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Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The Engagement Party/ Meeting The VK's

Ben and Mal's engagement party went into the night, which was filled with singing, dancing, and talking between the newly reunited Auradon heroes and Isle Villains.

Around sunset, Mal and Ben excused themselves from the party to talk to Adam and Belle about their decision on the barrier and Hades.

Belle and Adam were both still very surprised and nervous about it, but they knew that Mal and Ben would let everyone know where they stood.

It was night fall when the talk ended, and they joined the party again.

Mal went to find Hades once she returned to the party.

It felt so weird having her dad back in her life, but she loved it and wanted to get to know him and show him her life.

Hades badly wanted to get to know his little girl and make up for all the years he had been absent during her life.

"Dad," Mal called, getting his attention as she walked up to him.

Hades smiled softly as Mal walked up to him.

"Your Majesty," he said, with a smile and a slight bow of his head.

"I'm not queen yet, dad," Mal said with a soft smile.

"Close enough," Hades said with a shrug.

"There's some people I want you to meet, " Mal said, taking Hades's hand.

Hades followed Mal through the crowd as she searched for Evie, Jay, and Carlos.

Spotting Evie and Doug hanging together on the other side of the garden, Mal led Hades over to them.

"Evie, " Mal said once she was within earshot.

Evie smiled as they walked up, and Doug bowed respectfully to Mal.

"Hey M," Evie said softly.

"Hey. Doug, you don't need to bow to me, " Mal said, chuckling softly.

"I know, it's a respect thing, " Doug said with a slight shrug.

"Well, thank you. I appreciate that, " Mal said with a smile to Evie, who proudly returned it.

"You're welcome. Well, I'll leave you alone, " Doug said before turning and walking away.

"Have you seen Jay and Carlos?," Mal asked, looking around the crowd.

"Carlos was talking to me and Doug, but then he and Jane went to dance. I'm not quite sure where Jay is," Evie said, looking around for Jay. "Up, never mind, there's Jay," she continued before calling out to him and waving him over.

Jay walked up to the group and stood by Evie's side.

"Whats up?," he asked, looking between Mal and Evie.

"Hey Jay," Mal said with a smile.

"Your Majesty," Jay said, bowing while rolling his hand.

"Jay," Mal said with playful firmness as he stood straight and chuckled.

"I'm just teasing you, Mal," Jay said before spotting Carlos and calling him over.

Carlos walked over and stood by Evie's other side, also bowing to Mal.

"I know you probably don't want me bowing to you, but I had to, " Carlos said with a smile and a shrug.

"It's okay, just don't make it a habit. You guys are my friends. You don't need to bow to me. No one does, really. It feels weird, " Mal said with her arms crossed.

Carlos chuckled and shook his head.

"Guys, I want you to meet my dad, " Mal said with a gesture towards Hades. "Dad, these are my friends Jay, Evie, and Carlos," she continued, gesturing to the three.

Hades nodded his head to them.

"It's nice to meet you, " Evie said with a polite smile.

"We always wondered who Mal's father was, " Carlos said.

"Come to find out that Mal's more famous than we thought. The daughter of the Mistress of Evil and the God of the Underworld," Jay said.

"It is quite a combination," Hades said, proudly smiling at Mal.

"Oh yeah, part evil fairy and part demigod," Mal said with a chuckle, and her arms crossed.

"Not just that but the daughter of two of the most powerful villains in the world, " Carlos said.

"Makes our Mal a even more unstoppable force," Evie said with a smile and a wink to Mal.

Mal returned the wink and looked down.

"So, how did you four meet?," Hades asked curiously.

Even though he hadn't seen much of the four together, he could tell that they were very close friends, and he knew that the three were a big part of Mal's life.

"Our parents. My mother, Jay's father, Evie's mother, and Carlos's mother had meetings all the time. We met during one of them when they had us stay in the room with them while they had their meeting. We just sat on the other side of the room and talked. After a few meetings, we became friends and started hanging out every day without our parents," Mal said.

"We've been friends for a very long time and are probably the tightest group on the Isle," Evie said.

"Oh yeah, we've been through everything together and not a goes by that were not together, " Jay said.

"After we passed the young days of our lives and grew into teens, we even became a gang and found a hideout only for us four, " Carlos said.

"A gang, huh? You guys have a gang name?," Hades asked.

"We have two names we go by," Jay said.

"The people here call us the core four, " Evie said.

"I call us the VK's, " Mal said.

"Mal's our leader, so we go by VK'S more than we do any other name," Carlos said.

"Mal's your leader?," Hades asked, with a glance down Mal.

"Yep, we follow her lead. She calls the shots, " Jay said.

"We've only taken orders from Mal, unless it was our parents, " Carlos said.

"I don't let other people order my friends around," Mal said firmly with her arms crossed and shaking her head.

"She always has our backs, and we always have hers, " Evie said with a loving smile to Mal.

Mal returned the smile and said, "And even though I'm the leader, I always let them have their say in things. We're a team, " Mal said, looking at Jay, Evie, and Carlos with a soft look of gratitude and compassion.

Jay, Evie, and Carlos all understood the look and returned it with a firm one of forgiveness and loyalty.

"Mal, let's tell your dad what our motto is, " Evie said with a wicked look in her eye.

"What are we guys?," Mal asked, with an evil smile.

"Rotten to the core, " Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos said together.

"That's our motto. We say it almost every time we have to go up against an enemy or a rival gang, " Mal said.

"It kinda reminds us who we are and how we should do things, " Jay said.

"Mal?," Belle called softly, getting the group's attention. "It's almost time, Ben's looking for you."

"Okay, be there in a minute, " Mal replied softly.

Belle nodded and left the group alone again.

"Whats up?," Evie asked curiously.

"Me and Ben need to make a few announcements before the party's over, " Mal replied while squeezing Hades's hand. "I have to go, see you guys soon."

"Good luck, " Carlos said.

Mal saluted the group before walking away.

Chapter Text

Mal quickly found Ben by the side of the castle and ran to him.

Instead of doing the announcements on the balcony like they did before, they were doing them at the front of the lawn so they could be closer to everyone.

"Hey, " Mal said once she got up to Ben.

"Hey, " Ben greeted with a soft smile. "You ready for this?."

"Ready as I'll ever be, " Mal said.

Ben raised his arm in Mal's direction, who wrapped her arm around his.

Fairy Godmother stepped out on the front of the lawn with a microphone.

"Bibbidi-boddidi one, two, one two, can I have everyone's attention, please?," Fairy Godmother said.

Everyone went quiet and looked at her.

"First off, I wanna welcome all the Isle Villains to Auradon. We have been trying to move forward from our past, and we all believe this is the best way to do it. And now, I give you King Ben and future Queen Mal, " Fairy Godmother said, holding her arm out as Ben and Mal walked up.

Everyone clapped and cheered for the couple until Ben lifted his hand.

"Thank you. Umm, Mal and I have a few announcements to make before the night is over," Ben started, looking between Mal and the crowd as he squeezed Mal's hand. "The first announcement is, as you all know, the barrier is down. It's down for good, and we wanna make it clear that everyone can come to and from the Isle as they please."

"This brings us to our next announcement. Ben and I have decided to send people over to the Isle to clean it up and make it better," Mal said.

The villains all cheered, and Evie nodded with a smile in Mal's direction.

"There is one more announcement we need to make," Ben said. "As you all know, I'm the new king of Auradon, and Mal is about to be the new queen of Auradon. But that's changing just a bit because the barrier's down."

The villains looked at each other confused, and Uma and Hades looked at the couple with curiosity.

