonably.

"Yeah, it's probably better to back off." Charming added.

"True. If we let them get to us, they win. And frankly, they aren't smart enough to win." Tiana pointed out. She'd just come back and handed Belle her ice pack.

But Adam didn't look convinced. He rolled his eyes and turned to go after the blondes again, but Belle's voice stopped him.

"It's really fine, Adam."

The way she said his name made him turn to her. She was standing now, and walking toward him. She placed her dainty hand in his and he visibly relaxed; He actually seemed to shrink a little.

She smiled warmly. "I'm fine. They aren't worth the trouble, anyway." The last thing she wanted was an incident on her account.

After a moment, Adam nodded. "Alright."

"Alright." She squeezed his hand. "Now, come sit down."

As he followed her to sit, he heard a chorus of giggles carry through the air to hit his ear. He glanced back to see the Bimbettes with Vanessa and Gaston, all laughing.

Adam felt the flood of heat run through the entirety of him, and his eyes twitched. He squeezed them shut, collecting himself.

Not here. Not now.

He smirked despite himself.

Later.

"Holy shit." Flynn breathed. "This place is huge."

The group was in the foyer of the mansion, in complete darkness aside from their phones and whatever flashlights they found in their cars. It was the first room they'd seen, and it was surprisingly empty. Aside from six portraits that adorned the walls high above them; Obviously prominent members of the old family.

Thugs probably took everything a while ago... Phoebus thought regretfully.

"Okay!" Flynn called, clapping his hands. "We have fifteen minutes to explore. Then, we should all try to meet up out back, in the graveyard. Apparently, midnight is the time that all the ghosties come out to socialize." He chuckled. "And I feel like, in this place, it'll be one hell of a party."

"Okay, Mer, where do you wanna go fir-" Rapunzel turned to see Merida and Jim disappearing down the hall to the left. "Oh."

Flynn laughed, and she turned to see him, John, Pocahontas, Meg and Phoebus standing in front of her.

"Care to join us, Blondie?" Flynn asked, smirking.

She giggled nervously. "Sure."

"Alright. Let's head upstairs." John said, leading the way. Pocahontas laughed and jumped on his back, forcing him to give her a piggy-back ride.

As they made their way up the grand staircase, Rapunzel stared around in awe of the surroundings, taking time to appreciate the creepy scenery. And Flynn took the time to appreciate her when she wasn't looking. Meg and Phoebus both saw this, then shared a knowing look and simultaneously rolled their eyes.

Meg made a mental note to ask Phoebus how he was feeling in private. She'd been holding the situation with Esme against him for some time- about when it became clear to her that Phoebus was pissed about Esme "secretly" hooking up with Naveen- and now she felt kind of guilty; like maybe if she'd been someone he could talk to, he wouldn't have started acting like such a jealous dick, and he and Esme wouldn't have wound up in the situation they were in now. Before Naveen came along and ruined the group's dynamic (before swiftly moving on to hang out with the popular kids), the three of them had been inseparable. Meg missed that.

Now two of her closest friends were both hurting, and she wasn't sure how to help, or how everything was going to turn out.

"I don't like the noises in this place…" Rapunzel commented, shuddering. "It's like it's…breathing."

Meg unabashedly rolled her eyes. How dramatic. "It's just a drafty old house."

Rapunzel hugged herself. She was sure Meg's response wasn't meant to be comforting, but more so to make her feel stupid. It was so cold... How long did they have to be here? Where was Merida? She just wanted to go home.

"This place does have a life of its own, doesn't it?" A new voice asked suddenly. Rapunzel squeaked and they all whirled around instinctively to see a couple emerging from the shadows. A tall, lanky, sharp-featured boy dressed all in black, and a lovely-but-off-kilter girl with long, deep red hair wearing a stitched-up hand-me-down. They were both fairly pale and wore dark makeup, giving them a somewhat unwelcoming appearance. Yet they both smiled in an obviously friendly way.

"Jack! Sally!" Pocahontas hopped off of John's back and ran to hug the pair.

Flynn was grinning back at them, pleasantly surprised. "What are you two doing here?"

Rapunzel sighed quietly in relief, glad that her friends knew the strange couple.

"We come to the Haunted Mansion every year." Sally replied sweetly.

Jack nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "It's kind of a tradition."

"How the hell did you get through the gate?" Phoebus asked, laughing.

"Oh, we just come through the back." Jack nonchalantly responded.

Phoebus, John and Flynn shared a look while Meg and Pocahontas laughed at them.

"Right…" Flynn muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Then, he realized Rapunzel was standing there awkwardly and jumped to introduce her. "Guys, this is a new friend of ours, Rapunzel. She started at the Academy this year. Rapunzel, this is Jack and Sally, friends of ours who graduated last year."

Rapunzel waved and smiled politely. "Nice to meet you."

Sally mirrored her gesture while Jack said, "Likewise."

"Well, it's great to see you guys. I thought you'd be long gone after graduating." Meg said.

"Nah. I decided to take a gap year, get some work experience under my belt." Jack said.

"And I'm going to the community college to work on my GE while we decide what we want to do next." Sally added.

"Ah, so we'll probably see each other around! That's great." Flynn said. "Hey, do you guys wanna tag along for the rest of our little tour here?"

"We've actually been here awhile now. We were just gonna head down to the cemetery for some alone time…" Jack chuckled while Sally blushed.

"How romantic…" Phoebus dryly commented.

"Well, we'll be down that way around midnight. We'll see you guys down there after we're done looking around." John said.

"Sounds good. See you guys!" Jack replied cheerfully, leading Sally away.

"Be careful!" Sally called back to them before the couple disappeared.

"Careful…?" Rapunzel warily repeated.

"It's an old place. I'm sure some areas are falling apart, or some kind of biohazard." Pocahontas reasoned aloud. "We just need to be aware."

"Come on. Let's keep looking around." Flynn said, giving Rapunzel a mischievous look. She slowly followed him as he led the group onward.

"Holy shit." Merida gasped. "Look at the table! It's huge!"

They were in the dining room, shining their flashlights around. Jim quirked up his eyebrows the way Merida found so adorable. She was right, the dining table was huge.

"Musta been a pretty big family, huh?" She continued, walking around the other side of the table and examining the entire length of it in awe.

"Must've been some pretty big parties." Jim replied with a smirk. Then he wrinkled his nose. "At least it smells that way."

"Jesus, look! There's still food at some of the place mats!" Merida peeked at a plate with some unidentifiable substance that may have been chicken... She thought she saw some bones. "Yuck!"

"Oh, for fucks sake." Jim groaned from the corner. "There's a dead rat over here!"

Merida giggled. "Cool."

Jim rolled his eyes at her, chuckling. They explored in silence for a few moments. Merida hopped up onto the table to get a closer look at the chandelier. The legs of the table rattled under her weight, making Jim turn to make sure she wasn't going to fall. She was fine, so he glanced down at his old boots, an awkward question coming to mind. He set down his flashlight.

"So, uh... Do you want a big family?" He asked as casually as possible.

"What?" Merida looked alarmed.

He glanced up at her innocently. "Well, when you said a couple minutes ago that, you know, it must've been a big family here..." He smirked. "You seemed to like the idea."

She seemed thoughtful for a minute, then giggled, sitting cross-legged on the table. "I've got a pretty big family already. Me, my parents, the triplets..."

"Triplets?"

"My baby brothers."

"Huh. Cute."

"Yeah... And there's our workers and our neighbors, and my dad's friends and their families and workers and neighbors, and they're all like extended family, you know, real close. And yeah, I like it a lot." She crossed her arms. Catching the gleam in his eyes, she quirked up an eyebrow. "That doesn't mean I plan to expand on that family any time soon."

