#having said that new dad carlos with baby fast asleep on his chest is something quite special | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

buckybarnesalways · 3 years

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in this world full of people, there's one loving me

It started out as a normal day. TK woke up cocooned in Carlos’ arms. Seeing that his boyfriend was still asleep, he snuggled in closer and smiled as he felt arms tighten around him. Even in sleep Carlos’ need to hold on to TK was overwhelming. Opening his eyes, Carlos planted a kiss to the top of TK ’s head.

"Good morning, baby ." he rasped, voice still thick with sleep.

Tk looked up at the sound of Carlos’ voice and replied, "It's always a good morning when I wake up in your arms." He flashed his smile that always drove Carlos wild.

He leaned up and captured Carlos’ lips with his in a languid kiss.

"Can we just stay in bed and do this all day?" Carlos asked, smiling down at TK.

"As much as I would love that, we both have a shift in a few hours." TK answered back.

Carlos let his head fall back against his pillow with a dramatic sigh causing TK to giggle.

"Babe we can always lay in bed and make out tomorrow morning on our day off." TK said, placing a kiss on Carlos’ bare chest.

A shiver rolled through Carlos at the feeling of TKs lips and he said, with a pout "That's too long from now, I want to kiss my boyfriend all day right now."

TK pushed himself up and out of bed.

"I guess you’ll just have to use that as an incentive to make it back home!"

Then he laughed and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for work. He was in the shower when he felt Carlos wrap his arms around his waist and place a kiss at the nape of his neck.

"I don't need an incentive to come home to you, Ty." Carlos said quietly.

TK turned around to face Carlos and gently kissed him before saying, "Just knowing you're waiting for me is what keeps me going while on shift."

Carlos smiled, "Now if you could just stay out of danger."

Carlos didn't know then that those words would come back to haunt him.

TK rolled his eyes and turned to continue his shower. They gave each other a lingering kiss as they parted ways, both heading off to their jobs.

Tk walked into the fire house with a huge grin on his face and waved at Nancy as he walked into the locker room. Judd looked at him with a grin of his own.

"Lover boy got you in a good mood today?"

TK blushed and tried to duck his head so Judd wouldn't see.

"That's a definite yes then." Judd replied in his deep southern drawl.

"How do you know it's because of Carlos?" TK asked.

"Well unless there's a new species of giant mosquitos, I'd say that mark on your neck is proof enough."

"What!?" TK exclaimed, rushing to look in the mirror. "Oh my god I can't believe he did this, knowing i had a shift today!"

He was definitely blushing now as he looked wide eyed at Judd.

"Is it really that noticeable?" he asked.

"Nah, it's totally not,'' Judd said "unless you can't see."

He laughed as he left TK alone in the locker room. TK immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a message to Carlos,

"I can't believe you left a mark for everyone to see!"

He put his things away and walked into the kitchen when his phone dinged. Pulling it from his pocket he saw Carlos had responded. He opened the message and grinned,

"You can't believe that I left one mark? At least you don't have to hear the teasing because your chest is covered in them!".

"Hey i gotta let everyone know your mine somehow!" TK sent back.

Carlos replied seconds later, "That's why I left mine where everyone could clearly see it. You just better be glad I love you.

Carlos’ answer made him smile even wider.

"Always."

TK felt his heart flutter as he reread Carlos’ message. He was still staring at his phone when he heard his dad's voice.

"Were you talking to me?'' he asked, pocketing his phone.

"I was just commenting on how happy you looked, it's nice seeing it." Owen told his son.

TK started to reply just as the alarm bell sounded. They ran to their respective vehicles and sped off. If TK had known what was going to happen to him, he would have taken Carlos up on his offer that morning.

They arrived at the scene, piling out of the ambulance. TK immediately noticed the familiar police cruiser parked a little ways away.

"So what are we looking at?" Owen asked as Carlos walked up to the team, smiling quickly at TK.

"A couple of guys robbed a store and when they saw the cops, they bolted and tried to hole up here. I guess they thought starting a fire on the bottom floor while they hid on the second floor would deter the police."

"Criminals are really dumb…" Mateo deadpanned.

"Alright everyone, let's get to work!" Owen ordered.

"TK, you're gonna go in with Captain Strand, there may be victims that need help immediately,'' Tommy said.

"Got it, Cap!" he answered, rushing in behind his father.

Tk found one guy with minor injuries, he bent down to examine him closer but the guy panicked and shoved TK away. As he stumbled backward his foot caught on something and he fell to the ground. When he landed he felt a searing pain in his side, as he looked down to see what the source of the excruciating feeling was, he saw the man he had been trying to help run off. Groaning he began to assess his body, when he saw the huge nail protruding through his back and out his stomach, he shouted for his dad.

Owen appeared and his heart dropped instantly.

"TK! What happened!?"

"Guy panicked and shoved me. I tripped and fell and apparently landed on this board" he told his dad. "Just get me up and outside we can fix it."

Owen reached down and began trying to lift TK up but stopped when he realized that the board wasn't moving. Then he saw the reason why. A huge beam had fallen and splintered and TK had landed just right on one of the cracked pieces. Unfortunately the piece had not completely broken off the beam and was currently wedged underneath the heaviest part.

"TK, son, listen to me, ok? I'm going to have to pull you off this nail." Owen said, exasperated.

"Dad, ''TK said the word slurring a little as the pain was getting to him.

"I know son, this is going to hurt," Owen said as he began pulling TK up.

As soon as TK was completely off the board he started bleeding profusely. Owen threw him over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could. Exiting the building, he started yelling for Tommy and Nancy. They ran over with the stretcher and Owen gingerly laid his boy down as he relayed what had happened.

Carlos was by his side in an instant. He clamped his hands over his lovers wound and TK all but begged, "Carlos whatever you do, please don't look."

Carlos looked at TK, "Babe, you're hurt. I need to see."

"No, Los, it's bad. I don't want you to see it." He argued.

"We really need to get him to the hospital." Tommy stated.

"Of course." Carlos answered. "I'm coming with him."

They loaded him into the ambulance and Tommy immediately went to work.

"Ty, I know you don't want me to but Tommy can't work on it if you won't let her because you don't want me to see." he said, trying to keep his voice firm so TK couldn't hear the fear.

TK looked into his eyes and Carlos almost lost it. He could see how terrified TK was. Tears began falling from TKs eyes.

"Shhhh. " Carlos whispered as he reached down and gently moved TKs hands from where he was still holding the wound. Tommy opened his shirt and Carlos gasped at the amount of blood. The wound itself was horrible, somehow, when Owen was lifting him, the nail had torn sideways thus stretching the hole. Carlos looked away, trying to hide the tears. A weak squeeze to his hand brought him back and he looked at TK.

"Baby, I'll be ok," he said comfortingly.

Carlos wanted to believe him but with the amount of blood loss, he didn't know if it was possible for his boy to be ok. TKs eyes began drifting closed and Carlos knew enough to know he needed to stay awake. He leaned down and held TKs face as he placed a kiss on his forehead .