"Mal?," Ben asked, looking over at her.

"We are going to be the new King and Queen of Auradon. But the Isle has always been my home, and it's part of who I am. It's a part of my life that I can't let go of, which is why we are not only the king and queen of Auradon but of the Isle as well," Mal said.

"And we will do everything we can to help both Auradon and the Isle," Ben said.

"We will work together to make sure that the people of Auradon and the Isle are safe and cared for. We will make sure everyone is happy and that they have everything they need," Mal said.

Everyone cheered for the couple again before Audrey spoke.

"Mal? Are you gonna give a speech now? You're gonna be the queen, you need to give a speech, " Audrey said softly, trying to make up for how she treated Mal and Ben.

Everyone cheered again, and some of the villains and heroes started encouraging Mal to give a speech.

"Come on, Mal!," Dizzy said happily.

"Go girl!," Uma called encouragingly.

"You got this, Mal!," Evie, Jay, and Carlos said together.

Mal chuckled and looked over at Ben, who smiled and gestured towards the crowd.

"Alright, alright, you guys win. I'll give a speech. Umm, first off, I don't know the first thing about being a queen. I've been around the word my whole life, but... I never thought that I would actually become a queen. Just the thought of being queen scares me to death because I have no idea what I'm doing. "

Evie's eyes softened, and she sent Mal a comforting look.

She knew that Mal was worried about being queen, but she knew that if anyone could rule both Auradon and the Isle and keep everyone safe and happy, it was Mal.

"Now, everyone in Auradon has always been ruled by a queen and king, so they have experience with being ruled by royalty. People of the Isle have never been ruled by royalty. Now, obviously, I'm not royalty, but... I promise to do everything I can to make sure I'm a good queen. I promise you that I will put everyone first and that I will make sure everyone is safe and happy."

Everyone cheered for Mal, and Hades gave her a supportive smile and wink.

Mal returned the wink and held her hand to her chest.

Ben smiled proudly at Mal and wrapped his arm around her before giving her a soft kiss.

The cheering died down, and Ben stepped forward.

"Me and Mal choose to be leaders that move forward. I'm sure everyone has mixed feelings about the barrier coming down, " Ben said, sending a glance to Adam, who nervously looked down.

"But it's time we put our previous thoughts of each other behind us. The world is constantly changing, and it's time we took a huge step to do it. As we all have seen, anyone can be good, and anyone can be bad. It's not about who we're born to or who we're taught to be," Mal said. "It's about who we choose to be, " she finished, looking at Jay, Evie, and Carlos, who all smiled and nodded.

"But if we want our world to be a better place, it's gonna take all of us. We all need to work together to celebrate our differences and change the world together," Ben said.

The villains looked at the heroes, who looked back at them, and they all smiled and nodded to each other.

Ben and Mal smiled at each other before Ben started singing:

"Lookin back at yesterday"
"I thought I gave it everything"
"But still there's so much road ahead of me"

Mal turned to Ben and grabbed his hands before singing:

"When I looked into your eyes "
"I guess I didn't recognize"

Mal turned her head to Evie, Jay and Carlos as she continued singing:

"Who we are and all that we can be"

Ben and Mal started circling each other as they both sang:

"Sometimes it's hard to find yourself "
"But it's worth it in the end "
"Cause in your heart is where it all begins"

All the people of Auradon along with Carlos, Jay and Evie started dancing and singing with Mal and Ben:

"We gotta be bold "
"We gotta be brave "
"We gotta be free "
"We gotta get loud "
"Makin that change"
"We gotta believe "
"Wha-a-o"
"We look deep inside "
"And we'll raise up and shine "
"We can be bold "
"We can be brave "
"Let everyone see "
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey!"
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey!"
"It starts with you and me"

Ben moved into the crowd and Mal looked at Evie, Jay and Carlos.

"VK's," she called softly, waving them up to join her.

The three came up and stood by her side, Evie and Carlos on the left of her and Jay on the right.

Evie and Carlos held hands as they sang together:

"There's something special that I've learned"
"It's together we can change the world "
"Everybody's got something they can bring"

Evie and Carlos looked over at Mal and Jay as they sang their last line.

Then Jay and Mal started singing while looking between each other and the crowd:

"When you take a look inside yourself "
"Do you wish that you were something else?"

Mal laid her head on Jay's shoulder and Jay wrapped his arm around her as they sang their last line:

"By who you are is who you need to be "

Mal and Evie stepped forward and went to hold each other's hands and Jay and Carlos walked back to the crowd as Mal and Evie sang:

"Sometimes it's hard to find yourself "
"But it's worth it in the end "
"Cause in your heart is where it all begins "

Mal also went to join the crowd as she, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Auradon heroes and Isle Villains all sang together:

"We gotta be bold "
"We gotta be brave "
"We gotta be free "
"We gotta get loud "
"Makin that change"
"You gotta believe "
"Wha-a-o "

Evie danced by herself in front of the crowd, Carlos danced with Jane, Jay danced with Lonnie, Uma and Harry danced together and Mal danced with Hades as they continued to sing together:

"We look deep inside "
"And we'll raise up and shine "
"We can be bold "
"We can be brave "
"Let everyone see "
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey!"
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey!"

Mal went back up by Evie, who grabbed her hand and gently span her to her side. Then they sang together:

"If we can do our part "
"I know that it be the start "
"To put up in the difference than we need "

Evie sang as Ben went up to them:

"Yeah "

Ben wrapped his arms around both Mal and Evie and they wrapped one of their arms around him as they sang together:

"I promise we can work this out "
"I promise we can see it through "
"Don't you know it's up to me "

Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, Doug, Jane, Uma and Harry joined in on the last line:

"It's up to me and you "

Ben, Mal and Evie joined the gang, Evie starting to dance with Doug and Mal and Ben dancing together as everyone started to sing:

"We gotta be bold "
"We gotta be brave "

Then just Ben, the core four and the Auradon heroes sang:

"We gotta be free "

Just the villains sang:

"Gotta be free "

They sang together again:

"We gotta get loud "
"Makin that change "
"You gotta believe "
"Wha-a-o "

Just Ben, the core four and the Auradon heroes sang:

"We'll look deep inside "

Just the villains sang:

"We can hide, "

Then Ben, the core four and the Auradon heroes sang:

"And we'll raise up and shine "

Then the villains sang:

"Oh, whoa "

They sang together:

"We can be bold "

Then just Ben, the core four and the Auradon heroes sang:

"We can be brave "

Just the villains sang:

"We can be brave "

Then they all sang together:

"Let everyone see "
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey!"
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey!"

Mal and Ben came to dance in front of the crowd again as they all continued singing:

"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey! "
"It starts with you and me "
"Wha-a-o, Wha-a-o "
"Hey! "

Then just Ben and Mal sang while lifting their held hands up:

"It starts with you and me "

The crowd cheered for Mal and Ben, who both bowed and smiled.

Everything settled down afterwards and many people started heading home.

Chapter Text

After everything settled down and people started leaving, Adam, Belle, and Fairy Godmother all went into the castle, and Mal stayed outside, waiting for Ben, Jay, Evie, and Carlos.

She smiled when she spotted Hades walking up to her.

"So, the queen of Auradon and the Isle?," Hades asked with a smile.

"I found out a while ago that no matter what, the Isle is always gonna be a part of me. It's always gonna be who I am," Mal said softly with a shrug. "And... I can't abandon it just because I changed. "

Hades smiled proudly and said, "You're gonna be a great queen, Mali."

"Thank you for that, " Mal said softly.

