A few days after her first date with Ben, Mal began enjoying life in Auradon. She still missed her beloved daughter, but the feeling was not as predominant as before. With the picture of Mallory and the letters written by her father, Mal knew her little girl was well taken care of.
With only a couple days before the coronation, Evie nearly finished all their outfits for the big day. Mal was genuinely impressed by the princess's quickness, though she believed Evie was going extreme with her dress. Then again, the fairy was the girlfriend of the king-to-be, so she had to look her best.
Friday morning, just before Mal would attend Remedial Goodness, her . . . boyfriend paid her a visit at her locker.
"Hey," Ben greeted with a small smile. "Are you ready for Family Day tomorrow?"
"No," Mal admitted, leaning against her locker. "And neither is Jay. He's about as prepared to meet Aziz's parents as I am to meet yours. He asked if I'd go with him, so he doesn't look like a fool."
"That won't happen," Ben reassured kindly, "with either one of you. Queen Jasmine is very accepting of people, same with her husband. But . . . they've been acting off for weeks because of Rajah."
"Her pet tiger?" Mal recalled faintly. "What about him?"
"He's getting older," Ben commented sadly. "Queen Jasmine believed he was a gift from her mother. She's had Rajah for nearly thirty years, way past the life expectancy of any tiger. Aziz and his family are afraid his last day is soon. Aziz will be a little . . . depressed tomorrow, but he'll try to stay cheery."
"I'll warn Jay not to mention Rajah age," Mal promised.
"Rajah is a good judge of character," Ben commented with a soft smile. "If he likes Jay, then Jay has nothing to worry about."
"Meanwhile, I have everything to worry about with your parents," Mal commented with a sigh. "They won't like that I'm the daughter of Maleficent."
"They will have to get over it," Ben insisted stubbornly. "For now, I don't want you to focus on that. Instead, I want you to enjoy Remedial Goodness."
Mal scoffed. "Yeah, right. The only thing we do is go over things that are common sense."
"Today will be different," Ben claimed with a knowing smile. "I think you will be surprised."
About halfway through class, Fairy Godmother set up a video chat thing with the Core Four's parents, so they wouldn't feel left out during Family Day tomorrow.
"Evie!" Evil Queen shouted as she waved at the screen. "You look so beautiful! All the princes must be begging for your attention."
Evie merely smiled and timidly waved at her mother, not wanting her to know about her 'secret' admirer.
"Hello, Mother," Mal greeted with a soft sigh.
"Mal, how long until I can see you?" Maleficent cooed in a caring tone Mal assumed to be fake. "I've missed you."
"I'm not sure," Mal commented with a careless shrug. "Probably after Prince Ben's coronation. I'll be in the front row. Jay will be a row behind me with his boyfriend and family."
On the screen, Jafar raised a curious, yet amused brow at the statement. "Jay, you didn't mention in your letters that you've met his parents."
"I'm meeting them tomorrow," Jay corrected a bit awkwardly, considering who the 'parents' were. "Aziz insisted since we are going to the coronation together. I'm hoping it goes well."
"His turn will be soon," Jafar reassured. "Though he will only have one parent to worry about."
"Have any of you seen Dad?" Mal wondered without thinking. "I haven't heard from him in a couple days."
Maleficent narrowed her eyes at the question. "Baby girl, I thought I told you—"
"Nobody has seen your father," Cruella quickly interrupted. "Last I heard, little Celia started running errands for him so he could stay home. She started about the same time that you hadn't received a letter. She may not know how to send one."
"I'll sort that out, so you don't have to worry," Jafar promised quickly.
"I'm surprised you've written to him so much," Maleficent commented softly. "You haven't written to me once."
"What do you expect?" Mal retorted bravely. "He is a better parent than you ever were. He cares for me, loves me, and does everything he can to protect me while you would toss me to the hyenas for looking at you in a way you didn't like."
"Mali, that's not true," Maleficent insisted, her voice nearing a whisper. "I have a hard time showing emotions . . . because someone betrayed my trust. Your father knew this, but he still married me. He was so considerate of me and did everything he could to gain my trust. I still forced him away after you were born because I was still plagued with doubt. Something . . . something happened to me, years before I became the villain of my tale."
Mal tilted her head curiously, as this was the first time her mother ever said anything about it. It was the first time she had ever heard her mother so upset. "What happened?"
"I . . ." Tears welled up in her eyes as Maleficent abruptly stood from her place on the couch. "I-I can't . . ."
One of the villains cut the call as Maleficent walked off. After a moment, Mal became flushed with worry. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized. "I . . . I don't know why she . . ."
"That's alright, dearie," Fairy Godmother reassured softly. "But I do need to speak with you and Jay for a moment. Evie, Carlos: you two are dismissed."