"Hey, Love, I know you're tired and it hurts but i need you to stay awake." Taking his hand, Carlos lifted it and held it against his chest. "Please Tyler.'' he begged.

TK tried to smile as he looked at Carlos and whispered, "I love you, Los. Please always remember that."

"Hey no, Tyler, you don't talk like that . You're gonna be fine, plus we have plans in the morning remember?".

TK barley nodded his head. "I know, Los... I know…" and then his eyes closed and no matter how much Carlos pleaded, he wouldn't open them.

They finally arrived at the hospital Tommy handed him off to the doctors, who started wheeling him back to the operating room. Carlos was still clinging to his hand when they reached the double doors and a nurse told him he had to stay behind. Nodding his head, Carlos laid TKs hand down and stood there as they wheeled his heart farther away from him and out of sight.

He turned to see the 126 crew rush in through the doors, then his knees gave out and he crumbled. He would have hit the floor but somehow Judd reached him before that happened. He clutched at Judds shirt and screamed.

"I know buddy, he's going to be ok, they'll get him back to you,'' Judd tried to soothe the man sobbing in his arms.

When Carlos was able to get a hold of himself, Judd helped him stand.

"Thank you.'' he said to Judd.

"Don't worry about it, I'd be the same way if it was my Grace.'' Judd replied.

They sat down in the waiting area, Carlos still crying quietly to himself. He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there when he heard a familiar voice next to him. He turned his head and saw Michelle, his best friend. She wasn't alone though, behind her, his parents stood together.

"I knew you would need us all." she said to him.

Carlos stood and walked to his parents wiping at his face.

"Mama, Dad." he said.

"Carlito, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend.'' his mother said to him, placing a hand on his arm.

Carlos choked back a sob at her words. He knew he had to tell them, TK was so much more than a friend...

Michelle took his hand to show her support.

"TK isn't my friend," he said, averting his gaze. "He's my boyfriend and the love of my life."

"Oh mijo!'' his mother said, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Mama. "He said. "I was scared how you would react, I should have told you. I hurt TK so much that day!" he rambled.

"Carlos, " his father finally said, "it's alright. We can talk about that later, right now we're going to focus on making sure TK is going to be ok."

Pulling away from his mother he reached for his father embracing him and whispering a small thank you. Gabriel patted his son on the back as he held him. They let go of each other and took a seat.

"So," Andrea spoke up, "tell us about this boy. I want to know all about the person who has stolen my son's heart."

So Carlos started at the beginning he told them about how they met, their first date, the moment he realized he was falling for TK. He talked for hours without realizing the passing of time. Just as he stopped, he saw a doctor walk in. He rose to his feet before they even walked over.

"Tyler Strands family?" the doctor inquired.

Owen joined him.

"It's TK." Carlos responded. How is he? Please tell me he's ok?"

"He made it through surgery and he should be fine. He lost a lot of blood though and we’re worried about infection since the injury happened in an abandoned building."

Carlos felt a small weight lift from his shoulders and he asked, "When can we see him? I need to see him."

"As soon as he's set up in a room, he can receive visitors but only two at a time please.' the doctor answered.

"Of course. Thank you, Doctor ." Owen said, shaking the man's hand.

As the doctor walked away, Owen turned to Carlos, "I know you want to see him but I think me and his mother should be the first ones."

"You're joking, right?!" Carlos said, his voice angry. "You want me to wait to see the most important person in my life so that the two people who have done nothing but break his heart these last few months can see him first?!"

"Son," Gabriel said, placing a hand on his shoulder, " They're his parents."

Carlos sighed, "I'm sorry...I just really need to see him but your right... His parents should be first."

He sat back in his chair, clenching his fists.

A nurse walked in and relayed that TK could now receive visitors. Owen and Gwen stepped forward and the nurse ushered them to his room.

Michelle reached over and pried Carlos’ hand open, slipping her hand into his. He looked at her and sighed. He sat back to wait for TKs parents to return.

About 30 minutes later, Gwen walked back into the waiting room and approached Carlos.

"You can go see him now. Owen wanted to stay with him but I knew how much you were hurting and needed to see him."

He gave her an affirming nod and almost ran to TKs room. He walked into the room and took a shaky breath as he saw TK. He rushed over and took his hand.

"Hey, Ty, baby I'm here now." he said.

Owen sat down on one side of the bed and Carlos sat on the other. Both men were silent as they waited for their boy to wake up.

Nearly an hour later, Carlos felt a small movement from the hand he was holding.

"Ty, are you awake? Open your eyes, baby, please." Carlos said, jumping up from the bed.

Slowly, TK peeled his eyes open and gazed at Carlos.

"Los?" he rasped.

"Shhh baby, I'm right here." Carlos said, reaching out and stroking his cheek.

Owen went to get a doctor, leaving Carlos alone with TK.

"I'm so glad you're awake." Carlos said to him. " I was so scared I was going to lose you."

TK tried to answer but his throat was dry and he couldn't speak. Carlos poured him a glass of water and helped him take a few sips.

After a moment TK spoke, " I'm sorry I scared you, Los, and of course I came back to you. My incentive was too good to pass up." he smiled when Carlos let out a small chuckle.

Owen and the doctor arrived.

"Glad to see you back with us, Mr. Strand." the doctor said. " I just have a few things to go over and then I'll leave you alone, alright?"

"That's fine.'' TK answered as the doctor began going through his checklist.

When the doctor was finished and had left the room, Owen spoke up,

"I'm going to go tell everyone the good news." He placed a hand on TKs shoulder. "I'm so glad to see you awake, son."

He left the room and TK looked at Carlos, who had been staring at him the whole time.

"Whose all here? He asked Carlos.

"The entirety of the 126, Grace, Tommy’s husband, Michelle and…" he paused, afraid of how TK would react to his parents being there. "My mom and dad are here as well" he finished.

TK looked at him, "Baby, please tell me that you didn't have to censor your feelings tonight?"

Carlos shook his head," I told them who you are to me and they actually didn't mind at all. They still want to have a conversation about why I lied but they're willing to wait."

" I'm glad." TK replied, " I hated seeing how much it was bothering you to lie to them.

" Can we talk about them later?" Carlos asked, " I need to do something right now."

TK answered, "Of course." and then Carlos’ lips were on his. TK smiled as they broke apart.

"Starting early I see." he joked.

Carlos answered by leaning in and kissing him again. Carlos rested his forehead against TKs and whispered, " I love you so much, Tiger."

TK whispered, " I love you too." and kissed Carlos on the cheek.

Carlos snuggled in next to him, when he was comfortable, he laughed and said, " The doctors are in for a surprise in the morning!" his eyes shined with love as he looked at TK.

" Yep, they're definitely gonna have their hands full!" he said laughing with Carlos.

They lay there together, just holding each other until sleep overtook them both.

#sorry about the length #tarlos fic #tarlos #911 lone star

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hannahmcne · 5 years

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Her Royal Highness - Chapter 29

Back at the castle, Belle was waiting for them in the garage. When they opened the door and waved goodbye to Stewart inside his limo as he pulled away, she looked up with a frown and a stern expression. Ben gulped and froze under his mother's gaze as everyone paused behind him. Mal felt ice creep into her spine.