"I uh... I guess you and I have a lot to catch up on, huh? " Hades asked.

"Yeah, we do," Mal said with a soft chuckle.

"Hey Mal, " a voice called.

The two turned to see Uma, Jay, Carlos, and Evie walking up.

"So princess, you're the queen of all of us now?," Uma asked with her arms crossed.

"Don't worry, Uma. My being queen won't change anything for you. You're still the leader of your squad," Mal said, also crossing her arms. "Besides, I doubt you'll listen to me much anyway," she continued teasingly.

"You're half right. I have to admit, though, you came through for us," Uma said with a grateful smile while uncrossing her arms. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Mal said, also uncrossing her arms.

"So... am I correct in assuming that you two are good now?," Evie asked with a triumphant smile.

"Hmm... yeah, we're cool, " Uma said slowly, keeping her eyes on Mal. "I'll miss having a good rival, though. "

"Oh, don't worry, you and me can still be rivals. There's nothing wrong with a little friendly rivalry," Mal said playfully with attitude in her eyes. "Besides, you owe me a rematch. "

"A rematch? For what?," Uma asked in mock annoyance and offense.

"The arm wrestling match. No tricks this time, " Mal said sassily.

"Alright, I gotcha, " Uma said with a nod.

"No tricks? You tricked her last time?," Jay asked.

"Not just me, " Uma said.

"We both were trying to get the other one to back down. We kept saying things to each other to try to get each other to snap," Mal said.

"And I won after I mentioned Fairy Godmother's wand," Uma said.

"You were close when you mentioned my mother too, " Mal said.

"I know I was, but I think all I did then was just make you mad, " Uma said.

"You are correct, " Mal said.

"I know how to get under your skin, " Uma said proudly.

"Yeah, you do," Mal admitted with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyway, you're on," Uma said, lifting her hand up sideways to Mal, who did the same and clapped their hands together and pulled on each other's arms.

"Next time I see you, princess, you're going down, " Uma said playfully.

"In your dreams, captain, " Mal said back playfully, giving Uma's arm a gentle shove before letting it fall to her side.

"Oh boy, " Evie said with a roll of her eyes. "You two are gonna drive me crazy."

"Oh, relax, E. It won't be like it has been, " Mal said reassuringly.

Hades cleared his throat, very curious about this newcomer and what her history was with Mal.

Obviously, the girls knew each other and had an apparent rivalry.

"Oh, sorry, Uma, this is my dad. Dad, this is Uma, " Mal said.

"What up?," Uma greeted with a salute.

"Not much. What's this I hear about a rivalry?," Hades asked curiously.

"We used to be enemies, and we would rival against each other a lot. I always said my pirate crew and I were the strongest and toughest gang on the Isle. Mal always said that her and her VK group were the strongest and toughest. That put up a lot of tension between me and Mal, and we started trying to outdo each other. We had a lot of fights and a lot of competitions," Uma said.

"The most recent one was a bet over arm wrestling. Uma kidnapped Ben and made a deal with me. My part of the deal was that if I won the challenge, then Uma had to release Ben. Her part of the deal was that if she won, I had to hand Fairy Godmother's wand over to her," Mal said.

"I won because I let my part of the deal be known while we were wrestling. It surprised Mal and gave me an opening to win," Uma said.

"They just now started working together and put their differences aside," Evie said.

"Uma helped me defeat Audrey, " Mal said. "That reminds me, thank you for having my back. "

"Don't sweat it, girl. It was the least I could do, " Uma said with a smile.

"So can I count on you for help when me and the VK's need it?," Mal asked.

"You know it," Uma said with a wink. "I better get going. Harry and Gil are waiting for me. "

"Alright, have a good night, Uma, " Mal said.

"You too, princess, " Uma said before walking away.

"Wow, who thought Mal would start running with Uma, " Jay asked teasingly.

"What can I say, Jay? I guess I'm not good at holding grudges, " Mal said sassily with a shrug.

"What's going on?" Ben asked as he walked up to the group.

"Uma," Evie said softly. "Introducing her to Hades. She and her group just left. "

Ben nodded, and Jay said, "Well, I'm gonna go in and head to bed."

"Me too. It's been a long few days, " Carlos said.

"Getting old or what?," Mal asked teasingly.

"Not old, just tired, " Carlos said with an amused smile.

"Good night, guys, " Jay said as he started walking away.

"Night Jay," Ben, Mal, Evie, and Carlos said together.

"Good night, " Carlos said, following Jay.

"Night," Mal, Evie, and Ben said together.

"Well, I'm gonna head home too," Evie said softly, reaching out to squeeze Mal's hand.

"Okay," Mal said with a soft smile as the two hugged.

"I'll see you tomorrow, M," Evie said when they parted.

"See you tomorrow, E," Mal said before Evie started walking away.

"Umm... Hades? There's something I've been meaning to ask you, " Ben said nervously as Mal went to stand beside him.

"Shoot," Hades said.

"Umm... it's occurred to me that.. I haven't exactly asked for permission to marry Mal," Ben said nervously as Mal held his hand comfortingly.

Hades smiled and chuckled slightly.

"I wouldn't have asked if I was invited to the wedding if I didn't approve. You have my permission. So long as you take care of Mal," Hades said calmly but with a clear warning.

"Believe me, sir, I will," Ben said firmly with his arm around Mal.

Mal smiled up at Ben and laid her head on his shoulder.

"And there's no way we're having the wedding without you, " Mal said softly.

She and Hades smiled at each other until Ben remembered something.

"Oh, there's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about," Ben said. "We never really thanked you for saving Audrey. Now that the barrier's down, and since we're gonna be cleaning up the Isle, how would you like to stay in the castle?."

Hades's eyes widened in surprise, and he thought it over.

"If you don't wanna stay permanently, that's fine. We just want you to at least stay until the Isle is done, " Ben said. "I figured it would give you a comfortable place to stay until the Isle is done and a good way for you and Mal to catch up. "

Mal looked at Hades with a hopeful look in her eyes, wanting him to say yes.

"Well, a castle is definitely a step-up from my hideout on the Isle. I'll take you up on the offer, " Hades said with a smile.

Mal and Ben smiled, and Mal stepped forward, taking his hand.

"Come on, I'll show you where you can stay, " she said as the three of them headed into the castle.

Chapter Text

Mal and Ben led Hades to the room he'd be staying in, allowing him to step in first and look around.

"What do you think?," Mal asked.

"I like it," Hades said with a grateful smile.
"Thank you both. "

"You're welcome," Mal and Ben said together.

"King Ben? Your father wants to talk to you, " said a servant from the doorway.

"Alright, thank you. Tell him I'll be there in a minute, " Ben said, turning to face him.

"Yes, sir, " the servant said with a nod before leaving.

"I better go, " Ben said, wrapping his arm around Mal. "I'm gonna see what my dad wants and then head to bed. "

"Okay, " Mal said with a loving smile before giving him a kiss.

Ben returned it and said, "Good night, I'll see you in the morning. "

"See you in the morning. I love you, " Mal said softly.

"I love you too," Ben said, lovingly tucking a strand of Mal's hair behind her ear before heading to the door.

Before leaving the room, he turned to Hades and said, "Have a good night, sir. "

Hades nodded once silently but respectfully as Ben left the two alone.

"How far is his room from yours?," Hades asked with fatherly protection.

"Dad, " Mal said with her arms crossed.

Hades shrugged and looked around the room again.

Both of them wanted to say something but had no idea what to say.

They both knew it would take time before they got used to talking to each other.