He shrugged nonchalantly, coming to stand next to her. "I wasn't saying that." He leaned against the table.

She smirked. "What about you? You got a big family?"

"Nah. It's always just been me and my mom." He chuckled. "And Meg, a little later."

"What about your dad?"

"He ditched us when I was really young."

"Oh."

"Yeah... But I'm not gonna be like that. My kids are gonna be my whole world."

"Kids? As in plural?"

"Yeah. Being an only child is kinda lame. I don't wanna just have one kid and have them be all lonely. So, I want at least two."

"Huh. You don't seem like that kinda guy."

"Yeah, well..." He crossed his arms. "Don't tell anyone."

She giggled, then let out an out-of-nowhere, disruptive belch. They stared at each other for a moment. Then Merida started to cackle, throwing her head back and clapping her hands like a maniac. Jim chuckled, shaking his head. He strolled back over to retrieve his flashlight.

"Careful. That was almost a bonding moment." He smirked over his shoulder at her.

She inhaled sharply to stop the laughter. "Ha! You and I? Bonding? No way." She snorted.

He smiled- a genuine smile- and turned away. When he bent over to pick up his flashlight, she took the opportunity to check out his ass.

He is pretty cute...

Merida let her head down onto her right knee, which was pulled up to her chest, and closed her eyes. She really needed a breather; She was starting to get all kinds of crazy ideas. What she needed right now was a drink. Did she have time to go grab one from the car?

It was then that she felt the surrounding warmth of the room seep into her. The bitter cold melting away from her taut bones made her fully relax. She hummed contentedly. Why was it so warm anyway? She didn't really know, but she also didn't care. Her curiosity wasn't even tested by the ambient, sudden flickering of life around her. Someone was playing an organ... But the only organ around was on the other side of the room, and there was no way it was in working condition. Nonetheless, the music was beautiful. There was a pleasant thrum of chattering and singing and laughter all around; Not intrusive or disturbing, just a comfortable air compared to the stark cold and silence from before.

"Oh...my God. Merida." Someone murmured.

Was that Jim?

"Merida! Look!" They now hissed.

Yup. That was definitely Jim. She sighed and opened her eyes, lifting her head to look at him.

Her eyes never met his.

In the space between the table and where Jim was standing, a ghostly green couple was dancing and laughing together. Merida gasped and leaned back, staring. The couple didn't seem to notice either of them. Looking around, Merida saw numerous other couples dancing as well, all dressed similarly and of the same ghastly color, fading in and out of reality under the orange, muted light of the chandeliers overhead. Jim had to admire how the candlelight danced over Merida's hair. She looked over at the organ and grinned. It was being played! Very well, too- by an older gentleman in a top hat.

"Uh, Mer... You might want to move." Jim was looking toward the end of the dining table. She followed his gaze and felt her eyes widen in shock. There was a cluster of people on either side, and in the middle, at the end of the table, an old woman was blowing out candles on a birthday cake.

Though none of them seemed to pay her any mind, Merida hopped off the table anyway, cautiously moving toward Jim, who was frozen in shock. The first couple swept their way in between them, and Merida stopped. She waited until they floated away again, lost in their dance, before walking over to stand by Jim.

Jim looked over behind the old woman celebrating her birthday to see a little boy running around in circles near the fireplace, being chased by his mother. Every once in a while, the two would actually fade into the flames, only to reemerge a few seconds later, completely unfazed.

A drunken cackle resounded above them and they looked up. Jim gasped and Merida giggled; An older man was up on the chandelier, swinging around to his heart's content, with a wine glass raised. The liquor inside would splosh around and spill out over one side. But on its descent, it would change from liquid to vapor, melting away into the warm air before making it even halfway to the ground.

"Wow." Jim exhaled.

Merida grinned. "Some party."

Jim smirked at her, his eyes gleaming. "Some family."

They stared at each other for a moment. Then, Jim's eyes travelled up past Merida's mass of hair.

"Mer. Those pictures are moving."

She turned and looked up by the windows. Two portraits, side by side, held the visages of two men. At first, they had their backs turned on each other. Then, they both turned so that they faced one another. Both wielded a pistol.

"Jim..."

Jim gripped her shoulder. "Maybe we should-"

He was cut off by a thunderous cracking sound that made them both jump. Merida let out a tiny cry and clapped her hand over her mouth in horror while Jim held her from behind. They watched as one of the men fell from his portrait and drifted down to the ground like a paper cut out. The other portrait chuckled with pride, tipping his hat and grinning. The drunk guy on the chandelier cackled in approval, rocking back and forth. Everyone else in the room clapped daintily.

"Jesus Christ." Jim breathed.

All the ghosts abruptly turned toward the two teens, seeming to suddenly disapprove of their presence. The organ was no longer playing.

"Whaaaaaat? Can they see us?" Merida hissed.

"Yup." Jim answered.

"Should we leave?"

"Yeah..."

They started to speed-walk toward the door. They heard a chuckle coming from the remaining portrait and glanced up. The man in the picture was aiming his pistol right at Merida's heart. As he pulled the trigger, Jim jumped forward and turned so that the bullet would hit his back. He wrapped his arms protectively around Merida.

"Jim!" Merida shrieked.

They heard the pistol crack, but nothing happened. Confused, Merida turned to look at Jim. He looked down at himself. No wound. He looked at her and shrugged. She made him turn so she could see his back. Nothing. She furrowed her brow, thoroughly perplexed.

"He missed." She said.

"I never miss." A deep, regal voice drawled.

They looked up at the portrait, who had once again drawn his aim. He shot the pistol again, and the bullet hit Jim's chest and dissolved into vapor. Jim stared down at his chest in shock.

A thunderous crashing noise made both of them turn toward the door.

"That sounded like it came from the foyer." Jim frowned.

Suddenly, all the ghosts started to laugh and shriek with joy, grinning wickedly.

"Let's get out of here!" Jim cried, grabbing Merida by the arm and dragging her away. Once they were outside, she stopped and went back to slam the dining room door shut.

The laughter didn't stop. It was like it had followed them, or like they were still in the room with it. Like it made up the air around them. They both covered their ears with their hands, but that did nothing.

"Come on!" Jim yelled, holding out his hand. Merida gripped it with her own and they both ran toward the foyer. They couldn't escape the laughter; It seemed like it would never end.

Then, all at once, it did. They reached the foyer, and the laughter ceased, leaving them in deafening silence. They were both breathing hard.

"Guys!"

They looked up to see Flynn, Meg, Phoebus, Rapunzel, Pocahontas and John above them on the stairs. They started running up to meet them.

"Are you two alright?" Rapunzel asked, wide-eyed.

"What happened?" Phoebus asked next.

"Did the crashing sound freak you out?" Meg smirked.

"Well, no, but... What was that anyway?" Jim asked Flynn.

"We thought it might have been the chandelier, but..." Flynn gestured toward it, "Not so much. And everything else seems to be in order, too."

"You wanna tell us what happened now?" John spoke up.

"You guys look like you saw a ghost." Pocahontas joked.

Jim and Merida shared a look.

"We'll tell you while we keep exploring." Merida's eyes gleamed.

Jim smirked. "You're not gonna believe it."

"You're right. I don't believe it." Flynn was fiddling with the dusty globe, which was perched on the corner of the desk where he was sitting. The group was in the library, with only their flashlights for light. A thick blanket of dust had long settled on every surface, and spiderwebs ran along every shelf, corner, and wall. Pocahontas was watching a spider eat a fly while everyone else talked.

"Well, believe it or not, it's true." Jim shrugged.