Belle scraped something black from underneath her nails. "I thought you would be back yesterday," She said primly. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "The Fairy Godmother called to say the barrier over the Isle of the Lost had been broken, Peter Pan appeared from Neverland for the first time in almost forty years to take the Jolly Roger back to Neverland, Aurora has called nineteen times to ask if Audrey has returned, and a dragon was visible over the Isle from Auradon. All I can say is that your excuse had better be good." Belle folded her hands in her lap and pinched her lips as she cast her eyes about the group.

Mal shuffled forward. Belle's eyes fell on Malice and her mouth formed a little: 'O'. She looked up at Mal in wonder. "Did you bring me a grandchild?" She asked. Ben stepped forward to support Mal as his wife's eyes grew large.

"No!" Mal hurried. "This is, um, my little sister. She's brand-new, and my mom is in this bag right here." Mal held up the drawstring bag that they'd put Lizard Maleficent in. "Ben was captured by Gaston and Dr. Facilier on the island." She explained. "They wanted the Fairy Godmother's wand to bring down the barrier, I made a deal with them and brought it down from the inside by myself because I was stupid enough to think I'd be able to be faster than everyone else on the ship, and then mom turned into a dragon and we all almost died."

"I see," Belle replied in a flat tone. Her eyes flickered down to Malice in Mal's arms. "Where's Audrey?"

"She asked to stay another night," Mal explained.

Belle examined each of the young adults. She held out her arms. "I'll forgive you all if you give me the baby." She decided. "What's her name?"

"Malice, but I think she needs a new one," Mal explained as she walked forward and carefully put the baby in Belle's arms. Belle's entire face lit up as she studied the girl's tiny hands and mouth.

"She's so cute!" Belle squealed softly. She wrapped the baby in her arms expertly and began to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going with her?" Mal asked as she followed Belle out of the garage. Everyone trailed along behind her.

"I'm going to introduce her to Adam and we are going to be her foster parents." Belle decided. Ben's face wrinkled up a little in disappointment and offense.

Mal blinked. "Um, just like that?" She asked.

"We'll file some paperwork to adopt her and name her," Belle said passively. "You're queen anyway. This way, I'm not bored, and I get another child, which is something I always wanted."

Mal stopped in the hallway and Ben bumped into her before he put an arm around her shoulder. "You wanted more kids?" She asked.

"Yes." Belle nodded. "But we didn't for a variety of reasons. For one, most royals generally only have one child so there's no power struggle if the younger ones want the throne. Also, being queen was pretty tough, as I'm sure you know. Even with Adam as my partner, there wasn't a lot of time. But now I'm old and I will adopt this small child and she will be happy with us." Belle slipped through a door into the main palace sector.

Mal rubbed her hands over her arms, which were now covered in goosebumps. She looked up at Ben, who seemed to understand with only a glance. He reached forward and grabbed his mom's arm.

"Hey, Mom?" He asked. "I get this is your dream, but this is also Mal's sister. I, for one, would like to consider adopting her myself. Can she and I have a conversation about it before you make any decisions?"

"Okay." Belle wilted a little but smiled still when she looked down at the child. "You still need to see your father, young man. He's up in your office finishing up things for you."

Ben tensed up like a live wire. "Finishing things for me?" He repeated tersely.

Belle raised her eyebrows. "Is that a problem?" She wondered.

"Can I have her back…?" Mal asked hesitantly. She looked a little tense, even though Belle clearly had experience with small children and Malice was still fast asleep against her chest. Ben took a deep breath beside her.

Belle carefully put Malice back in Mal's grasp, even though she looked sad to see the girl go back to her sister. Mal sighed in soft relief as soon as she had the girl back in her arms. "Thank you." She told Belle, carefully nuzzling Malice's cheek. Belle smiled and clasped her hands together.

"Yes, alright." She smiled. "Let's go see Adam then." Belle began to lead the group up the stairs. Jay, Evie, and Carlos slipped around Ben and Mal as they inched closer together. Belle waited at the end of the hallway, but Ben waved her ahead. "We'll catch up." He promised, though he still looked anxious about his dad being in his office.

The group disappeared.

Mal turned towards Ben with a gentle exhale as she held Malice right up next to her shoulders. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I love your mom. I just… never had a sister before. I wasn't expecting her to walk off with her so soon."

"It's okay," Ben whispered. He put his arm around Mal and curled her up to his side. "I panicked when she started walking away too." He watched as she wrapped her arms tightly around the baby and as she smiled and relaxed under his grasp. "You're pretty amazing, you know?" He whispered. "Just today, you were holding on to a ship with your knees, throwing swords to cut us free from the dock, healing your worst enemy, and now you're sitting here, blown away by the idea of a sister."

Mal leaned her head against Ben's chest. "What would have happened to her if she'd stayed with mom?" She whispered. "Or if I'd never become queen at all, and you'd only have made me a puppet queen without any sway at all?"

Ben bit his lip. "I read your blessing a few months ago." He whispered. "And there was a line that… I couldn't make sense of at the time." He brought his hand up from her shoulder and ran his fingers through his hair. "'Your strong relationship with your husband will one day be your greatest achievement. Your fondest memories will be forged with your new family in Auradon.' And, I thought, will I still be that husband for her? She might marry some other guy once the curse is broken. And this family, is it talking about me and my parents? Or is there any small chance that one day, she and I-" Ben turned and looked into Mal's eyes as she looked up. Her cheeks turned a dusty pink.

"We have time. But the point of this pep talk was that you have a family. You've forged your own family here. Evie, and Jay, and Carlos, wherever they go, will always be your family. Mom and Dad are parents to you too. I am meant to be more than a puppet ruler over the moors and the Isle. I'm here for a confident, a supporter, a partner. And now, you have your sister. You're not going to lose her. Whether you let Mom and Dad adopt her or whether you keep her with you and bring her back and forth to the moors and to the Isle, she will always be your sister. Okay?" Ben finished his speech.

Mal chuckled. "You're a little too over-the-top." She told him, then sighed. "I know." She sighed. "I think I'll ask Belle if she'd like to adopt her. She can be raised a princess of Auradon, and hopefully, I can pick up on how Belle parents, so I don't have to figure everything out by myself if we ever have a kid."

"If?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Give me some time." She rolled her eyes and then paused. "Unless you plan on leaving me?" Mal asked. She gave him a nervous smile.

Ben wrapped his arm around her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Never." He promised her.

Mal laughed, closing her eyes against his chest and burying her face in his chest. "Ben... I meant what I said on the Isle."

Ben loosened his grip and began to trace little circles on her arm. "On the ship, or on the beach?" He asked for clarification.

"On the beach," Mal clarified. "Right before we went into the city." She put her hand on his knee. "I think I'm ready for you, now."

Ben moved his other hand to be on top of hers and hummed in thought. "I don't know if that's something we should be doing without protection if you don't think you're ready for kids. We've got to take this one step at a time."