"Oh, here, " Mal said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the ember.

She had changed into something more comfortable before the party officially ended and had the ember just in case.

Mal started handing the ember out to Hades before he gently stopped her hand and shook his head.

"No, I want you to keep it," Hades said softly.

"Really?," Mal asked, surprised.

Hades nodded, and Mal put the ember back in her pocket.

"Hey, now that the barriers down, I can teach you a few tricks of the trade, " Hades said, referring to the ember.

"I'd like that, " Mal said softly with a small smile.

Silence filled the room for a few more minutes before Hades spoke.

"How much of her powers did your mother teach you?," he asked slowly.

"Honesty, that's the only thing she ever did with me, " Mal said with her arms crossed while shaking her head. "I didn't learn everything in the best way because magic works differently on the Isle than it does here, but... she still spent most of the time teaching me about spells and how to be evil, " Mal said.

Hades nodded and took the information in.

He knew Maleficent wouldn't show Mal much attention or affection, but he was sure that Maleficent would spend at least a little more quality time with Mal instead of just training her.

But he was also silently grateful to Maleficent for teaching Mal to be tough and to take care of herself.

On the Isle, learning how to be evil, tough, and independent were a very big means of survival.

"What kind of things did she teach you?," Hades asked.

"She taught me how to cast spells with my powers. She taught me the basics of how to turn into a dragon, but I couldn't do it on the Isle. She showed me all the spells in her book, but I couldn't practice casting them until I got off the Isle. Mom had a plan for when we came here. She wanted me to get Fairy Godmother's wand and use it to break the barrier so she could take over the world. I was against the whole thing at first, but... mom has a.. very effective way of getting me to say yes. We found out that the wand was mainly stored in the museum, so we broke into it and tried to get it then, but Jay ended up tripping the alarm. After that, Evie started asking around to find out if the wand always stayed in the museum. We came to find out that it only gets taken out doing special events, and at the time, that was Ben's coronation at the end of the school year. I started thinking of a plan to make it a little easier for us to get to the wand, and I came up with using a love spell on Ben from mom's book. It worked, but it also kinda backfired. We went to the enchanted lake to have a picnic, and the lake washed the spell off. A day before Ben's coronation, I made an anti-love spell. I was so sure Ben had been faking being in love with me after finding out I spelled him and after the spell wore off, but.. he... he wasn't faking anything. That's what made me change my mind about being evil."

"Wow. Do you still have your mother's book?," Hades asked.

"No, I gave it to Fairy Godmother after Uma got ahold of it and used it to spell Ben, " Mal said.

"Wow, I do have a lot to catch up on, " Hades said, regret for not being there for his little girl filling him again.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll tell you everything, we have plenty of time now, " Mal said softly.

Hades smiled and nodded, happy that Mal wasn't mad at him anymore.

He could tell that she was still upset with him and that she hadn't completely gotten over how he treated her, but he was glad she at least wasn't mad anymore.

Then he remembered something Mal said, and it gave him a bad feeling.

"What did you mean when you said that your mother had a good way of getting you to say yes to her?," Hades asked worriedly and protectively.

Mal sighed and looked down.

"Mal?," Hades asked again, taking a step towards her.

"She and I would have... sort of a staring contest with our powers. It was to remind me how much more powerful she was than me and made me feel like...," Mal paused.

"Like what Mali?," Hades asked softly, laying his hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me. "

"It always made me feel like I was trapped. Like... like I had no choice but to do what she told me to do," Mal said quietly, trying not to show too many emotions.

VK'S didn't show their emotions. That's what Maleficent had spent years teaching her.

Hades gently pulled Mal into a hug and rubbed her back.

Mal tensed a little, just like Hades had when she first hugged him.

But Mal quickly relaxed and hugged him back just as tightly.

It felt so weird being hugged... being comforted by her dad, but it made her feel safe.

" I'm so sorry Mali." Hades said comfortingly.

Hades knew Maleficent loved power and feeling like she was in control of everyone but he never thought she would do it to her own daughter.

The two pulled away but Hades held onto Mal's hands.

"Your mother doesn't have control over you anymore Mali and you are so strong. Don't ever feel like she or anyone else is stronger than you. I do have to admit that Maleficent is strong but I am a lot stronger than her. So if you add both me and your mother, you get a very strong and very brave girl. A strong and brave girl that I am very proud of and that your mother is crazy not to be proud of," Hades said lovingly.

Mal chuckled slightly, rubbing her eyes and saying softly, "thank you dad. "

Hades smiled softly, looking at a clock off to the side.

"It's getting late. You should get some sleep too," Hades said, giving Mal's hands a squeeze.

"Okay. I love you dad, " Mal said softly.

"I love you too Mali," Hades said softly with a loving smile, letting go of Mal's hands to move her hair behind her shoulders.

"I'll see you tomorrow dad, " Mal said.

"See you tomorrow Mal, " Hades said back as Mal left the room.

Hades closed the door behind her and sighed.

He was mad at Maleficent for how she treated Mal but he was determined to show Mal what it was like to have a parent that cared for her and loved her.

Chapter Text

The next morning, after showing Hades where the dining room was, Mal and Hades had breakfast with Adam, Belle, Ben, Jay, Carlos, and Fairy Godmother.

Most of the meal was quiet, nobody really knew what to say.

After eating, Fairy Godmother looked at Mal and said, "Mal? Can you come with me please? I'd like to talk to you about something. "

"Sure," Mal said, following her to her office.

"What's your plan for today?" Ben asked Hades.

"Don't know, " Hades said with shrug.

"Well, I was thinking about showing you around the castle. Showing you where you can find me and Mal if you ever need anything, " Ben said slowly, slightly nervous.

He wanted to get to know Hades and make a good impression on him since he was marrying Mal and wanted him to feel welcomed and comfortable in the castle, knowing it was all new to him.

"Alright, " Hades said briefly, nodding his head once. "This gives me a chance to have a talk with you. "

Ben's eyes widened nervously, and he slowly got up.

"Well, uhh... let's uh... get moving then," Ben stammered nervously as Hades also stood and started following Ben throughout the castle.

Fairy Godmother and Mal entered her office and sat down.

"What's up?," Mal asked.

"Well... I've been thinking a lot about what you and Ben have been saying about moving forward and making changes. So... there's something I wanna run by you," Fairy Godmother said.

"Okay. Wait, shouldn't Ben be here too?," Mal asked, confused.

"I wanted to have a private talk with you first. This will be both yours and Ben's decision, but I wanna run it by you first before I bring Ben into it, " Fairy Godmother said.

"Okay, what is it?," Mal asked slowly and curiously.

"You know how we made the museum to keep and protect anything that holds magic?," Fairy Godmother asked. Mal nodded, and Fairy Godmother continued, "Well, as I told you, I did that because I believed magic was a thing of the past. But I'm realizing now that... it isn't something we can just easily forget about. You said that we can't live in fear. That's another reason why we keep all the magical objects in the museum. Because we're all afraid of what would happen if the wrong person got a hold of them. But magic is just like people. It can be good, or it can be evil. "

Mal nodded in understanding and agreement.

"It just depends on what it's being used for and who's using it, " Mal said.

"Yes, which is why... I'm debating on whether or not we should bring magic back completely in Auradon," Fairy Godmother said.

"You.. you mean like...?," Mal asked slowly, letting the information sink in.