"How come you two saw something like that and we haven't?" Phoebus frowned.

Merida shrugged. "I dunno. But I'm not really sure you want to."

"What do you mean?"

"There are a lot of spirits here. Like, a lot. And some are more dangerous than others..." Jim said distractedly.

Merida crossed her arms. "We should just watch our step from now on."

"What, you guys really want to keep going?" Rapunzel squeaked.

"Don't you?" Meg smirked at the blonde as she lit yet another cigarette. (Probably the third one now.)

Rapunzel felt everyone look at her and she blushed. She glanced at Flynn for a split second, then stammered, "Well... I-I-I dunno, you know. I... I dunno." She huffed and looked down at her feet.

Merida wrapped an arm around the tiny cheerleader's shoulders. "Hey, now. You and I can leave now if you want... Go back to the car, have a breather. We don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"Well..."

Rapunzel was cut off by a distant murmur. Everyone froze and listened intently. The haunting mumble was nearby; It sounded like it was coming from the next room, maybe.

"It's a woman." Pocahontas whispered, rising from her seat on the nasty old sofa. She'd really been hovering more than actually sitting.

They all looked at each other for a long moment while the murmuring continued.

John sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe any of this shit…"

"Should we go check it out?" Phoebus asked with his eyebrows raised.

Everyone looked at Flynn, who shrugged. "Sure. If Blondie's up to it, that is."

Now everyone turned to Rapunzel, who stalled, blinking rapidly. "Uh..."

"You and I can leave, Ellie. It's okay…" Merida put in, though she secretly hoped that Rapunzel's curiosity would win out.

And it did. After a few seconds, Rapunzel nodded with determination. "Let's go investigate."

Meg chuckled, putting out her cigarette on the lacquered bookshelf. "Atta girl."

They all took painfully slow, cautious steps down the hall. As they drew closer to the door that they suspected to hold the voice, the murmuring grew louder and more intelligible.

"Goblins and ghouls from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine!"

A tambourine rattled in response, making the group share a look.

"Sounds like she's waking the ghosts up..." John murmured.

"Do you think she's a witch?" Jim hissed.

Everyone paused.

"Like, an alive witch, or, like...a ghost witch?" Flynn mumbled.

"Both are pretty bad, right?" Merida laughed nervously.

"Well, yeah, but... Never mind." Flynn stared at the doorknob as if he was deciding whether or not to reach for it.

"Are we going in or what?" Meg droned from the back of the group.

There was another pause.

Pocahontas sighed. "Yeah." She reached forward and pushed down the doorknob, prodding the door. It swung into the room silently. If the presence inside noticed, she didn't act like it, so the group figured it was safe enough to sneak in.

The room was very dark, with various musical instruments hanging in mid-air, playing by themselves. A few chairs also levitated, spinning lightly. The only light in the room came from a table in the center, where a large crystal ball sat, illuminating them with an eerie green glow.

The group split into pairs and wandered around, searching for the source of the voice. The room seemed empty. Flynn leaned on the table, not facing the crystal ball. Everyone grouped up in front of him, slightly disappointed.

"No one's here..." He muttered, running a hand through his hair. "But we all heard that, right? We didn't imagine it…"

He looked down at his shoes, missing the horrified stares on the faces of his friends.

"Flynn..." Phoebus whispered.

Flynn looked up in confusion, seeing their faces for the first time. Their eyes were fixed on the table behind him. He slowly turned to follow their gaze and his eyes met... Well, eyes. He shrieked and jumped back, nearly knocking down poor Rapunzel. He slowly pieced the dark, critical eyes together with some other features: A straight nose, furrowed eyebrows and delicate red lips. The green woman's face was framed by dark curls of hair that filled the space around her in the glass dome. She was obviously disturbed by the visitors. She eyed them all carefully.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She drawled, sounding bored.

"Oh, uh..." Flynn straightened. "We're just a bunch of dumb teens looking for some adventure on Halloween night. That's not a crime, is it?" He grinned devilishly.

At first, the woman just stared at him. Then, she smirked. "You're here to meet the happy haunts, I presume?"

"Oh, we've seen a few now." Merida piped up.

"Well, those two have." Flynn gestured toward Merida and Jim. "The rest of us, no."

"You're looking at one now." She grinned.

"What happened to you?" Pocahontas asked.

"And everyone else here, for that matter?" John added.

Her smile faded. "Some mysteries are meant to be...exactly that. Mysteries. If you really want to know, you'll have to come back another time." She smirked. "If you dare." Her eyes snapped toward Rapunzel. "What are you staring at?"

Rapunzel jumped. She hadn't realized she was staring. "Oh, nothing. It's just... You look a lot like my mother."

The woman seemed to process that for a moment. Then, her eyes gleamed and she grinned again. "No, I don't."

Rapunzel frowned, but the woman kept talking.

"If you want to make it to the...event on time, you should hurry. It's five minutes till midnight. Now, out with you."

An invisible force started to shove the group toward the door.

"Wait! What's your name?" Meg called back to her.

She smirked as they were pushed out into the hall. "Please come back another time." And the door slammed shut.

They all shared a look.

"Well. We have five more minutes to explore. Where should we go?" Rapunzel asked cheerfully.

The ceiling above them creaked. They all stared up at the attic entrance that they hadn't noticed before.

Meg smirked. "Obviously we want to go up there."

Flynn and Phoebus shared a look, then nodded. Flynn turned to John. "Mind opening it up? You're the tallest."

John shrugged before reaching up and grabbing the cord. He tugged on it once, and it opened surprisingly easy. Flynn helped John lower the ladder and extend it until it reached the carpet below. The group leaned in to stare up into the pitch blackness above.

"Who wants to go first?" Flynn asked casually.

"How about you go, Rider?" Meg drawled.

"Or you could go. Since nothing seems to faze you any way." Merida retorted.

One of Meg's eyebrows popped up. "Okay." Without another word, she climbed up the ladder, disappearing into the dark. There was a long moment of silence.

"Meg?" Pocahontas called into the attic.

Nothing.

"Come on, Nutmeg, what's happening?" Flynn hollered.

Silence.

"Meg?" Phoebus looked worried.

Finally, they got a response.

A blood-curdling scream.

"Meg!" They all yelled. Merida was the first one up the ladder, flinging herself up into the dark.

"Meg! Meg!" Everyone kept screaming her name, but no reply. No sign of Meg anywhere.

"Oh, my God..." Merida panted, panicking. "Oh my God!"

"It'll be fine, Mer-" Jim was cut off by Merida screaming. Everyone ran toward her. "What? What is it?!" They all chorused in terror.

"Something's grabbing my foot!" Merida screeched, struggling. They all looked down and screamed at the sight of a hand reaching out through a bunch of hanging coats, wrapping around Merida's ankle.

Then Jim recognized the purple fingernails.

"It's okay! It's okay!" He yelled, gripping Merida's shoulders and catching everyone's attention. "It's Meg!"

Meg popped out of the coats, cackling.

"MEG!" They all shouted.

"You should have seen your faces!" Meg cried, battling through her laughter. "Oh! That was so great!"

After a moment, everyone else started to laugh, too. Even poor Merida.

A clattering sound made them fall silent. They all turned to see an axe rocking back and forth on the wooden floor. Glancing up, they could see that it had been hanging on the wall.

"What the...?" Flynn mumbled.

Then all the large picture frames came down as well, landing at odd angles. There were five of them.

Flynn walked toward one and dusted it off with his hand. He revealed a portrait of two newlyweds: a beautiful young woman and a rather stern older gentleman.

"Huh."

"Flynn..."