Mal hummed in neither agreement or disagreement as he rubbed the knuckles in her hands a little. She watched as he lifted her hand up in his palm, brought it to his mouth, and kissed the back of it before standing up and helping her to her feet. "Now, let's catch up." He mumbled against her hair. They both turned and continued following Belle's group up to Ben's office.

________________________________________________________________

Ben's desk was messier than it had been before he'd left, even though Adam had only gone through completing paperwork and filing things as they came in. Several things he needed to sign and approve were stacked in a heap beside the keyboard and Adam had continued pulling pens out of Ben's mug without putting them back until most of them were scattered in between stacked papers and hidden beside notepads and the mug was only half-filled. Mal walked in first, then turned to watch Ben's lips pinch together in disappointment as he took in the rest of the mess. Adam was sitting in Ben's chair, and Belle was standing beside him. Mal's friends had all taken seats along the outside of the room and looked to be trying hard to stay awake.

Adam turned to greet the two as they walked in and his mouth fell open at the sight of Malice in her older sister's arms. "Wha- how?" He sputtered.

Ben made a thumb to one of the chairs alongside the room, looking a little white. "Nice to see you too, Dad. Can you please get out of my chair?"

Adam stood up slowly and, instead of taking a different chair, leaned forward to gape at Malice. "Where'd she come from?" He demanded.

"This is Malice, my little sister," Mal explained slowly, stepping forward a little so that Adam could see the tell-tale purple hair spilling out from around the girl's head. "She's a daughter of Maleficent and Jafar. And, uh, my mom is in the bag on my arm, in lizard form." She tried to move her arm so that Adam could see the bag without jostling Malice.

"Sister," Adam repeated, craning his head to look at the bag on Mal's arm. "Oh, I-I see." He ran a hand down his face and stepped out from behind Ben's desk, giving Ben enough space to step in and began sweeping things into neater piles. He slipped all the forms Adam had left out for him into the second drawer in his desk for the next day and began gathering pens. Already, his space looked more... him. "I was trying to figure out... I mean, she looked just like you when you walked in and you were holding her..."

"I'm not her mom," Mal shook her head with pink cheeks. "Malice, my sister."

"I want to adopt her," Belle announced to Adam. "I always wanted a girl. She can grow up with us and that way we'll have a daughter and a daughter-in-law from the same family."

"Belle, we haven't had a baby in twenty-two years." Adam reminded her, blinking and looking very shell-shocked by the entire experience.

"Well, eighteen, really," Belle hummed, leaning over to ruffle Ben's hair as he continued pulling sticky notes with detailed accounts of phone calls that had come in throughout the day off of his desk and putting them underneath his screen. Ben made a face and ducked away from her touch a little as he capped a highlighter that had been left to dry out and dropped it into his trash can. "But really, Ben's always going to be my baby."

"Thanks, mom," Ben sighed. He pushed his chair out and bent down to make sure there wasn't anything under his desk.

Adam watched his son feel around underneath the desk. "Now, really, Ben. Don't you think that's a bit excessive?"

Ben came back up with five different papers crumpled in his hands and quickly smoothed them out to examine them before dropping them into the trash. "I can't leave my kingdom with anyone," He sighed. "How did you make such a mess in one day, Dad?"

"Some of it was already here," Adam began, but Ben looked up with a raised eyebrow and the former king gave up on his excuse before it was fully formed. He turned back to Belle instead. "So, you want to adopt the other daughter of Maleficent?" He asked. Mal wrinkled her nose in hurt. The other daughter of Maleficent sounded like a particularly unfavorable title; as if the first had been a torturous experience. Ben, too, balked at the description and Evie, Jay, and Carlos all blinked in surprise.

Belle observed the reaction with tight lips and then corrected her husband: "Mal's sister, dear. Just say 'Mal's sister' next time. And yes, I want to adopt her."

Adam glanced to Mal. "Is that okay with you?" He asked.

Mal swallowed with her arms tight around Malice. "I... I think so. I mean, you guys did great with Ben, so I'd trust you with her."

Adam laughed, loud and boisterous, as Ben rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his desktop, where dozens of tabs and applications were open. "Dad, you don't need five different streaming services open at once," Ben sighed as he began to click through the various pages.

"So, the daughter of Maleficent and Jafar?" Adam asked, stepping forward and putting a hand on Mal's shoulder. Mal nodded cautiously, and then Adam pointed across the room to Jay. "Aren't you the son of Jafar? And you're older than Mal, so shouldn't you get the first say what happens to your little sister?"

Jay looked like he'd swallowed a jar of hot coals. "Um, I don't know anything about kids." He gasped and hurried to find an excuse. "And Mal's queen and she probably needs the prac- I mean- no, I don't want to raise her. I'd be happy to just see her from time to time."

Adam nodded in understanding and then put his hand on Malice's head. "Are you sure that you wouldn't want to raise her, Mal?" He asked, meeting his daughter-in-law's eyes. "Ben's children have priority over the throne of Auradon and he's supposed to sire an heir, but she could still be a Princess of the Moorlands or of the Isle."

The room felt incredibly tense. Mal could feel something in the air as physical as if it were freezing on her skin like Isle air. Two countries were directly depending on her, and giving Malice up would mean she was holding out on them for an heir to their lands. Assuming, of course, the Isle stayed an inherited monarchy. Still, something in her gut told her that it wasn't right to try and take this on quite yet.

"I don't think I'm ready for children yet," Mal mumbled, looking past Adam and at Ben. "I mean, I don't know about Ben, but that's-" She heaved a sigh, "a huge responsibility I don't quite have the time or the preparation for yet."

Adam turned around to his son, whose expression was mostly masked. "What do you say, Ben?" He asked.

Ben held up his hands in defense. "This is Mal's decision," He rebutted. "I don't get a say in her sister and her two kingdoms. This is all on her and I will support her either way. Whether Malice gets a place as my sister or my daughter, I am going to stand with her every step of the way."

"Do you want to raise her?" Mal asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot anxiously.

Ben let a dreamy little smile slip onto his face as he stared at Malice. "I'd be more than happy to." He admitted. "She's a great little girl. A little you. I'd love to raise her. But I'd also love to just watch her grow and it's more important to me that you're comfortable with your choice." He put his hands into his pockets. "I'm ready for kids when you are, but if you're not, then I don't want them. You make your decision, and your decision will be mine."

Mal nodded and closed her eyes, exhaling. "I... don't think I'm ready yet," She decided. "I think it's probably better to give her to someone else." She loosened her arms and Adam held his hands out to take the small child from her. She forced herself to let the small child go and, with her, felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Adam balanced Malice carefully in his hands and Belle stepped forward to loop her arm through his and peer down at her new baby girl. Ben's sister.

Mal chewed on her lower lip anxiously and glanced at Ben, standing behind his desk. He held out an arm for her. "Come here, you," he laughed. Mal hesitantly slipped around her mother and father-in-law and underneath his arm as he curled it around her side.

"Are you disappointed?" She mumbled, watching Belle smile and examine Malice's features. Ben laughed.