"I mean giving everyone access to their magic again. Magic, yes, it is a thing of the past, but there are some things you just can't do without it. Like protecting Auradon and saving people. You, Evie, and Uma have all used magic to protect Auradon, and your father used it to save Audrey's life, something we never would've been able to if it weren't for magic," Fairy Godmother said.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, it would be great if people got their magic back but we've been without it for a long time now and... I'm sure at least a few people would prefer it to stay that way," Mal said.

"I know. Many people here, including me, are set in our ways. But... I can't deny that magic has always been a part of our lives and... it's who we are, " Fairy Godmother said softly.

"That it is, that it is, " Mal agreed softly, remembering how torn she felt when being in Auradon meant she couldn't use her magic the way she wanted to.

"I wanted to talk to you about this first because I know that magic is a big part of who you are. Not only did you have access to your mother's book but you also have your father's ember now and you have magic that you were born with," Fairy Godmother said.

Mal nodded and hummed in acknowledgment.

She was now debating on the idea.

She loved the idea of having magic back in Auradon but was also very nervous about what could happen if they did it.

"I'll bring it up with Ben and see what he says. I'll let you know what our decision is," Mal said.

"Okay dear. Oh, there's somethings I wanna give you, " Fairy Godmother said, standing up going over to a drawer.

"I know you haven't made a decision yet but... I believe this belongs to Evie, " she said, pulling out a small mirror and handing it to Mal.

Mal carefully took the mirror and looked at it as Fairy Godmother turned back to the drawer.

"And I think this belongs to you, " she said, turning back to Mal with her spell book.

Mal took the book with a look of surprise, not expecting to get the book back with how many spells it held.

"I know it's a shock to you that I'm giving these back to you but... I trust you two. Just don't use them for anything that you can do without it, " Fairy Godmother warned playfully, shaking her finger at Mal.

Mal chuckled and said, "We won't, I promise, and thank you."

"You're welcome, " Fairy Godmother said with a smile.

Just as Mal was about to leave the room, her head started hurting and her body felt hot.

She put her hand to her forehead and groaned in pain.

"Mal? You okay?," Fairy Godmother asked worriedly, putting her hand on Mal's shoulder.

Just as quickly as the pain and heat came, it went away and left Mal a little dizzy.

"Yeah I'm.. I'm okay, " Mal said softly.

"Are you sure," Fairy Godmother asked.

"Yeah I'm... I'm sure. I must have.. I must have stood up to fast or something. I'm fine, " she said, trying not to worry her.

The sudden pain and loss of it confused her but she didn't want Fairy Godmother to worry.

"Okay. If you feel sick, you can always go lay down, " Fairy Godmother said softly.

"I know. Don't worry, I'll be fine, " Mal said. "I have to go and wait for Evie to get here so I can give her her mirror. Have a good day Fairy Godmother. "

"You too dear, " Fairy Godmother said softly before Mal left the room.

Mal walked to her room and hid the book and mirror inside her top drawer.

As she turning back towards her door, she again felt pain and heat for a few seconds before it went away again.

"Huh, that's weird, " Mal said confused, shaking her head. "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night or something. I hope I'm not getting sick. "

Mal walked out of her room and closed the door, heading outside to wait for Evie.

Chapter Text

Ben walked slowly and nervously around the castle with Hades, waiting for the God to start talking.

He knew it was about Mal.

To say that Ben was shocked to hear that Hades, the Lord of the Dead, was Mal's father was an understatement.

He was glad that he had the chance to actually get to know one of Mal's parents, but he didn't know which one made him more nervous.

Mal was not only the daughter of Maleficent, the evilest of all the villains but also of Hades, the most powerful of all the villains and a God.

Both of them were definitely villains you didn't wanna mess with, and he was marrying their daughter.

It surprised Ben, but it also explained a lot about Mal, especially her sassy attitude.

It wasn't hard to tell that Mal got both her temper and her attitude from Hades.

"I'm sure you know what I wanna talk to you about, " Hades said nonchalantly, looking around the castle as they walked.

"Uhh yeah. Mal, " Ben said nervously.

"Umhm," Hades said. "I know I haven't been the best father towards her. I left her with her mother, who, in my opinion, cared a lot more about revenge and power than she did anything else, was far too overbearing and controlling, and had a few screws loose. But on the Isle, the only way you can really survive is if you're tough and independent and... I knew Mal would learn that a lot better from her mother than me so...I left her mother and let her raise her. But now, I have a chance to reconnect with her and make up for all the years I wasn't there for her."

"Mal is an amazing person, and I feel lucky every day that I have her. She is tough and independent, which is something I love about her, but it also scares me to death because I know that it makes her very hesitant to back down from something which could easily result in her getting hurt," Ben said, hoping to show Hades how much he cared about his daughter.

"That's because on the Isle, kids weren't really allowed to back down. They either won something or they lost something," Hades said softly.

"Yeah, that's what Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos have told us," Ben said. "That's why I wanted to help everyone off the Isle. Because no matter what, no one deserves to live like that, " Ben said.

Hades nodded and hummed.

"I can tell that you two love each other, and I have no doubt that you'll be happy together so you can relax a bit, " Hades said easily.

Ben noticeably relaxed and sighed.

"But, I do wanna make one thing clear, " Hades said firmly, stopping so that he could look at Ben.

Ben gulped nervously as he waited for Hades to continue.

"If you do anything, and I mean anything to hurt or upset Mal in any way, I have the keys to the Underworld and I will personally drag you there and find a permanent spot for you. And believe me, it's not the best place to be, a lot worse than the Isle, " Hades said firmly.

Ben gulped and took a deep breath.

"Hades, believe me, I love Mal with all my heart, and I will do everything I can to make sure she's happy, safe, and cared for," Ben said sincerely.

"Good," Hades said before starting to walk again.

Ben quickly fell into pace beside him, and they walked silently through the castle.

"I don't know if Mal's told you about how we feel in love, " Ben said.

"She has. She told me she spelled you and that the spell washed off after you went swimming in the enchanted lake, " Hades said.

Ben nodded and said, "That was our first date. I took her to the enchanted lake and set up a picnic for us. I learned a lot about her that day. I learned a lot about her in just the first year she was here."

"Like what?," Hades asked curiously, wanting to learn more about his daughter.

"I learned the hard way that she didn't know how to swim. I was underwater in the lake for a long time, and it scared her. She jumped in the lake after me even though she didn't know how to swim."

"Really?," Hades asked.

"Yeah. I also learned that she's an amazing artist. You should ask her to show you her paintings and drawings. She's really good at it. Her specialty is graffiti with spray paint. She showed me her hideout on the Isle and it's filled with graffiti that Mal did. It's kinda like her secret, no so secret talent if you know what I mean," Ben said.

Hades nodded and said, "I'm sure Maleficent didn't know about it. Knowing her, she probably would've said that it was a waste of time that she should've been using to practice being evil."

"Probably. That's another thing I learned about Mal. How much time she was forced to spend in her mother's shadow. She told me that she was named Mal because when she proved to be as evil as Maleficent, her name would change from Mal to Maleficent," Ben said.

"You serious?," Hades asked, shocked.

He was never told that Mal got her name just so that it be turned to Maleficent after proving herself to her.

"Wish I wasn't," Ben said softly.

Hades shook his head as anger filled him.

Of course Maleficent wanted Mal to be just like her, using Mal as a pawn to help her get revenge when it was her battle, not Mal's.

"Mal told me that she's been under pressure her whole life by her mother because of how much she wanted her to be like her. She said that she always felt like a failure because of how much her mother would criticize her," Ben said.

"I can't believe I left Mal with her. I should've known she would treat Mal like that, " Hades said with regret.

"It's not your fault. You were just doing what you thought was best for her," Ben said softly.

