I was mistaken before. During the NEXT chapter update, the rating will change to 'M' because of sexual descriptiveness (no lemons though). It may change back if you readers think it is alright.

"Mallory."

Placing a marker on his place in the textbook, Aziz averted his gaze to his roommate, who locked the door behind him. Aziz raised a curious eyebrow as Ben paced the length of their room. "Mallory who?"

"Mal's daughter," Ben claimed as he tried to collect his thoughts. "That's her name: Mallory."

Jaw dropping at the revelation, Aziz tossed the history book aside. Sitting to full attention, the thief questioned, "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I eased-dropped on her conversation with Jay," Ben admitted unapologetically. "She said, 'I miss my baby'."

"Is that what made her upset?"

"And lying about her stretchmarks," Ben added, plopping down at the foot of his bed. "That happened in gym like I suspected. She made an excuse about being sick, so she lost weight quickly. I am sure it was her pregnancy."

"Why is Mal keeping Mallory a secret?" Aziz wondered curiously. "She could have brought her daughter to Auradon. No one would have judged her harshly after hearing her story."

"Actually . . . she has something to fear," Ben revealed with a soft sigh. "The only reason the four came to Auradon was to steal Fairy Godmother's wand for Maleficent so she can bring down the barrier. I'm thinking, Mal believed they would fail and didn't want Mallory to be used against her. Mal thought Mallory would be taken away and didn't want to risk it."

"That wouldn't happen!" Aziz exclaimed defensively. Then, his demeanor changed to worry. "What are we going to do? I mean, Jay almost kissed me earlier. Now, I don't know if he is using me or if he does like me."

"Jay clearly likes you," Ben reassured with a confident smile. "Why else would he steal your grandmother's bracelet and return it with no complaints? You'll be together in no time."

Chuckling at his optimism, Aziz asked, "What about you? When are you going to break up with Audrey so you can be with her?"

"Soon," Ben promised a little too quickly. "I want to do something to help Mal with her missing Mallory. Family day is soon so maybe I can set up a video chat? I can have one for all the 'Core Four', as they call themselves, with their parents."

"Does Mal's mother know about Mallory?" Aziz questioned. "Does anyone on the Isle know? You said she asked for Jay when Evie was just with her. Does that mean he's the only that knows?"

"I don't think so," Ben argued, thinking through the logistics of the situation. "Jay wouldn't know how to deliver a child. Lady Tremaine most likely delivered Mallory since she is the most experienced female on the island. I don't see Maleficent hiding a child, considering her tale of the baby she cursed being hidden from the world. Maleficent may not know about her granddaughter. So where . . ."

A light bulb went off in Ben's brain, the pieces of the mystery coming together. "Mal's father!"

"Hades?" Aziz clarified. "But you aren't sure if he is her father. Professor Yen Sid refused to tell you and Mal has made no signs if her father is that god."

"I think Mal's hair is enough," Ben joked to ease the tension. "Her hair is freakin—"

"Just say 'fucking'," Aziz interrupted with a teasing eyebrow wag. "You know you want to. The Beast isn't going to come out because of one curse word."

Ben rolled his eyes at his friend's playful attitude. "Fucking," he pronounced dramatically, to the amusement of the thief, "purple. Purple is made from blue and red. Who else do you know has hair that changes from blue to red depending on their mood?"

Aziz contemplated the question for a few moments. "Just Hades," he admitted. "But why—?"

"I say a messy divorce between him and Maleficent," Ben assumed. "Maleficent might not want anyone to know about her 'fling' with the god so she forbade Mal from telling anyone. When Mal became pregnant, she probably feared her mother would harm her baby and went to her father for help. Hades may have Mallory hidden in his ca—home."

Aziz raised an eyebrow at his friend's stutter. "Is this just an idea or another realistic dream?"

"Dream," Ben answered bluntly. "It was like I said: Mal feared Maleficent would hurt Mallory and went to her father. He asked if she wanted to keep the baby and she said 'yes' because she was an innocent child created by unfortunate circumstances."

If possible, Aziz's brow raised higher, this time in concern. "That really happened?" the thief deduced sadly. "Her being—"

"Don't say it," Ben growled against his will. "Every time I think about what happened, the Beast wants to take over to make that bastard pay for what he did to her. Since I have no fucking idea who the guy is, the Beast is wallowing in anger, waiting to come out to make the abuser pay."

Despite the prince's temper being flared, Aziz chuckled. "You cursed on your own! I'm so proud of you!" the thief teased. "I really am a bad influence. Don't you just love it?"

Ben scoffed. "About as much as I love Audrey, which is none at all."

Rolling his eyes at his friend's obvious hatred, Aziz wondered, "If you really don't like that bitch, why are you dating her?"

"Our parents set us up so we would marry and rule the kingdom together." Ben's sigh let loose all his frustrations. "After I dump her, I'm going to expose her sexually cheating on me with Chad."

"That's going to ruin their reputation." Aziz smiled wickedly. "I love it! Just tell me what to do to help."

"It won't be until the Tourney game next week," Ben informed before his friend could get too hyped up. "Win or lose, I plan on asking Mal to be my date for the coronation. Audrey will cause a scene and that's when I will expose her."

"You know what would make this even better?" Aziz rhetorically questioned. "Chad being benched during that game. He's a terrible player, bad sportsmanship, and his parents are paying for his spot on the team!"

"Maybe something will make it come true," Ben suggested with a hopeful shrug. "For now, I will talk with Fairy Godmother about switching Mal's gym for art, since she painted a beautiful mural on her locker. I'll 'adjust' her transcript from Dragon Hall, so I don't make Fairy Godmother suspicious with my 'mistake'."

"Again, what should I do?" Aziz interrogated with depressed, sagging shoulders. "I'm supposed to spend the week with Jay to go over the rules, remember? Should I pretend I don't know about their plan?"

"Yes, so they will believe no one knows about Mallory," Ben answered rationally. "If Jay truly likes you, he will tell you about their plan."

"Do you think Mal will tell you eventually?"

"Probably not," Ben assumed. "She's too vulnerable right now and only trusts those closest to her. She may go through with the plan, but she will choose good in the end."

Aziz groaned as he flopped onto his back dramatically. "I hope Jay tells me," he admitted. "I've only known him for a day, but I think I'm in love."