"Do you really think I'd give that whole speech and then be disappointed you didn't give me parental rights over your sister?" He rolled his eyes. "No, no, I'm proud of you. Good job. And you know, when the time is right for you, it'll be right for me too. Okay?"

Mal nodded in agreement, and Ben uncurled his arm from around her. "Now," he began, taking a deep breath, "Dad, where did you go in my office?"

Adam chuckled. "I think you got all of the mess, son." He told Ben. "I was mostly taking calls and sorting through things that came in."

"No, where did you go?" Ben repeated firmly. "I need to know every cabinet you opened." The specific, brutal tone of his voice conveyed exactly how important it was. Adam's smile faded a little.

"I opened your top desk drawer and the last one looking for some cords," Adam began, walking over to gesture to the drawers. "Then, I opened all the drawers in your filing cabinet there while I was sorting things, and then that closet beside the door." He nodded to each place as he spoke.

Ben's mouth pressed into a thin line. He strode over to the cabinet and opened it before gesturing to his dad to come over. Adam frowned. "I was only grabbing extra paper and paperclips. And I opened that little drawer for index cards."

"Nothing else?" Ben prompted.

"What is this about?" Adam frowned. "Is there something I was supposed to be avoiding?"

"Nothing else?" Ben repeated, voice growing even firmer than before.

"Nothing," Adam agreed. Ben shut the cabinet, relaxing with a small sigh.

"Ben?" Belle asked, furrowing her brow. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

"No," Ben shook his head. "Nothing I can tell you. I have-" he paused, unzipping his Isle jacket and peeling it off his arms to hang up on a hook beside the door, "National Secrets in that cupboard. Things I'm going to be moving, now." He went to his desk and found a ring of keys in the topmost drawer.

"Well, it's nothing I haven't seen before," Adam shrugged. "The country hasn't changed much in the last year."

"Yes, it has," Ben disagreed, flipping through keys and then walking back to the cupboard to lock it. "And those things are mine, for my eyes only until they're done."

"What about Mal?" Carlos asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

Mal shook her head before Ben could answer. "No," She sighed dramatically. "Ben's 'National Security' is for leaders of Auradon. I'm not a leader, even though I'm Queen. So Ben's new laws aren't for my eyes."

"New laws?" Adam asked, glancing at Ben, who sent a grave look to Mal, indicating he wished she hadn't listed any specifics.

"Things I'm fixing," Ben admitted. "Things I'm making better. Old classified files that I'm considering releasing, new things that are going on around the country, and especially things going on in international territories."

Adam's brow knit tighter and tighter together as Ben listed some vague specifics, and then turned to put Malice in Belle's arms. Belle took her carefully, looking a bit hurt by Ben's overly direct tone. "Fixing?" Adam asked. "Making better?"

Mal watched Ben swallow and take a deep breath, and stood up a little straighter behind the desk. "It's not for you to know yet," Ben reminded his dad. "This is for me and a few distant advisors. When I tell the kingdom, I'll tell you beforehand."

"You're changing the laws on magic!" Adam accused, face growing red. "Aren't you?"

Mal blinked in surprise at the sudden accusation. She knew Ben was planning on drawing new borders with the Isle of the Lost - that was the paper he'd shown her at the table about a week ago - but removing the laws against magic was mostly her dream that Ben supported. She stared at him in surprise and watched his ears turn a little pink. "No!" He sputtered, then flinched. "Well, I'm... considering things, but - come on, dad, you know they're not right!"

"How long has this been going on?" Adam demanded, curling his hands into fists. "Don't you remember our tale? Our entire castle was cursed for ten years by an enchantress. Do you want to open our lands up to that again?"

"It's only been going for... It's not even really going... It's-" Ben trailed off, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Mal moved out from behind the desk and went to stand beside him, putting her hands in her pockets until she was at his side. Then she held out a hand and he took it with a steady breath. "I've never liked them," Ben admitted. "Even when I was younger. I think you were wrong to instigate them. I've been researching for months and talking with dozens of different people and you've severely damaged our magical communities and hurt international relations with these laws. That's the real reason Elsa wanted to come down to the palace. They have to go in one form or another. Your tale happened because you were acting cruelly. You blamed magic, and that's wrong. So yes, that's one of the things in there. You may not know the rest."

"How could you keep this from us?" Belle frowned, sticking her lip out a small fraction. "We put those laws up; we could advise you on-"

"It's not your place," Ben repeated. "You put up the laws - I know you would be unfairly biased against the changes. There's a reason I haven't consulted Mal much either - she's unfairly biased towards the changes. The fact is, though, that I'm looking at the bigger picture, and I'm going to keep trying to make Auradon better." He exhaled and shook his head to clear it. "I won't say another word on it, though. All you need to know is that the things in that cupboard are for my eyes only. Thank you for looking after my kingdom today, dad, but we did more than just change crowns. This isn't the same Auradon you ruled over, and it's my place alone to lead them. Not Mom's, not yours, not even Mal's." He squeezed Mal's hand tightly.

Adam looked like he was about to explode and Belle looked very unsure of the situation. She chewed on her cheek as her eyes flitted back and forth between Ben and Mal. "Are you sure you're actually thinking about the kingdom, and not just about, well..." She trailed off.

Ben cocked his head to the side. "The fact my wife is a magical person herself?" He asked. Belle hesitated and nodded slowly. Ben shook his head. "I had ideas to fix these laws back when I was ten - long before Mal came into the picture. And yes, I'll have to work with her to make sure that we draft laws where magicals can't go around punishing people for small things, but this is something important that has to change. By the way," He turned to Mal. "I need your help on a few things that you won't be able to talk about with other people, regarding magic in Auradon."

"You'll consult Mal and not us?" Adam demanded. "You just said she was a biased source! We're your parents, Ben."

Ben stared at his dad and then put his other hand atop Mal's. "Mal is my wife," He reminded them in a slow tone. "She and I are partners. And she's the Queen of the Moorlands. She's had practice working with spells and looking for spell loopholes. I'm not going to let her help me draft laws, but I'm sure as heck going to make sure there aren't any magic loopholes people can jump through. Why wouldn't I consult her on that?"

"But why not us?" Belle frowned. "We're all family here, Ben."

Ben shook his head. "Family is important, and I love you guys a lot, but again, Mal is my wife. Dad, you can't honestly look me in the eyes and tell me you that I'm equal to mom in your sight, can you? Sure, I know you love me, but she's your partner, and Mal is mine. We're all family, but she's also my future."

Silence hung in the air. Belle's eyes were filling with shocked tears. Mal kept her palm tightly in Ben's, reeling over what she'd just heard. She could be mistaken, but she was pretty sure Ben had just told his parents that he loved her more than them. In nicer terms, of course, but there was only so many ways you could spin 'she's also my future'. Also, as in 'Mom, Dad, you don't fit into this category anymore.'

Ben held the keys aloft. "This stays locked," He announced. "I will arrest anyone who tries to sneak in and read stuff, before or after I move it all." He paused to let go of Mal's hand and run his fingertips down her jaw. His touch was soft above her neck. "Even you," he clarified with a little laugh. Mal let a little smile ghost onto her face and then stared silently at the floor, refusing to meet her in-law's faces. Ben returned the keys to his desk and then opened the door for everyone to filter out. "Come on," he commanded. "It's time for this day to be over."