He turned to see that Phoebus, John and Jim had each dusted off a portrait as well. They were all similar; Newly married couples, with the man always being old or bland or rotund.

But wait a minute...

"Guys."

They all looked at the portrait Meg was standing next to. She'd just revealed the last portrait, and was looking at it in confusion. Everyone looked around at each portrait again in shock.

"It's the same woman in every picture." Meg said.

"But... How?" John frowned, crossing his arms. "Same dress... She even looks like she's the same age in every single one..."

Rapunzel gasped and pointed at the picture next to her. "Look!"

They all looked.

"Holy shit." Jim sighed.

The man's head was gone.

"What happened?!" Flynn cried.

"I dunno! It just...just faded away!" Rapunzel cried back.

"Look! It's happening to the others!" Merida yelled.

It was true. One by one, the heads of the grooms vanished. But the bride remained untouched. The group's eyes fell on the axe once more.

"She... She was a serial bride." Pocahontas breathed.

Meg popped her gum, which no one had even noticed her chewing. "Wow."

"Flynn." Rapunzel said suddenly, making everyone turn toward her. "Behind you. In the mirror."

Was there a mirror behind him? He hadn't noticed. But seeing the way that everyone was staring at him made him not want to turn around.

But he did anyway. And what he saw made him clutch at his skull in fear.

In the mirror, he had no head.

"Look out!"Rapunzel screamed, pointing at something behind Jim. He turned in time to see the axe hurdling toward his head. He dropped to the ground and the axe continued its flight toward Rapunzel. She yelped and jumped aside, letting the axe bury itself into the wall she'd just been standing in front of.

"Run!" John yelled, grabbing Pocahontas' hand and leading her toward the attic entrance. Everyone followed, but before any of them could reach it, the ladder folded in on itself and slammed shut. Phoebus and John tried to force it open, but it wouldn't cooperate.

"We're trapped!" Phoebus cried.

"Shit..." Flynn muttered, running his hands through his hair.

The sound of wood cracking made them all turn around. The axe was pulling itself out of the wall, leaving a giant gash in the wood.

"Get that door open!" Merida hollered. Jim and Flynn started helping John and Phoebus, but it did nothing. Even when Meg, Pocahontas and Merida joined in, the thing wouldn't open. Rapunzel stood by, helplessly watching the axe hang in the air. Her terror only grew when a hand started to materialize on the handle. And then another... And then two arms, wrapped in white lace...

"Oh my God..." Rapunzel gasped. "Guys..."

Everyone was too busy battling with the door and arguing to hear her... But she was too terrified to speak any louder.

When two gleaming, crazed eyes focused on her, she figured she had nothing to lose.

"Guys!" She screamed.

They all whirled toward her, but her back was to them. So they ventured to look further, over her shoulder.

It was the young woman from the portraits, floating in front of them. She wore her wedding dress, which flowed below her feet and billowed around her legs. Her face was concealed by her lace veil, but the ghostly blue pallor of her skin showed through and her devious eyes shone like the axe she held. She was smiling.

"You may now kiss the bride." She giggled coyly at her own joke.

Flynn glanced from her to the window.

It's the only way out...

Without a second thought, he grabbed Rapunzel's hand. She looked at him in shock, but his eyes were focused on the window.

It can't be that high up...

He didn't risk another glance at the ghost bride or his group of confused, terrified friends. He gripped Rapunzel's hand so tight that she had no hope of getting free, and he ran toward the window. He was surprised that she didn't fight or drag behind him; She just ran with him. He heard various shouts from behind, but it didn't stop him from crashing through the glass and flinging himself and Rapunzel into the open air.

There'll be something to break our fall...

But when he looked down, all he saw was tombstones and harsh earth. His regret didn't mount until he heard Rapunzel screaming.

Jack and Sally were snuggling atop a massive tombstone, gazing up at the moon, when the sudden, jarring sound of the attic window shattering made them both jump to attention. Sally cried out at the sight of Flynn and Rapunzel plummeting toward certain death, and she turned away and buried her face in Jack's chest. Jack was stunned, eyes glued to the two as they fell, like he was driving by a wreck.

When Rapunzel suddenly stopped screaming, Sally was sure that was it. Then she realized there'd been no sound of impact.

"Sally…" Jack said softly in disbelief. She slowly pulled back from him and turned to see Rapunzel and Flynn hovering in the air, the shock evident in their expressions. Then they floated away and landed safely in an abandoned stagecoach. Sally noticed a subtle, sparkling aura surrounding them and tilted her head a little in curiosity.

"I…can't believe it…" She whispered.

"Come on, Sally! Let's go check on those two." Jack was walking toward the stagecoach.

Sally started to follow uneasily.

Neither of them noticed a small, hooded figure sneaking away in the shadows.

Flynn and Rapunzel lay in the stagecoach, completely stunned, breathing heavily.

"Oh...my...gosh." Rapunzel gasped.

When she started to laugh hysterically, Flynn was shocked, to say the least. He turned wide eyes on her face, which was turning pink since she was laughing so hard.

"Are... Are you okay?" He was sure she'd lost her mind.

She nodded quickly, clutching her stomach. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine..." She giggled. "Just can't...believe that...we're still alive!" She cackled.

He stared at her for a moment, and she started to laugh even harder. Then he started laughing, and they were both sitting in this abandoned stagecoach, giggling like idiots.

"Hey... Hey." She was the first to regain her composure, and she tapped his arm. "Hey."

"What?" He sighed, wiping his eyes. He'd laughed so hard he'd started to cry.

"Why was I the one you grabbed? Of everyone in there, I mean..." She shyly looked down at her hands while she fidgeted with the bodice of her dress.

"Oh. Uh... I dunno." Honestly, he shocked himself by not just making a break for it alone...

Wait a minute...

"Hey, guys!"

They looked up to see Jack and Sally standing outside with wide grins.

"Are you two alright?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, we're fine..." Rapunzel said.

"But the others-"

A series of screams and shouts cut Flynn off and drew their attention to the back door. The group was running down the back steps and into the graveyard, shoving and tripping over each other. They all ended in a huddle in the center, breathing hard. Some of them shouted nonsense and others laughed hysterically. Pocahontas looked close to tears, and Meg was trying to comfort her, though she wasn't very good at it.

"Oh, good. They're alright." Flynn said casually. He turned to Jack. "What time is it?"

Jack took out his phone and turned it on, glancing down at it. "11:58."

Flynn grinned. "Great." He turned to Rapunzel. "You ready for this?"

She giggled nervously. "Yeah."

He leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Awesome."

Sally smiled when she saw Rapunzel blush.

"Come on, Jack. Let's join the others." Sally started to lead Jack away.

"Jesus..." Jim shook his head in disbelief. "Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ! We lived! We're alive!" He cheered, which made Merida laugh so hard she snorted.

"I thought that crazy bitch had us for sure." Phoebus chuckled, doubled over and panting.

"She was getting pretty close to John for a minute there..." Meg commented with a smirk.

"Oh, don't tell me that..." John murmured. This made everyone laugh.

"You guys okay?" Jack's voice called from nearby. The group turned to see him and Sally walking toward them.

"Jack! Sally!" Phoebus cried.

"You guys wouldn't believe what we saw!" Pocahontas asked.

"Oh, you'd be surprised…" Jack replied coolly. Sally playfully pushed him.

"Oh, shit. Have you seen Flynn and Ellie?!" Merida asked. Everyone looked scared for a minute.

"Oh, yeah. They're over in the stagecoach. They're fine." Sally pointed behind her at the old carriage.

"Oh, thank God." Merida breathed. Everyone else seemed relieved as well.