"I was. Like I said, I knew Mal would learn more from her mother than me but... I wish I would've at least been there for her when her mother was treating her like that," Hades said softly, looking down.

"Well, you're here now. I'm still helping Mal through everything her mother said to her. So is Evie, Jay, and Carlos. I know she'd appreciate your help too, " Ben said.

Hades nodded and said, "me and her already had a talk about her mother last night."

"How did that go?," Ben asked, worried for Mal.

"It went alright. I had to contain my anger though, " Hades said.

"I know what you mean, " Ben said softly with a nod. "Well, how would you like to see the enchanted lake?."

"Sure, " Hades said with a shrug.

Ben led the way outside and started leading Hades to the lake.

Chapter Text

Mal sat outside in the garden, enjoying the fresh air as she waited for Evie.

Mal closed her eyes and put her hand to her head as she again felt heat and pain going through her.

"M," she heard Evie call.

Mal messaged her temple and again felt the pain and heat disappear as quickly as it came.

"Mal? You okay?," Evie asked worriedly, walking up to Mal.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just having tiny headaches, " Mal replied, sitting up.

"Are you sure?," Evie asked, unsure.

She knew Mal didn't like admitting when she felt sick or the idea of other people making a fuss about it.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle. Come on, I have something for you, " Mal said, standing up and leading the way into the castle.

Evie followed her into her room and closed the door.

"Fairy Godmother had a talk with me this morning, " Mal started, walking over to her dresser and opening the top drawer.

"She gave this to you, " Mal said, turning to face Evie with the magic mirror in her hand.

Evie took the mirror with a surprised look and asked, "My mirror?."

"Yep. And I got this back, " Mal said before taking her spell book out of the drawer and showing it to Evie.

"Your spell book, " Evie said, still surprised.

She ran her fingers over her mirror and smiled softly.

"Me and Ben have another decision to make. Fairy Godmother is debating whether or not magic should be completely back in Auradon, " Mal said.

"What do you mean?."

"Everything that holds magic in the museum will be returned to their owners, and they can use them whenever they want to. "

"Wow, " Evie said, amazed, taking in the information.

"I know, I was surprised too. It makes sense, though. She knows that I have my dad's ember, and she knows that Uma has her mother's necklace. She said that she knows that we used magic in the past, but it's something we can't just forget about. It's a part of who we are, " Mal said with a shrug.

"It is. I was fine with her taking the mirror and putting it in the museum, but... I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss using it. It's my mother's. It's part of me," Evie said softly. "But if you and Ben haven't made a decision yet, why did she give these to you?."

"I honestly don't know. She said that she trusts us and that you and I used magic to protect Auradon. That's all she said, " Mal said.

"Hmm," Evie said, looking down at the mirror again.

"Oh, there's something I wanna do before I talk to Ben about this, " Mal said, sitting on her bed with her spell book.

"What is it?," Evie asked curiously.

"You'll see, " Mal said, taking out a green and blue pen and opening her book.

Evie sat next to Mal and silently watched as Mal turned to the page where she had a list of villains written down with the caption, "Those Entitled To Respect. "

The names Maleficent, Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil had designs around them to signify their importance to Mal and who people should respect.

Mal took her green pen and used it to make wave lines around Ursula's name.

Then she took her blue pen and used it to make fire designs around Hades's name.

Evie smiled and gently moved Mal's hair from her shoulder to behind her back, so it was out of her way.

"How are you and Hades getting along?," Evie asked softly, knowing that Hades was a touchy subject for Mal.

"It will take some time, but... we'll get there. We had a talk last night about my mom, " Mal said softly.

"How did that go?," Evie asked gently.

"It went okay. I... I told him a little bit about how my mom treated me and what she wanted from me, " Mal said, looking down at her spell book before sighing and closing her eyes.

"Hey, " Evie said comfortingly, putting her hand on Mal's shoulder, " she can't control you anymore, M. You're strong, beautiful, smart, and brave, and if she can't see that, that's her loss. "

"I know. We're not our parents, " Mal said, looking at Evie with a soft smile.

Evie smiled back and hugged her, saying softly, "No, we're not. "

Evie rubbed Mal's arm and squeezed her shoulder.

"Who is it?," Mal asked after a soft knock came from the door.

"Jay and Carlos, " Carlos said from the other side.

"And who gave you peasants permission to come to the Queen's room?," Mal asked teasingly, earning a chuckle from Evie.

"We gave ourselves permission, your Majesty, " Jay said teasingly.

"You two can come in, " Mal said with a chuckle.

Jay and Carlos entered the room, and Jay closed the door.

"What are you girls talking about?," Jay asked, sitting down on a chair while Carlos found a seat on the floor.

"Well, look what I got back, " Mal said, showing them her spell book.

"And I got this, " Evie said, lifting up her mirror.

"Whoa. I thought those were in the museum, " Carlos said, surprised.

"They were, Fairy Godmother gave them back to us today. She's debating whether or not magic should be used in Auradon again. Meaning that everyone who had magic would get it back, the objects in the museum, and they will be free to use them again, " Mal said. "Me and Ben need to make the decision. "

"Wow, what does Ben think about it?," Jay asked.

"He doesn't know yet. I haven't talked to him yet. I will tonight, " Mal said.

"What are you thinking?," Carlos asked.

"Honesty, I'm as much on the fence about it as Fairy Godmother is. I mean, I would love to give people back their magic. It's part of them. It's who they are. But at the same time, all of us know firsthand the damage magic can cause, especially when the wrong person gets ahold of it, " Mal said.

Evie, Jay, and Carlos all nodded in agreement.

"Guys, there's something I wanna talk to you about. I've been thinking about it ever since Ben purposed, and I haven't had a chance to talk to you guys about it, " Mal said.

"What is it?," Jay asked softly.

"I trust you three more than anyone else in the world. You guys have always stood by my side and have always supported me, even when I felt like I didn't deserve it, " Mal said.

Evie put her hand on Mal's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

Mal sighed and looked down.

Jay got up from his spot and moved to sit beside Mal on the bed, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Carlos stood up, moved the chair over to the bed, and sat down, taking Mal's hand.

"You guys are a lot more than just my friends. You're my family. Jay and Carlos, I've always thought of you two as brothers. Evie, I've always thought of you as a sister and... I don't ever wanna lose you guys," Mal said softly.

"You won't, Mal, " Jay said comfortingly.

"We will always be here for you, " Evie said comfortingly.

"You're like a sister to us too. I mean, none of us really had much of a family life. We made each other our family," Carlos said.

"No matter what, Mal, we will always stand by your side. Now, what do you mean you don't deserve it?," Jay asked gently, not wanting to upset her.

"I've done so much wrong towards you guys. I haven't been honest with you, I haven't been open with all of you, and I haven't thought about your opinions," Mal said, her voice shaking.

"Oh Mal, " Evie said softly.

"You haven't done us wrong, Mal. We know you were just doing what you thought was right, " Jay said comfortingly.

"Even though it wasn't, " Mal said, her voice still shaky.

"Everyone makes mistakes. We're not gonna fault you for that. And you have always thought about our opinions, " Evie said softly.

"As for being open with us, we grew up in a place where it was considered weak if we showed emotions. If we were weak, we didn't survive. You were the best at that on the Isle, and it helped us out, " Carlos said softly.

"You set an example for us. Heck, you set an example for everyone on the Isle, and you helped all of us," Jay said.

"You always protected Carlos and helped him learn how to defend himself. You always helped Jay by finding objects for his dad's shop, and you always helped me by complimenting me and giving me confidence, " Evie said softly.