________________________________________________________________

Later that night, Mal and Sophia sat on the floor, fiddling with the glass terrarium Sophia had found from back in Ben's childhood when he'd had a gecko. It had died of old age and natural causes. As Mal fiddled with the lightbulb that would keep her cold-blooded mom warm, Ben paced behind them and brushed his teeth. Both he and Mal were already dressed in their pajamas. When the bright light flickered to life, Sophia and Mal let out a little cheer.

"What's been going on with you and Stewart?" Mal asked as she fiddled with attaching the light to the terrarium.

"I met his parents," Sophia admitted with a blush. "They're super sweet. I dropped sugar in his dad's lap when I was walking with it back to the kitchen, and they made jokes about it for the rest of the evening. They're calling me 'sugar-stopper'."

Mal giggled. "Good thing Belle and Adam didn't do that to me. "I'd be called 'glitter-bomb', or 'dust-buster'."

Ben almost spit out a mouthful of foamy toothpaste as he choked back a laugh behind them and hurried back to the bathroom as Sophia and Mal laughed together.

They laughed and put the terrarium on a side table where Maleficent would have a view of the whole room. Mal picked up the bag where Maleficent had been put for the day, and carefully overturned it. She picked her mom up around the lizard's belly and put her in the terrarium. Maleficent trudged slowly over to the heat lamp, and sat down, shivering. Mal frowned. Maleficent didn't seem to look that good.

"I'm going to take my leave now, Mal." Sophia smiled as she gathered up the terrarium packaging and tucked it under her arm. The two girls exchanged a quick hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sophia!" Mal said as she showed her to the door.

"Yes, assuming you don't leave straightaway!" Sophia laughed as she opened the door with her foot.

"I won't," Mal promised through her giggles. "Now, goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Sophia called as the door swung closed between them.

Mal let her hand rest on the door for a few seconds as a soft smile spread across her face. She reached down and clicked the lock shut before she turned around and examined the room. Mal checked the lid on the terrarium and wandered into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and used the bathroom before she went into the bedroom. Ben was awake and scrolling through his phone with the covers over his legs. "It's so nice to be home." He sighed without looking up.

Mal giggled. "Aw, so you didn't like sleeping tied to the ship?" Mal chuckled.

Ben shook his head. "No thank you." He said with a laugh, then held his phone out to her. She leaned over and skimmed the screen. A new post of the palace website under his name: "Some people think their mother-in-laws are overbearing and misinformed. Mine, however, is a literal dragon to deal with."

Mal laughed at the joke and watched him roll his eyes and pull his phone back to himself. He continued scrolling, catching up on the news he'd missed out on the day before. Mal went to him and climbed into bed at his side. She wrapped her arm through his and used it to pull herself closer to him as he chuckled and turned off his phone. She hugged her chest to his biceps so it was harder for him to move as he flipped out the light and then turned to face her.

"You're needy." He told her as he pulled his arm out of her grasp and instead wrapped his arms around her like he was a large, warm, sweat-scented blanket. She sank into his warm grip with a contented sigh as one of his hands began to trace a gentle pattern on her back. A hot, burning feeling was growing in her stomach.

"I want you." She whispered, tracing a finger down his collarbone. "Do you want me, now?" She shivered as his movements against her grew precise and careful.

There was a full moon outside, so light filtered in through the closed window. She could see the gentle smirk that pulled at Ben's lips. "Yes," He admitted. "I do want you." He cupped his hands at her hips, pulling her even closer to him. He tilted his head to steal a kiss that made her entire body feel hot and stared into her eyes through the darkness. "But we don't need to rush." He warned.

"It's almost been a year," Mal whispered, moving her mouth close to his ear, pulling the collar of his shirt down a bit further and exposing more skin. She could feel his breath, hot on her neck. She carefully bit at his ear lobe. Ben took a little fistful of the back of her shirt in response, then released her. "If anything, we've been putting this off."

"You're still-" Ben started, relaxing under her grip as she spoke.

"Young." Mal interrupted. "But I'm not a child. You're not going to break me. And there have been girls younger than me who were with their husbands. Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, Mulan, Jasmine, I could go on."

Ben's eyes sparkled. "No need." He assured her, leaning forward, and placing the softest of kisses on her nose. "You know that I want you - that I need you. It's all up to you."

Mal smiled and pulled herself on top of him. "That's all the permission I need." She laughed. She used the hem of her shirt to pull the fabric up and off her head as she pinned his legs down with hers and immediately started searching for the hem of his. Ben rolled his eyes as he sat up. He pulled her face forward to kiss her as the moon cast light down on them, and the night continued around them.

________________________________________________________________

It was a different sort of responsibility, what followed. For Ben especially, he felt a heavy feeling of obligation fall onto his shoulders when he watched Mal move to his frame under the moonlight. When she was trying and failing to keep quiet. When the first tears came and dried and she was okay. When she was gasping and doing her best to not turn his back into a field of red, raised rows with her nails. He had her now, and she him. He had her hand first, and then her heart, and finally, she was trusting him with something she'd never trusted anyone with - herself.

Early the next morning, Mal was in her office, creating a new type of form that anyone left on the rotten part of the Isle would have to fill out and submit before they'd be allowed a trial to get into the city. As she spaced bars and lines on the page to her liking, she heard a knock at the door. She looked up and smiled when she saw Ben. "Hey, babe." She smiled as she set her forearms down on the desk to smile at him. Ben was wearing a brown, close-knit vest over a pale blue shirt, which Mal couldn't decide if it was a step-up from his sexy Isle attire or a step-down. He was holding a glass bowl of strawberries.

"Hey." Ben smiled and flushed a little at her pet name. "I brought you strawberries and wanted to make sure you were good." He presented the bowl in a half-toasting manner, and a half-sacrificing manner.

Mal rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, silly. I will say yes to strawberries though." She smiled as he brought the small bowl forward and snatched a red fruit off the top.

"I just want to make sure I didn't, like, break you or anything," Ben explained as he took a seat on the edge of the desk.

Mal rolled her eyes. "I think you give yourself entirely too much credit." She told him. She had come to the conclusion, however correct or incorrect, that the only way he'd ever break her was if he left her.

"Whatever." Ben chuckled, folding his hands in his lap and smiling.

"Want to see what I'm working on?" Mal asked. She turned the screen towards him as he leaned back to catch a glimpse of the on-screen contents. "I was thinking for, you know, other kids the villains end up having, people who decide to change their minds, that sort of thing." Mal shrugged.

Ben's expression flatlined. "Oh, crap." He said. "I forgot that Doug needed me to fill out something in my office. Crap!"

Mal blinked. "Wasn't he here last night?" She asked.

"Yeah." Ben nodded. "He asked if I could get it to him by ten a.m, and that is in… thirty-four minutes." Ben jumped off the desk while looking frantically at his watch.

"Bye?" Mal asked with a sarcastic smile as he set one foot over the threshold.