"I'm pretty sure He had nothing to do with it." Jack commented. When they all looked at him questioningly, he added, "You know. Just pretty sure…"

The ground suddenly shifted beneath them, grumbling.

"What the hell?!" Jim yelled.

"Not again! No! No more!" John started to go off.

Phoebus groaned. "Does anyone know what time it is?"

"Yeah, it's..." Jack looked down at his phone again and paused. He slowly looked back up. "Midnight."

The ground shook again, but much more violently...

"Oh!" Rapunzel gasped as the coach rocked forcefully from side to side. Flynn looked alarmed as well. They heard the group shouting outside and Flynn glanced out the window at them.

"Should we go out there? Do they need help?" Rapunzel demanded, wide-eyed.

He turned to smirk at her. "Nah. They're fine. But lean over here; You wanna see this..."

She looked at him skeptically. "Why? What...?" She froze when a ghostly blue light started to shine in from outside, creating a halo around Flynn's head.

He chuckled. "Just trust me."

After one last moment of doubt, she leaned over until she was practically on top of him, gazing out the window.

"Wow..." She sighed.

There were hundreds of ghosts gliding around the graveyard, twirling and lounging and laughing with mirth in the thick fog. She saw Meg stumble backward in disbelief, toward a tombstone. She bumped into it and stopped, sitting on top of it. Then, a gruesome, skeletal ghost jumped up behind her and shrieked wildly. Meg screamed and sprung away from the tombstone. The ghost cackled shrilly and receded out of sight.

Rapunzel clapped a hand over her mouth as she giggled. Serves her right for scaring us in the attic... She gasped. That was probably the meanest thing she'd ever thought. Ever. She heard Flynn laugh beside her and she turned to smile at him.

"This is...pretty unbelievable." She said.

"But amazing?" Flynn smiled.

She nodded, grinning. "Yeah."

"Good. I'm glad I invited you, then." He joked, smirking.

There was a shifting at the front of the coach, and Flynn turned to see what it was. He grinned and sat up, pulling her with him.

"Hang on. It's about to get better." He said smugly.

She gasped when the coach started to move forward. She grabbed on to his arm, clutching him for dear life. He laughed and wrapped the arm around her. She relaxed into him, smiling like an idiot. She wasn't even creeped out by the skeleton horse that was leading them.

Merida cackled and danced around. "This is amazing!" She cried ecstatically. She grabbed Jim by the hand. "Jim! Come here!"

He let her lead him to where five busts, (one of which held his own head in his hand since it had broken off), were singing like a barbershop quintet.

Meg shook her head. Jack and Sally were actually conversing with the ghosts. John was staring around in awe, then trying to call Pocahontas down from her seat in a tree, where she was interacting with numerous ghost animals.

Old pets?

Meg was about to go investigate when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned to smirk at Phoebus, who looked extra ridiculous now in his gladiator costume. But he seemed as casual as ever.

"So... Flynn's really outdone himself, huh?" He asked.

Meg shrugged. "It's not so bad." She took a step toward him. When she spoke again, her tone was softer. "You okay?"

He looked down at his feet. "Yeah... Esme and I just had an argument."

"About Naveen?"

"Yeah... I was being an ass..."

"You're both being asses." Meg said plainly, crossing her arms.

He shrugged and looked toward the stagecoach that was travelling around the graveyard. Flynn and Rapunzel were sitting inside, looking adorable. Meg saw him watching and sighed.

"You wanna find her and apologize?" She asked.

"Can we do that?" Phoebus looked hopeful.

Meg shrugged. "I know where she works... But it's not a nice place, okay? You aren't allowed to judge her. Okay?"

He nodded eagerly. "Okay. Okay!"

She smirked. "We'll go once we're done here. As long as we get there before two, it'll be fine."

"Okay. See you." Aladdin said just before hanging up his phone. He turned to Jasmine, who was still lying down and staring up at the stars. "Eric says they need more beer. Wanna come with me to pick it up?"

"Sure. I'll get the car warmed up. You pack up the blankets and put them in the trunk."

"Alright. You driving?"

"Well, yeah. It's my car."

"Okay..."

"What?"

"Just... Drive more carefully, okay?"

"What? I am an excellent driver!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, okay."

"Watch. I'm gonna make you eat your words."

Maleficent watched with displeasure as the cars rolled away from the long path to the Mansion, and she and Jafar waited in the shadows until the sounds of the engines had long faded away.

"Not a very secure base if some high schoolers can find it." Jafar commented sourly.

Maleficent sighed. "I might have a solution. Let's have a chat with Madam Leota…"

The mystic was expecting them, of course. The ghostly orchestra had wound down to a peaceful lull, instruments still turning about in the air. Leota's eyes were closed, as though she were in a deep meditation, thoroughly unbothered by the sound of their approach, or their presence as they stood before her.

"Madam Leota." Maleficent addressed her respectfully. Jafar stood proudly at her side, nose turned up as though he believed this visit was beneath them.

Leota opened one eye, looked them over, then the other, and frowned up at them as though they'd shown up late.

"Those children who were here… Who were they?" Maleficent asked.

Leota simpered up at them. "Just a group of teenagers looking for adventure on Halloween night. Why do they interest you?"

Maleficent crossed her arms. "We may need use of this space in the near future. We can't have anyone knowing how to get to it. Not even some teenagers…" She thoughtfully weighed her options and sighed. "Show them to me, Leota."

Leota considered it for a moment, then said, "Careful what you wish for…" Leota's face was swallowed by the swirling vapors that framed her face within the crystal ball. The vapors turned over like storm clouds for a few seconds, then slowly settled and stilled, revealing the mirror-image of the group of teens that had been peering into the crystal less than a half-hour ago. One face in particular stood out to Maleficent and Jafar.

"Meg…" Maleficent sneered. "What was she doing here?"

"Does it matter?" Jafar asked flatly. "What are you going to do about it?"

The misty vapors inside the crystal turned over a few times before unfolding to reveal Leota's face again. "I thought that girl looked familiar. Her, and another one of those children, both reeked of something…ethereal, if I may say."

"Not to just anyone who comes asking, I trust." Maleficent said with a thinly-veiled tone of forbidding.

Leota mimicked a shrug with a movement of her head. "I've no interest in getting involved in your troubles, Maleficent. And no reason to cross you."

"Maleficent." Jafar cut in, seeming bored. "What shall we do?"

"We?" Maleficent asked coyly. She chortled briefly and reached up a hand to pat his cheek. "Adorable." She withdrew from him and raised her other hand, which sported the infamous ring she never removed. She tapped the forefinger of her right hand against the immense stone of the ring, and a green glow, much like that of Leota's crystal ball, started to flicker to life. "I have just the solution…" She looked up at Jafar's dignified expression and satisfied his curiosity with a simplified explanation of, "When those children wake up in the morning, they won't remember a thing that happened tonight."

Esmeralda stared at herself in the dressing room mirror with a blank expression. Both Maleficent and Ursula had just been raving over her job tonight, how she'd danced so well that a customer had actually come up to them during her set to offer her a modeling job. Of course, they'd been nice enough to turn him down for her, how sweet of them. But apparently, she'd danced with so much passion that it almost brought tears to her mistress's eyes.

She smirked a little. Maybe I am meant for this... She sighed and shook her head, checking her phone for the time. 1:45 a.m. She'd finished early tonight. She could probably go back to the party. Maybe find Phoebus and talk it out...

She'd just set her phone on the make-up counter when it started buzzing. She frowned and looked to see who was calling. She didn't recognize the number, but it was the local area code. She shrugged and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Esme."

"Hercules?"

"Yeah. Hey, listen-"

"How did you get my number?"