"Not only that, but you helped us have a better life. You gave us the courage to change our ways and to make our own choices, " Jay said comfortingly.

"You have done so much us for, Mal and I don't know about the boys but I don't want you to say that you don't deserve us again because you do, " Evie said comfortingly but firmly.

"I don't either, " Jay said, his tone matching Evie's.

"Me neither, " Carlos said, also matching his tone.

"Okay, okay, I won't, I promise. Anyway, what I was getting at is that you guys have always helped me. Ben has two advisors who help him make decisions. Since I'm becoming queen and Ben agrees with me, I would like you three to be my advisors. That way, you guys will be a part of every decision being made in the kingdom, " Mal said.

"We will always be here to help you, " Jay said with a smile.

"I'm in," Carlos said.

"As am I, " Evie said.

"Thanks, guys. That brings me to another topic... the wedding. I want all of you to be involved somehow with the wedding. Evie, it would be the best day of my life if you not only did my dress for the wedding but also stood by my side as my maid of honor, " Mal said with a smile.

"Oh Mal, of course I will! I would love to be your maid of honor," Evie said with a loving smile.

"And, it would also be the best day of my life if you two stood by my side along with Evie. I was sure Ben was going to ask you guys to be his best men, but he said that he knew it would mean a lot to me if you were by my side," Mal said.

"You know I'll be there, " Jay said.

"Of course I'm there, " Carlos said.

"Speaking of wedding positions, is your dad gonna walk you down the Isle?," Evie asked with a smile.

"I don't know. Haven't asked him yet, " Mal said. "I do know, though, that I have a special request. E, I need to have a talk with Dizzy. I need a professional hair stylist for the wedding and she is perfect."

"I'll find her right away, " Evie said happily, knowing how excited Dizzy would be.

"Cool, thank you, " Mal said. "I can't believe I'm getting married. "

"Believe it, Mal. Ben loves you," Evie said.

"Mal, I just want you to know that one matter what happens, we are always gonna be here for you. We're always gonna be by your side, " Jay said, putting his hand out in front of Mal.

"We're a team. We're a family, and nothing will ever change that, " Evie said, putting her hand on Jay's.

"We'll always stick together. We're the VK'S, enemies beware, " Carlos said with a smile, putting his hand on Evie's.

Mal smiled at the comment and put her hand on Carlos's, saying with a wicked smile, "we ran the Isle. We made sure everyone knew who we were and that they never forgot the day they met us. It's us four, now and forever. Because we're rotten."

"To the core, " they all said together, lifting their hands up.

"So what are we gonna do today?," Jay asked.

"Have no idea," Carlos said, looking at Mal.

"Any ideas, Mal?," Evie asked.

"Honesty no. I don't really have any plans for today. How about we just hang out and see where the day takes us?," Mal said with an easy smile.

"Sounds good to me, " Carlos said with a shrug.

"Count me in, " Jay said.

"You lead the way, Mal, " Evie said.

"Alright, there's something I have to do first, though. I wanna make sure no one gets ahold of my spell book again, " Mal said, putting her book back in the drawer.

She closed it and took a deep breath.

"Let's see if this works," Mal said, her eyes starting to glow green. "Conceal this object, easy to protect, open with a knock, give this door a lock, " Mal said, twisting her hand in a lock motion.

A soft click was heard and Mal tried to open the drawer with no success.

"There. Pretty good if I say so myself, " Mal said proudly.

"I've never heard that spell before, " Carlos said.

"Taking notes from your mother, huh?," Jay asked.

"Yep only this spell is a little different. Instead of a normal incantation for a counter spell, I just have to knock on the drawer and it will open. It's an invisible lock for a door with no key hole spell. I haven't decided what to call it yet, " Mal said.

"Wow, now that's impressive. A spell with just a knock as a counter spell. It's creative, everyone thinks that a spell is countered by a incantation not an action, " Evie said.

"Well, my mother is one of the most powerful witches in the world, alongside Evil Queen and Ursula. It's in my blood, " Mal said.

"Hey Mal, speaking of spells, do you have any powers from Hades?," Jay asked curiously as they all stood up.

"I'm not sure honestly. I think the only magic I have from my father is his ember but even with that I can't do everything that he can with it. He said it's because I'm only half god," Mal said.

"But that's weird. I mean, I understand it's a blood thing but you're only half fairy and yet you have a lot of powers from your mother's side," Carlos said.

"Yeah, that is a little strange. Granted you weren't around Hades much but you still should have some of his powers, " Evie said confused.

"Plus, Hades is like, ten times stronger than Maleficent so I feel like you would have more powers from him than you would your mother. I feel like your God blood would and could easily overpower your fairy blood, " Carlos said.

"Like I said, I don't know. I mean, I agree, it is weird that I have my mother's ability to cast spells but in potions and using my born ability. I have my mother's ability to turn into a dragon and I'm pretty sure I can use her spector pretty well but I can't use my dad's ember to its full extent and I don't have any of his other powers. But there's also a lot of powers I didn't inherit from my mother. My mother could use magic out of her hands, she had telekinesis, elemental control, transportation, super strength, destruction, telepathy, hypnosis, healing, transfiguration and geokinesis," Mal said.

"Wow, you're mother had a lot of powers," Jay said shocked.

"She's a fairy, what do you expect?," Mal said with a shrug.

"What are some of those powers anyway? Some of them I've never heard of before?," Carlos said.

"Which ones?," Mal asked.

"Telekinesis, telepathy, transfiguration and geokinesis, " Carlos replied.

"Telekinesis is the ability to move things with your mind instead of your hands. Telepathy is the ability to read minds and sense people. Transfiguration is the ability to change people or objects into something else, kinda like shape-shifting but you're doing it to other people. Lastly, geokinesis is the ability to dismantle something, like say you walked through a rock passage and the rocks started to dismantle," Evie said.

"Oh wow. What about your dad? What kind of powers does he have?," Carlos asked.

"I'm not completely sure what all of them are but I know some of them. He has the powers of immortality, fire manipulation, control over the dead, those are the obvious ones. Some other ones are shape-shifting, which I'm pretty sure he almost never uses, invisibly, umm like my mother he has super strength, teleportation and telekinesis, and reality warping," Mal said.

"Reality warping?," Jay asked curiously.

"It's when he makes all his deals. Whenever he makes a deal with someone it warps reality," Mal said.

"Wow. See, if anything, you should at least have the powers both your parents possess, like telekinesis and teleportation," Carlos said.

"I think it would be cool if Mal had Hades's fire powers, " Jay said.

"I don't know, Jay. With how long my hair is, I'd probably end up burning my neck, " Mal said with her arms crossed. "Anyway, I say we get this day started. "

Evie, Jay and Carlos smiled and followed her out of the room.

Chapter Text

Mal, Jay, Carlos and Evie walked through the castle while chatting about their families.

"Did you guys see your parents yet?," Mal asked.

"I did. Mom met Doug too, " Evie said with a smile.

"Ooh, how'd that go?," Mal asked.

"It went good. They actually got along pretty well, " Evie said.

"What about you boys?," Mal asked.

"I saw my dad. Showed him around a bit and had him meet Lonnie. He was happy I found a girl, " Jay said with a smile.

"I saw my mom too. She was uhh... a little weird around Dude but...," Carlos started.

"A little weird? Are you kidding me? She was talking to that stuffed dog on her shoulder. She's a cuckoo, " Dude said, showing up and walking alongside Carlos.

The four of them chuckled and Mal shook her head.