"Oh!" Ben narrowly avoided skidding out into the hallway from his momentum, spun around, and hurried back to her. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said: "Bye Mal." Then he hurried and sprinted down the hall. Mal chuckled to herself and continued work.

About a half-hour later, as she was finishing up, she heard heels clicking down the hallway outside her office. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of blue appear.

"M?" Evie called from the doorway.

"One moment, please, Evie," Mal begged as she saved her work and waited for the change to back up. There was a soft thud. Mal glanced up and saw a dark blue duffel bag – the same one Evie had come to Auradon with – at Evie's feet.

Evie shifted her weight from foot-to-foot as she began to tear up. "M…" Evie started. Her voice broke. Mal felt her chest go a little numb in shock. She stood up from her wheelie chair and offered the vacant seat to Evie. Evie sat down with a hiccup, and Mal gave her old friend a hug from behind.

"Auradon Accelerated?" Mal asked, feeling a lump enter her throat.

Evie nodded. "I'm sorry." Her voice shook as she began to wipe pearlescent tears from her eyes.

"Sorry for what?" Mal asked, though she, too, felt sorry. After all, it was her fault everything was so different. It was forever impossible to go back to the way things were.

"I'm leaving," Evie explained. "I don't feel like I belong here in the castle, especially with you and Ben. I thought I wanted something like this, but I hate the huge hallways and the empty rooms. I wanted to save you from Ben when I first came, and that idea has completely fizzled out. I don't know what to do with myself. I sit around all day and make clothes." Evie threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "I have no idea what I want!" She exclaimed. "I'm just… hoping I can find a purpose away from the past." She rolled her shoulders forward and slumped over in defeat.

Mal nodded. "I understand," She whispered. "You're one of my best friends and I want you to find out who you are. You don't have to worry about me." Mal squeezed Evie from behind. "We're a family. We may go different ways, but in the end, we always come back. We can do this. You can do this."

Evie twiddled her thumbs. "Ben mentioned once that you wrote a letter to someone on the Isle which was never sent." She sniffled. "He thought it was for us."

Mal blinked. She was surprised Ben had remembered that letter. She'd honestly forgotten it.

"It was," She confirmed slowly, trying to retrace her steps to remember where she'd put it. "I taped it to the bottom of my desk in my old room. I don't think it was ever moved. Do you want to read it?" After several long seconds, Evie nodded. Mal drummed her fingers in thought and walked towards the door of the office. She picked up Evie's duffel bag and waited for her friend to compose herself enough to follow.

Down the silent hallways, they stalked without a word. They briefly passed Ben's office where he was scribbling away but did not stop to say hi. When they reached Mal's old room and opened the door, a waft of aerosol cleaner and comfort drifted out. Mal set the duffel bag on the bed as Evie took in the room. "It's so… empty," She sighed.

Mal shrugged as she trailed her fingers along the wall. "Well, all my things were moved out when I married Ben," She explained.

Mal walked over to the desk and laid on the carpet underneath the desk. Evie followed her example and, careful of her dress, laid down beside Mal. Underneath the desk, a simple piece of flimsy printer paper was folded in fifths and taped to the desk at two corners. Mal pried it off at the seams and handed it to Evie. Evie took it and stood up. She returned to sit on Mal's old bed and began to read aloud.

"Dear Carlos, Jay, and Evie." Evie started. "I know you've probably been worried about me, and I want you to know I am safe. They're going to make me a queen, but I won't have any ruling power over Auradon. Prince Benjamin, though we call him Ben here, is planning on splitting the Isle off of Auradon and making it its own country. It'll be different, but I feel like I could make something out of it. Maybe I'll be able to make to safer for when you guys have kids. Then they won't have to fight for their lives like we did. As of right now, they don't want me to bring anyone over, but I hope one day it's safe enough for me to see you guys. The royals are truly some of the kindest people around. King Adam doesn't seem to like me much, but I think he gets angry when he's nervous and this whole system is really out of his depth. Belle is soft-spoken and understanding, and Ben is funny, but I think he feels restricted by what his parents set up. He sees flaws, but he doesn't want to offend them by fixing them. Even so, he's extremely strong and is the type of person who you straighten up when he's around. He's kind and thoughtful as well.

"Right now, they're actually training me to be a queen. I got to look up all of you in the computer, and Auradon knows literally nothing. They have the bare minimum of records, there's not even anything on Jay! When I'm queen, I'm going to have to find a foolproof way to keep track of everyone. That way we'll know how to distribute food and you guys won't have to go hungry anymore.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be yet. Everyone here from Sophia, who is one of the palace servants, to the Fairy Godmother think I'm going to be a powerful Queen. I'm just not sure yet what I want to do. I've come to a conclusion though, that I'm happier being good than I was being evil. Sure, I'll never be the queen Auradon dreams of. I climb walls and hang out in the gardens with dirt on my face, but I think I can survive. The royals make it really easy to find a place with them. I feel like I didn't know I could belong here until I tried. In truth guys, I think I'm becoming part Isle and part Auradon. Maybe even something new and different entirely.

"I miss you guys a lot. You are always in my thoughts." Evie finished. More tears were in her eyes. She put the letter down and sniffled. Mal held her arms out for a hug, and the two embraced.

"It's going to be okay," Mal whispered in Evie's ear as she blinked back tears.

Evie took several shaky breaths as she leaned back and tried to steady herself. "I didn't know what you were going through." She whispered as Mal squeezed her hands. "Everything on the TV... I thought that you were dying and that world was lying..."

Mal put a hand on Evie's bicep. "The truth is out." She squeezed her friend's arm. "I don't want to let you down, E, but it'd... tear me apart to not listen to my heart."

Evie nodded and stretched her legs out and rubbed her sweaty palms on her knees. "I really have to go."

Mal rubbed her back lightly. "And I will never stop you." She promised.

"Even though we'll change?" Evie asked, shaking her head and scrubbing at her face. "Nothing can stay the same. If I go..."

"Nothing has to change," Mal promised. "And you know what? It's just growing pains. It'll end. Just... be proud of the scars because that's what makes us who we are." She squeezed Evie's hands. "You're a part of me. Just because I'm queen now, just because we're in Auradon doesn't mean I'll ever be out of reach. Between Auradon, the Isle, and the Moors... we can meet in between. And no matter how far you go, you're never going to be left alone."

"I don't want to leave you here," Evie admitted. Mal stiffened and opened her mouth to explain once again why she couldn't go, but Evie stopped her with a hand and a shake of her head. "I know you have to stay." She sighed. "Just... promise me you'll be safe?

Mal smiled and blinked back tears. "Nothing has to change." She promised

Those words did Evie in all over again. She couldn't help but be afraid of what was coming. Evie wondered if Mal could have possibly felt anything like this while en route to her future a year ago.

Evie wrapped her oldest friend up in a hug and began to cry softly into her shoulder. Nothing was going to be the same for them ever again, and while a part of Mal was bitter and sad, she understood everything would work out. She wrapped her arms around Evie tightly, and they sat on Mal's old bed, relishing in the past until both found the strength to withdraw and let it go.