"I got it from Naveen."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. So, listen... Do you know where Meg is? She's been gone for, like, more than two hours."

"Oh, she didn't tell you? She went with Flynn and a couple others to check out the Haunted Mansion."

"What?"

"Don't worry. She'll be back soon. She wanders sometimes-"

"But she's already been gone for a long time! And she usually tells me where she's going, instead of just disappearing..."

"Alright, alright. Listen, I'll go find her, okay? I'm leaving work right now. I'll find her and text you, and then I'll make sure she comes back to the party. Now, don't stress, and don't get on her back when she shows up. Sometimes she needs to have her own time without her...boyfriend...or whatever you are... Getting all worried and bugging her if she decides to take off for a while will definitely set her off. So chill. Okay?"

"Okay... Thanks, Esme."

"No problem. I'll text you, okay?"

"Alright. See you."

"Bye." She hung up. Hercules really was a sweetheart… She hoped Meg wouldn't push him away.

She looked at herself in the mirror one more time to make sure she'd simplified her make up enough. She quickly adjusted her hair scarf and stuffed her phone into her jacket pocket. She grabbed her bag and headed out to share a quick goodbye with Ursula. Thankfully, Mallory had stepped out.

She stepped outside and searched through her purse for her keys, walking into the street to stand next to her car. When a pair of headlights came toward her, she knew she was clear of their path, and paid the approaching car no mind. Then, a set of tires squealed and the headlights veered suddenly in another direction…

"Aladdin! Quit it!" Jasmine giggled. "I'm trying to drive here!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I distracting you?" He laughed and continued to tickle her.

"Seriously, stop!" She tried to sound commanding, but she was still laughing.

"Chill, babe. There's no one just roaming these streets at this time. Hell, no one just roams these streets at any time."

She turned toward him. "How far is the store?"

"Just keep going straight." He was leaning back with his eyes closed.

"It's on this street?"

"No. But I'll know when to turn."

"Babe."

"Hey, have a little faith-" He sat up and glanced out the windshield, then did a double-take. "Babe, stop the car!"

"What?!"

He pointed ahead of them and yelled, "Look out!"

Jasmine heard a set of tires screeching and looked up only to be blinded by headlights. In an instant the world was rocking unsteadily all around her. Aladdin threw himself over her in an effort to protect her from the impact after the other car had swerved head-on into them, rocketing them backward. The car spun out and the other driver, having lost control of his own vehicle, inadvertently rammed them again. Out of the corner of his eye, Aladdin saw a familiar tall, dark-haired girl standing in the street, next to her own car parked nearby. After hitting them the second time, the other car bounced back in an effort to redirect, and wound up spinning right toward her…

The headlights washed over the girl, illuminating her vibrant green eyes.

Meanwhile, they were still moving. Aladdin's ears were filled with hellish mechanical ruptures and Jasmine's screaming until they flipped over a fence and everything went dark. For a long time, it was silent. Aladdin couldn't move right away. He was incredibly stiff, and pinned between Jasmine and the dashboard. His head spun as he slowly turned it to try and peek out the window. Through the shattered glass, and with his vision wavering in and out, he could vaguely make out the car that had run into them taking off unsteadily down the street…

And a crumpled body lying in the road.

Then everything went dark.

"She works where?!" Phoebus shouted.

Meg rolled her eyes. She'd just informed him that they were heading to The Grotto. He'd felt a need to ask when he and the others in the car started feeling uneasy about what part of town they were driving through.

"Remember what I said about not judging." Meg reminded him.

Flynn, who was sitting in the back with Rapunzel, whistled. "Wow."

Phoebus shoved his hands over his face. "Jesus Christ..."

Flynn patted Phoebus's shoulder. "It's not so bad, buddy..."

Meg scoffed. "Yeah, to be honest, it is, Flynn."

"Well, way to be supportive, Nutmeg."

"Guys? What happened?" Rapunzel cut in. They'd just turned onto the street where the club was located to be met by flashing lights and people in uniform moving swiftly about.

Meg parked near the commotion and they all got out of the car cautiously. The road was a mess of shattered glass, and…

Blood.

Meg and Phoebus both saw Esme's car parked nearby, in the midst of the chaos, and both started to jog toward where the section of the street in front of The Grotto had been closed off with barriers. Flynn and Rapunzel followed close behind. As they got closer, Meg took in the whole scene with sharp eyes, her heart pounding. A car had been flipped over a fence across the street from the strip club, so that the back of it was pointed toward them. It was a mashed heap of a vehicle, badly beaten by some kind of accident, but still recognizable as…

"Isn't that Jasmine's car?" Flynn asked lowly.

The four of them hopped over the barrier and ran over to the ambulance. As they drew closer, they could hear a familiar voice being raised frantically at the paramedics.

"Is my friend okay? Where's Esmeralda?! Is she okay?!"

"Sir, she's in another ambulance already, if you'll just—"

"No, that's Jasmine! You need to find Esmeralda, okay?!"

"There's no one else on the scene, sir…"

"I saw her!"

"Aladdin!" Phoebus cried as the group approached where their friend was being loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher. He was battered and bleeding badly, looking nightmarish under the flickering street lamps.

"How did you-?!" The paramedic was clearly losing patience.

"This is our friend." Meg cut him off coldly.

"What happened, Al?!" Flynn asked.

"We got hit… Drunk driver, I think." Aladdin said through gritted teeth, stubbornly trying to push past the paramedic holding him down.

"You said you saw Esme? Where?" Phoebus asked.

"She was in the street…" Aladdin groaned, finally collapsing back onto the stretcher in defeat. He was exhausted, and broken in a few places, if he had to guess. "Pheebs, she…she got hit, too."

"What?!"

Nearby, Meg could see her Aunt Ursula being questioned by the cops. Where was her mother? Did she know about this? Her mind was reeling. She turned toward Esme's car and saw now, from this angle, a huge dent in the side. A dark stain was draped over the marred metal, but Meg couldn't tell if it was just marks from deep paint scratches or…she didn't even want to think…

"Come on!" Meg growled. "We have to look for her."

"Ma'am, we—" The paramedic started.

"Fuck off." Meg snapped before walking away, leaving the adult man stunned. Flynn shrugged apologetically and led Rapunzel away after Meg. Phoebus apologized to the paramedic and told Aladdin, "We'll find her, okay? And then we'll come see you and Jasmine at the hospital. It's gonna be fine."

Aladdin was feverishly shaking his head. To the paramedic's credit, he really didn't seem capable of giving a proper account of the accident; he was clearly hurt and mentally scattered.

"I'm sorry, Pheebs."

"It's not your fault, Al. It's okay." Phoebus watched his friend get put in the ambulance and waited until the doors were shut before running off to join his friends by Esme's car.

Meg had just walked away from a heated conversation with Ursula when he got there. The woman angrily vanished into The Grotto, muttering under her breath about Meg's attitude. Phoebus took in Meg's angry expression and asked, "Any help?"

"Of course not." She sighed, pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight feature. If she had to guess, police hadn't even looked this way yet. There was no sign of another person having been involved in the accident, and they probably doubted Aladdin's credibility as a source. Meg furrowed her brow as she focused on what the surprisingly powerful flashlight had to show her; she could clearly tell now that the marks all along the dent in the car were streaks of dark, syrupy liquid… Rapunzel made a small sound of fright and turned to hug Flynn. Phoebus looked on in dread.