"Perfect!" Evie cheered with a happy smile. "I need to finish our coronation outfits."
A few moments after the duo left, Fairy Godmother ushered Mal to a desk. Confused, the fairy did as told while her friend took the seat beside her, who grinned in delight. Suddenly a laptop was placed in front of them.
"If you need me, I'll be in my office," Fairy Godmother informed with a kind smile. "This surprise will be better than your first."
Mal watched the headmistress leave while Jay typed on the keyboard, like he had been taught before. The fairy's head was turned to the door when she heard a shout, "Momma!"
Whipping around, Mal couldn't stop the inaudible gasp, or the tears that welled up at seeing a beautiful baby girl. "Mallory," Mal greeted breathlessly, shaking her head in disbelief. "But how . . . ?"
"Ask your best friend," Hades instructed from the other line while holding his granddaughter so she'd have a better view. "He set this up."
"I didn't do much," Jay claimed with a bashful shrug. "Ben told Aziz about the surprise earlier while I was with him. I talked to Fairy Godmother, and she set this up."
"You told her about Lory?"
"I told her about Hades," Jay corrected. "Maleficent said youcouldn't tell anyone about your father. She never said anything about me. As for Lory, I won't tell anyone without your permission."
"Momma!" Mallory shouted again as she tapped the computer screen.
Mal allowed a tear to drip down her cheek as she laid a hand over the screen where her daughter's hand covered. "Mallory," she cooed so softly. "I love you more than anything in the world. I promise, we will be together again."
Meanwhile, just outside the classroom, Prince Ben was leaning against the wall so they couldn't see him. After all those dreams, Ben wanted to make sure it wasn't a fantasy. He couldn't believe it was—
"Did you see her?" Aziz questioned quietly, as he snuck up on his friend. "Did you see Mallory?"
"Only a glimpse," Ben replied through a whisper. "She has her mother's purple hair. Her eyes . . . they are such a light shade of blue. She is so beautiful."
Aziz raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Do you think Mal will be more determined to get the wand?"
"I'm not sure," Ben claimed doubtfully. "When I got here, Mal had a dispute with her mother. Maleficent . . . wasn't acting like anyone thought she would. Something was wrong."
"Well, I'll let you know if Jay tells me anything," Aziz promised with a soft sigh. "With coronation in two days, there is still time for them to change their minds."
"All we have to do is get through Family Day," Ben joked.
If only he knew . . .
At the end of the day, the Core Four made their separate ways into Jay and Carlos's room to discuss their plot for the wand. The four were gathered around a table to examine Mal's sketches, which detailed a diagram of the cathedral and an intricate drawing of the magic wand. Although they planned this scheme for weeks, none were motivated anymore. In fact, the atmosphere in the room was glum and reluctant.
"Okay, I'll bite." Mal leaned forward to seem more attentive. "Does anyone want to do this anymore? Do you want to give up on taking the wand?"
"I do," Carlos spoke up bravely. "I mean, give up the wand. I really like it here. They have good food, nice beds, warm showers, and furry friends like Dude."
"I like it here too," Evie admitted bashfully. "There are so many different fabrics here and people don't see me as a pretty face. And I found someone that likes me for my brains instead of my looks."
"And I found my Auradon thief," Jay joked with a sad tone. "Aziz is really looking forward to me meeting his parents tomorrow. I know we've only been dating for a few weeks, but . . . I think he's the one. I love him."
Mal allowed a small smile to grace her lips at hearing her friends' comments and her best friend's confession. "Alright . . ." She paused to stand, her smile growing wider as the trio gazed at her expectantly. "Then the plan is off. No more evil schemes for our parents. Let's live our lives in Auradon the way we want, but we still need to keep my father a secret. After the Auradonians fully accept us, I will tell that I am the child of two villains instead of one."
"But what about our parents?" Carlos questioned logically. "What are they going to do once they find out we went behind their backs?"
"Our parents can't reach us here," Mal insisted stubbornly, her eyes shining brightly to display her disobedience. "They are stuck on the Isle, remember? After a couple years, when Ben finally brings down the barrier, then we'll worry about their reactions."
Jay raised a concern eyebrow. "Can you wait that long?"
"I'll have to," Mal claimed with a sadden sigh. "Maybe Ben will let me visit every now and then. I am his . . . girlfriend now. I think . . . he's what I need to move on."
"Can I go then?" Jay requested urgently, making his way toward the door. "I really want to celebrate with my boyfriend, if you get what I mean."
Snickering at his friend's promiscuous attitude, Mal instructed, "Go on! Enjoy your night with your lover boy. We'll see you at Family Day tomorrow; our first day of freedom!"