________________________________________________________________

Down on the grounds an hour later, Mal, Ben, Belle, Adam, Sophia, Malice, and Lumiere gathered in front of the center circle to wish Jay, Evie, and Carlos goodbye. As Jay hefted their things into the back of a limousine, Carlos slowly twiddled his thumbs and Evie held her small backpack to her chest, shifting her weight in front of all the royals.

Mal sniffled. "You'll be okay?" She asked them all.

"Yeah." Carlos nodded. He looked downcast as he stared holes into the pavement. "We know how to turn in our papers, and Stewart will help us find our dormitories, and next week Jay and I will go get our driver's licenses so that we can drive while Evie learns, and we'll come up and see you guys every once in a while." He paused and was quiet for a few seconds. "We'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Mal smiled. "We all will. And, you know what? I'll come to visit you guys too. Come see how you're doing in classes and everything."

"Classes don't start for a month." Carlos reminded her. "We're just… going." The words: "because we can't stay" hung in the air.

Everyone remained silent. Ben stepped forward and put a hand on the small of Mal's back. Her cheeks went a bit pink as fire erupted in her chest. She tilted her head to curl into his shoulder a little as he continued to talk. "You have your phones." He reminded them. "You'll never have to fall out of contact."

The Villain kids nodded. Jay closed the trunk with a snap and walked over to stand behind Evie. Mal focused on him. "You're going to take care of them, right?" She asked.

Jay blinked in surprise. Mal had been carefully holding him at a distance since he'd kissed her. He glanced down at her mouth for a second longer, then a smile spread across his face. "Yeah," He agreed. "I will."

Mal stepped forward, dodged Evie slightly, and gave Jay a hug. "You remember that mantra your dad used to make you recite?" She asked.

"There's no 'team' in 'I'." Jay snorted. He slipped a hand around her waist.

"Well, I personally always thought you worked well with a team." Mal punched his arm lightly and then lifted his hand off her waist. Jay's face fell slack. Mal smiled at him. "You work well with others. You like having people you can back up and who back you up. So, when you get to campus, just… find all the friends you can. Your teammates, classmates…" Mal trailed off with a smile.

Jay nodded. "Yeah. I will. Thank you," He paused, then smirked. "Queen Mal."

A look of horror fell onto her face. Mal hit his arm. "No," She said, trying to wiggle out from under his grasp. "Don't you call me that. You call me Mal. I'm Mal to you."

"The first," Jay continued with a growing smile, holding fast onto her hips as she tried to slip away.

"No!" Mal groaned, giving up and clapping her hands over her ears.

"Of the honorable moorland and the Isle of the Lost," Jay yelled playfully over her protests.

"Found," Evie corrected. Everyone turned to her. "It's more the Isle of the Found, now." She explained.

Mal tilted her head as she thought. "It is," She agreed. "Like, eighty to ninety percent of the Isle is in the city now." She shrugged. "I guess it's the Isle of the Found."

Everyone chuckled. Hugs were exchanged, and goodbyes were said. Ben was pleasantly surprised when the three villain kids came forward to say their own personal goodbyes to him. Evie even gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for bringing us over," She told him without her gaze leaving the ground.

"Of course," A warmth filled Ben's cheeks as he smiled. He'd done good, this was all going to work out.

Carlos shook his hand. "Take care of her, bro." He whispered.

"Always," Ben confirmed. He turned to Jay.

Jay held out a hand for Ben to shake, but as soon as Ben's hand was in his, pulled him into a manly hug, with two thumps on Ben's back to accentuate the action. When they broke apart, Jay twisted a leather cord around his wrist as he thought of what to say.

"Look, bro." He started with a heavy sigh. "I know I've got lots to thank you for, but I'm not used to this so bear with me." He exhaled. "Thanks for taking care of Mal." He started, gesturing to the purple-haired fairy queen as she stood up beside Belle. "She's one of the most important things to us all, and you really gave her a home she deserves. And… thanks for bringing us from the Isle, and always thinking about us. You never judged us when we judged you, you took us to Auradon Accelerated so we could figure out what we were good at, and now you're helping us attend… I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for all this, man."

Ben clapped Jay's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. It would be more than enough just for me to see you all happy."

Jay stared at Ben. He exhaled. "I can't deny that you are the best man I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life." He said honestly. "You're a brilliant king, a wonderful husband, and the best person in Auradon. If it had to be an Auradon man for Mal, I'm glad it was you. If I had a genie and only one wish, I would ask to be you." Jay shifted his weight. "And not just because you married the best girl on the Isle and my best friend." He added.

Everyone laughed. Ben nodded. "Thank you, Jay," He said. "That means a lot. Thank you."

They shared another bro-hug and then Jay walked over to the car. Stewart was already in the front seat. He helped Evie inside first and watched as Carlos climbed in. Then he got in and shut the door. The window rolled down. Mal walked over and handed the letter she'd written months ago to Carlos through the window. "That's for you all." She explained. "Evie's already read it."

They took it. Everyone waved as the car started, and the villain kids left the palace, off to Auradon Accelerated.

Sophia and Lumiere headed inside, but everyone else walked to sit on the steps of the palace. Belle gave Malice to Mal, who smiled and cooed at the wide-awake baby. "I've been thinking." Belle started. "Do you like Michelle or Madison at all?"

"Madison is cute." Mal nodded. "Let's not give her a bad middle name, though. I get that it worked with Ben, but I feel like being the daughter of the evilest Faerie alive is humbling enough."

"We should do something with rebirth and starting anew," Adam suggested.

"Hope?" Ben asked.

"Can we find an adjective that starts with B or A?" Mal asked. "You know, for Belle and Adam?"

Belle teared up. "You sure?" She asked.

Mal nodded.

Ben put his arm around Mal. "There's Blithe." He suggested. "It's like fly, almost. Blie-th. It means happy or joyous."

"Madison Blithe?" Mal asked.

"Benson," Belle added. "All of our last names are Benson unless you want her last name to be Fae for your mom."

"I like Benson." Mal shook her head. "Madison Blithe Benson?" She looked around. No one rejected.

Newly-christened Madison blinked up at Mal with big, round, green eyes. Mal chuckled and held her fingers in front of the tiny girl's face. Madison looked amazed as she tried to grab for the pretty polish on Mal's nails.

"Madison. That's you." Mal told her.

Ben leaned over her shoulder. "Hi, Madison." He called softly. Mal handed the small girl to him and smiled as he carefully held her in front of him. "I'm Ben, and I'm your new brother. You're going to grow up with us, and you're always going to be able to express yourself. You'll never have to worry about not fitting in because we'll always love you, and one day you and your sister will run around and prank us all with magic."

Mal snorted and laid her head against Ben's shoulder. He glanced up at her with a tiny smirk and held her gaze for a few seconds. She put her fingers back in front of Madison's face, where the small girl worked on slowly moving her tiny fingers to try and grab onto her older sister. Sunlight slanted past the palace roof, like the building was trying to cast as much light as possible. For many long minutes, everything was peaceful.

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