"Blood." Meg breathed. She shoved her phone into her pocket and whirled around, breathing heavy. She saw Esme's abandoned purse lying under the car, just out of sight. She shook with anger and cold. She looked into the empty night air ahead and started calling Esmeralda's name. She stepped out into the street and shouted in all directions. Flynn suggested they split up and fan out, and he and Phoebus took off in opposite directions, both shouting as well. Phoebus eventually fell into a conversation with the few cops still hanging around- who were more annoyed than anything- trying to convince them to help.

Rapunzel started to follow, but something caught her eye.

The dark blood had left a faint trail, leading back down the street. Rapunzel followed it to the sidewalk, then further back to an alley. She turned and peered into the dark alley, squinting. A pair of familiar black boots stuck out from behind a dumpster...

She gasped and ran forward, stopping at the boots and freezing. There lay Esme, with her skirt lifted up around her hips and her bodice untied, left to drape sloppily from her torso. Rapunzel glanced around angrily, but there was no one else in sight.

Whoever it was must've run off when the cops came... Looks like they didn't end up getting what they wanted. She took a deep breath and crouched down next to Esme, gently pulling her skirt back down near her knees. She took a regretful look at Esme's battered face; Her features were devastatingly unrecognizable, but the tangled mass of black hair was definitely Esme's. She saw that Esme's left arm was snapped; The bone stuck out grotesquely. One of her legs looked similar. Let's take a look at the real damage...

She reached out hesitantly. When her fingertips barely touched Esme's bruised shoulder, she felt the expected tingling in her arm and leg. Then, the more alarming vibration that shook through her back.

Her spine is snapped... She pulled away and inhaled. Barely a pulse... Could we get her to a doctor? She shook her head. No. I have to do it. The continued shouting of her three friends out in the street only encouraged her more.

There was a ritual that Rapunzel had shared with her mother for as long as she could remember. A routine they'd fallen into, that had continued to grant Gothel youth and vitality, and that had allowed Rapunzel to exercise a special power. Though Rapunzel often questioned this power, and had yet to learn how she came to have it, she was grateful for it now.

She pulled her braid of golden hair over her shoulder and touched the tip of it to Esme's forehead. She sighed and began to softly sing the lines her mother had taught her:

"Flower gleam and glow...

Let your power shine...

Make the clock reverse,

bring back what once was mine...

What once was mine..."

Esmeralda was stirred to consciousness by the sweet singing, and slowly all of her senses were brought to life as well. She felt a warmth flow through her veins, and her blindness began to melt as a golden light glowed softly but strongly before her. The faint outline of a young girl could barely be seen. She shuddered suddenly, painfully, and blacked out again.

Rapunzel sighed in relief at the sight of Esme's renewed body, smiling as the other girl drifted to sleep again. Then Rapunzel jumped up and ran out to the street.

"Guys!" She cried. "Come here!"

Her friends shared a confused look before they ran toward her. The cops, who'd grown tired of Phoebus and his "nonsense", were already climbing into their car to take off and start writing their reports of the incident.

Rapunzel waited until they got to her to lead them to Esme. Phoebus rushed to Esme's side and collapsed next to her.

"Jesus..." He sighed. Then he squinted. "Wait... She's not hurt..."

"What? There's blood everywhere!" Meg said, astonished. "Aladdin said she got hit."

"Look!" Phoebus gestured toward Esme. They all leaned in in confusion.

"Wow..." Flynn muttered, glancing at Rapunzel. "That's weird..."

She ignored him.

That's also weird... Flynn frowned.

Phoebus cradled Esme in his arms. "Esme... Esmeralda. Come on, wake up..." He stroked her cheek.

Her emerald eyes slowly fluttered open, and she stared blankly toward the sky for a moment. Everyone leaned in toward her.

"Esme?" Phoebus whispered.

She looked over at him, obviously disoriented. She smiled a little. "Pheebs?"

"Hey..." He grinned. "Are you-?"

She sat up and kissed him hard, wrapping her arms around his neck. He froze in shock, then just held her close.

Meg rolled her eyes. "Finally."

Rapunzel sighed in relief. "At least she's okay."

"Yeah..." Meg looked askance at the blonde.

It was 3:00 a.m., and Leah was sitting upright in her bed with a tear-stained face while Stephen, Hubert, Flora, Fauna and Merriweather all paced fretfully around her, discussing what could possibly be done about the hopeless situation they were in.

"Can't the three of you just…do something…about her?" Hubert hinted.

Flora shook her head. "No, no. We can only do good magic to bring joy and happiness."

"Like when Merriweather changed the curse all those years ago!" Fauna added.

"Well, doing something to be rid of her once and for all would make me happy." Merriweather grumbled.

"Watch your mouth, Merriweather." Flora hissed. "Walls have ears…"

They each cast a distrustful look about the room.

Hubert rolled his eyes after a moment. "Well, I just don't understand the point of having that kind of power if it comes with so many rules."

"We're not meant to use our powers yet, anyway." Flora responded as politely as she could manage.

"Leah." Stephen gently placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

Leah slowly shook her head. "We can't hope to protect her, Stephen…"

"Perhaps the three of us can grant you peace of mind, my dear?" Flora offered, gesturing for her two sisters to stand with her. "We've been thinking… Well, the area surrounding our cottage has been magically shielded. The last bit of magic we performed before we put the wands away. We thought maybe, if the time came, you might like to have a place to send Aurora where she could be as safe as possible…with us."

Leah and Stephen were clearly not expecting this. Stephen looked doubtfully at the three women.

"Why didn't you mention this sooner?" He asked.

"Leah had her heart set on making amends with Mallory herself." Flora replied evenly. "We wanted to give her the chance to do so."

"We try our best not to intervene unless directly asked." Merriweather said. "Though, it is very hard sometimes…"

Fauna nodded in agreement.

Stephen and Hubert both seemed prepared to argue, but Leah raised her hand, signaling to them both to hold off. She was deep in thought, letting this all wash over her, and considering what it could mean to have Aurora away from home for the time being. If she only had a few months left with her daughter, shouldn't she remain here? Or was there a chance, however slim, that this could be just the thing to save Aurora?

She looked up at her aunts, the same three women who'd helped raise her- under extraordinary circumstances- and had also been there for all of Aurora's life.

"You promise you will protect her? Even if it means using your magic again?" Leah asked.

"Whatever we can do, we will." Flora assured her.

Leah turned to Stephen for his approval.

He was undoubtedly distraught at the idea of Aurora not living with them, but he was remaining calm. He nodded and said, "She does love the cottage…"

Leah squeezed his hand and he affectionately kissed her forehead. She turned back to the three sisters and said, with tears in her eyes, "She will stay with you, then. Until her birthday."

"Ugh. What a lame party." Vanessa groaned. She'd just climbed into the front seat of Gaston's car. The Bimbettes were crawling into the back, giggling like idiots. Vanessa turned a flirtatious look on Gaston as he was starting the car. "Baby. I need you to take me somewhere before we go home."

He looked at the car's clock in astonishment. "What?! It's fucking four in the morning! Where could you possibly need to go?"

"The Grotto." She purred.

"Oh..." He grinned. "Do I get, uh...free service?"

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Of course, babe."

He chuckled. "Awesome."

As they started to drive away, she looked disdainfully out her window. Idiot... At least he's sober.

Twenty minutes later, they were at the Grotto. Gaston was the first to get out, slamming his door shut and walking right into the establishment. Vanessa made a nasty sound with her throat, then turned to face the Bimbettes in the back.

"You guys wait here. Got it?"

They all nodded robotically.

Vanessa rolled her eyes and got out, strolling away toward the club. She silently assessed the remnants of a recent car accident as she walked across the street. The road was littered with shattered glass, and a fence nearby was totaled.

She walked into the club like she owned the place. Gaston was already enjoying himself, she could see. She sneered and went to the office behind the bar; The bartender had immediately recognized her and let her through, barely glancing at her while he made himself a drink.

As she entered, she was surprised to see not only Maleficent and Ursula sitting at the glossy black table, but Aunt Morgana and Cruella de Vil as well. Vanessa frowned, standing in the doorway. The four women turned to her.

"Vanessa, dear!" Ursula grinned, throwing up her arms. "How are you?"

"I'm alright...Ursula." Vanessa responded, sounding like her time was being wasted.

"Do you need something?" Ursula sounded strangely hopeful.

"I need to talk to you." Vanessa's purple eyes flickered over the other three ladies with lightning-quick speed. Then, they narrowed on Ursula. "Alone."

"Ah." Ursula turned to Maleficent. "Think you can finish this little meeting without me, sis?"

Maleficent trained her eyes on Vanessa for a moment, then blinked lazily, much like a cat would. "Yes, I believe so." She looked at Morgana and Cruella. Morgana had a wary eye focused on Vanessa, while Cruella was already sorting her purse. Maleficent smirked and drawled, "Ladies. Follow me, if you please." She rose and led Cruella and Morgana out. Vanessa had to move away from the door to keep from getting bumped into. Maleficent barely acknowledged Vanessa as she passed, while Cruella glanced curiously at her and Morgana glared down at her. Once they were gone, Vanessa turned to Ursula, who was still sitting.

"Sit, sweetness." Ursula gestured toward the chair across from her.

Vanessa glanced at the chair suspiciously, considering the action of remaining standing. Then, she slowly sat, relaxing into the high-backed chair.

"So. What can I do for you, my dear?" Ursula leaned forward, leaning her chin against her fist.

"I have a very...particular favor to ask..."

"Anything for you, dear! Now what is it?"

"You remember something you told me once... A long time ago. About…Triton's family?"

Ursula pursed her lips, taking a thoughtful pause. "Yes..."

"And their secret..."

"Get to the point, hon. You know I hate that family." Ursula leaned back.

"I was wondering if you knew if it's happened to Ariel yet. You know, the youngest one?"

"Oh..." Ursula chuckled. "No, I'm afraid she's a bit of a late bloomer. Why?"

"Is there a way that you can...make it happen?"

Ursula cocked her head to the right, looking more interested now. Then she grinned and leaned forward again, pointing one long, fire-engine-red fingernail at Vanessa.

"Who's the guy?"

Vanessa narrowed her eyes momentarily, then relaxed again, crossing her arms. "His name is Eric. He's her boyfriend."

"Ah... Dark hair, blue eyes?"

Vanessa smirked. "You know me too well."

Ursula cackled, clapping her hands together. "Come with me to my private quarters, baby girl. We'll sort this out."

"What do you want in return?" Vanessa asked flatly, looking tired.

Ursula looked taken aback. Her lavender eyes lost their shine and her smile was sad. "I'd appreciate it if you visited more often."

"We both know that the courts wouldn't like that."

"Nessie..."

"I'll try."

"You promise?"

"Yes." Vanessa hissed impatiently.

Ursula grinned a toothy grin, her eyes gleaming again. "Great. Now let's get to work, shall we?"

The two of them stood up and Ursula strutted over to the wall. The walls in the Managers' office were covered by dark purple curtains. Ursula pulled one aside to reveal another door, and she pulled a key out from within her corset to unlock it. Vanessa watched anxiously, crossing her arms. The door swung inward and Ursula stepped aside, gesturing with one outstretched arm toward the doorway and grinning wickedly.

"After you."

Vanessa was taking forever, but Gaston didn't mind. He was having a good old time, and not having to pay for it. She could take all night if she wanted...

Crashing sounds and three sets of screams from out front made everyone inside freeze. The sounds continued, and there was a screech like metal being ripped. And a blaring car alarm. Gaston jumped up and ran outside, with the bartender and about five strippers following. Thankfully, the street was deserted, because the group would have been quite a strange sight. Especially when Maleficent, Morgana and Cruella came trailing behind.

"What the fuck?!" Gaston bellowed at the sight of his car.

It was almost demolished. The Bimbettes were still sitting in their seats, clutching each other for dear life, trembling and shrieking hysterically. The roof of the sleek red car had been completely ripped off, as well as the two back passenger doors. The driver's door was crumpled like tin foil, and its window was shattered, as was the windshield. The hood was crunched up and the engine was gone. The trunk had been wrenched open and all the contents littered the street.

"What is it? Oh." Vanessa said from next to Gaston. She and Ursula had just arrived, but Ursula was standing at the back of the crowd.

"My car!" Gaston howled. "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes and approached the three terrified blondes. "What happened, girls?"

"Don't let it get us!" One of them, probably Laurette, shrieked.

"Don't let what get you?" Vanessa asked impatiently.

The three girls started to blubber and sob and scream more, completely incoherent. They were shaking so much that the car's mutilated frame was rocking slightly.

"What. Did. This?" Vanessa growled. Gaston was now standing next to her, red with rage, like a volcano ready to erupt.

All three girls took a deep breath and screamed, "The BEAST!"

Needless to say, Ursula was exhausted after having to deal with police and screaming teens for most of the night. The sun was lazily rising outside as she poured herself a drink at the bar. The girls who'd worked throughout the night were leaving, in a bit of a daze after everything they'd had to put up with (Halloween was always a weird night to work, but this one had been particularly bizarre), and the morning girls were slowly trickling in, most of them hungover. Ursula warmly greeted them as she drank her wine, resisting the urge to rub her tired eyes.

Maleficent came in and sat beside her with a soft smirk. Ursula playfully rolled her eyes as she poured a glass for her sister.

"You missed some real excitement." Ursula said sarcastically.

"Oh, really?" Maleficent feigned interest as she sipped her drink.

Ursula scoffed and waved her hands. "Worst Halloween ever."

"Mm… Well, soon enough, we can treat every day like it's Halloween. If we want to."

"Or so we've been told."

"You don't believe Hades, then?"

"Absolutely not. I bear the burden of healthy skepticism at the best of times. But this… The type of thing he's planning for…" Ursula shook her head. "I dunno. It's big. And the 'details' he's given to get us to go along with it seem too good to be true."

Maleficent nodded along in understanding. She'd always been glad to have Ursula around. Her sister was one of the only people she knew who actually had any sense. "Not trusting Hades is generally a good decision. But…" She tilted her head slightly as she placed her glass on the bar top. "…for all the benefits that we could reap if this 'plan' works… I'd say it's a risk worth taking. It's not likely we'll get another opportunity like this."

The two sat in relative silence for a while, neither of them drinking any more. Eventually, Ursula sighed and said, "You know…there's someone else who could help us that Hades didn't bring up at the meeting."

"Don't."

"No, it's fine. I told you, I'm over everything that happened between me and—"

"Don't speak her name." Maleficent said lowly. "I promised you we'd never speak of her again. Saying that name would just be inviting trouble. And…" She turned to Ursula with a sigh. "I do worry that…involving her in this could prove…disastrous for you."

Ursula clicked her tongue. "Aw… You really do worry about me, don't you?"

"Always."

"Well… I'm a big girl, you know. And a power like…hers…could be what guarantees our success."

"We don't need her."

"Mal…" Ursula gently placed her hand on top of her sister's. "This is bigger than us. You know Hades has thought about reaching out to her, but something's holding him back. I think that something is you."

Maleficent said nothing.

Ursula patiently went on. "Talk to him. You're the only one he'll listen to."

Maleficent scowled as she withdrew her hand from Ursula's grasp and reached for her wine again. "I'll think about it…"