"She was happy to meet Jane though. She adored her, " Carlos said.

"Mal," Ben called, turning a corner with Hades and meeting with the group.

"Hey," Mal said with a soft smile.

"Hi," Ben said softly before greeting Mal with a kiss.

Evie, Jay and Carlos smiled at Mal's happiness with Ben.

The couple parted and Mal smiled at Hades.

"Hi dad, " Mal said.

"Hey Mali," Hades said with a soft smile.

"I showed him around the castle a bit, showed him where to find either one of us if he needs anything. I haven't shown him where your room is yet, " Ben said.

"I can show him. I have something else I wanna show him too, " Mal said, looking at Hades with a smile. "Oh, and you and me need to talk about something tonight. "

"Uh oh, is it bad?," Ben asked half worried and half teasing.

"No, it's nothing bad. You and me need to make another decision on something, I'll explain later tonight, " Mal said.

"Oh okay. Is it what Fairy Godmother talked to you about?," Ben asked.

"Yeah, she wanted to talk to me about it first before I passed it on to you, " Mal said.

"Alright, " Ben said with a smile.

"Anyway, wanna come with me for a minute?," Mal asked, looking at Hades. "I'll show you where my room is. "

Hades started to follow her as she said, "I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Have fun, " Jay said.

Mal did a finger wave behind her as she and Hades continued walking.

Ben watched them turn a corner before saying, "guys I need your help with something."

"Of course, what is it?," Evie asked.

"Follow me, " Ben said, starting to walk away.

The three followed him to the ballroom (I don't know the layout of the castle so I'm sorry if I'm not accurate) and stood by the staircase.

"When it comes to marring into the royal life, some kingdoms have different customs. Some require the person to have a coronation, some don't. Our kingdom doesn't really have a custom for it but I think Mal deserves to have a coronation. So, I was thinking of surprising her by having the coronation right after our wedding ceremony," Ben said.

"I agree. Mal does deserve a coronation. She is gonna be an amazing queen and she deserves a little party before it, " Evie said.

"What would you like us to do?," Carlos asked.

"Well, Mal is going to need a coronation dress and a cape for it. Evie, I know you have a lot to do already with designing Mal a reception dress and a wedding dress but...," Ben started.

"Say no more, I already have it covered. I'll start working on ideas right away, " Evie said with an excited smile.

"Okay, thank you. Along with that, I want you three to work with me, Fairy Godmother and my parents. Help us set up for it and help us figure out how to do it without Mal suspecting anything or not finding out anything until we say something about it, " Ben said.

"Mal is gonna have your head," Jay said teasingly with his arms crossed.

"I know but it'll be worth it. I haven't surprised her like this in a while," Ben said with a smile.

"She's gonna love it. It'll be a great way for her to relax," Evie said softly.

"That's what I'm aiming for, " Ben said with a smile. "She's been through a lot the past few months and to me a rest is long overdue, " Ben said lovingly.

Evie, Jay and Carlos all smiled and nodded in agreement before starting to talk about coronation plans.

Chapter Text

Mal led Hades to her room and allowed him to enter first.

"This is my room. This is where I'll most likely be at night or I'll be up on the roof. The roof is kinda like my hiding place, " Mal said. "Ben even put a lock on the trapdoor leading to the roof so I could always have privacy."

"Good way to hide from people, " Hades said with a smile. "Either go underground or really high up. "

"True. I guess I got my want for being high up from my mother. She always wanted to be at the top of the world, in more ways than one, " Mal said dryly with her arms crossed. "Anyway, speaking of mom, I have something to show you. "

Mal walked over to her dresser, knocking on the drawer before it popped open.

"Am I correct in assuming that you put a spell on the drawer?," Hades asked.

"Yeah I did. To protect this, " Mal said, walking over to Hades and handing him her spellbook.

Hades took the book and examined it.

"Is this your mother's book?," Hades asked.

"Yeah, Fairy Godmother gave it back to me today. Me and Ben have to decide on whether or not people should have complete use of their magic again. Meaning every magical object in the museum will be returned to their owners, " Mal said.

"Huh. You know, I've seen your mother with this but she never let me look at it. She was always very protective of it, " Hades said, opening the book and starting to look through it.

"That sounds like her. She was that way with me when it came to her spector. She very rarely let me touch her spector, " Mal said.

"Wow, you're mother has a lot of things in here, " Hades said.

"I know. I haven't even went through it all yet," Mal said.

She crossed her arms and walked away, letting Hades silently look through the book.

Thoughts drafted to her mother and she shivered as she thought of the multiple beatings she was dealt at the hands of her mother and all the hurtful words her mother had spoken to her every day.

She knew her dad needed to know the full truth of what her mother did to her and now seemed like the time.

Mal sighed and rubbed her arm to try and comfort herself before she spoke.

"Dad," Mal said softly.

"Yes Mal?," Hades said, lifting his head to look at her.

He immediately became concerned seeing the look on Mal's face.

"Mali? You okay?," Hades asked worriedly.

"There's... there's somethings I didn't tell you about.. about how mother treated me, " Mal said tensely, her arms wrapping around herself.

Noticing her defensive behavior and her soft tone, Hades knew what Mal was going to say.

"Mom would... would have these... training sessions as she called them. It was a lot more than just teaching me to be evil. She thought that hitting and beating me was the best way to teach me to defend myself and to be tough on the Isle. Not only that but it was her way of disciplining me whenever I talked back to her or got in an argument with her, " Mal said with a shaky voice, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

"Oh Gods," Hades sighed angrily, setting the book aside so he could comfort Mal.

"She'd... she'd hit me, she'd kick me. Sometimes she... she even had her goons beat on me. Either one, two or all three of them would back me into a corner and beat me, " Mal said, shaking and starting to cry.

"Oh Mali. It's okay, " Hades said comfortingly, taking a step towards her.

Mal tensed and took a step back, watching Hades with fear and caution.

"I'm... I'm sorry. When I... when I think of.. of how mom treated me I... I go into full Isle mode. I don't... I don't let many people near me," Mal said, her voice shaking with tears.

"It's okay Mal. You have nothing to apologize for, I understand, " Hades said softly, taking a slower step towards her. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Mal."

Mal again backed up, letting out a sob as she looked down and tightened her arms more around herself.

"Mal, look at me. I'm not gonna hurt you Mali, I promise. Here, " Hades said softly, holding his hands out towards Mal.

Mal continued to cry and shake as she nervously looked at Hades's outstretched hands.

"Take my hands, Mal. It's okay, you're safe," Hades said gently, trying to get Mal to come to his comfort herself.

Mal slowly moved her hands towards his, taking them shakingly.

Hades started slow by rubbing Mal's hands saying lovingly and comfortingly, "that's my girl. Come here, come here."

Hades slowly started pulling Mal to him, letting her move herself as he slowly and gently wrapped his arms around her.

Mal tensed but let Hades gently hug her, the feeling of his hand gently and soothingly rubbing her back slowly starting to calm her down.

"Shh, shh, shh, it's okay Mal. Everything's gonna be fine, I promise. You're mom can't hurt you anymore. It's okay my little dragon, " Hades said, kissing her forehead and continuing to stroke her back.

Mal eventually relaxed enough to hug Hades back tightly, giving Hades the okay to also tighten his grip a bit.

Mal continued to cry as she rested her head on Hades's shoulder.

"Evie, Jay and Carlos have all seen my mother beat me. I never talked about it until I got here. I... I knew it would freak me out and... and I didn't... I didn't want them to see that, " Mal said.

"It's not weak, Mal, " Hades said softly, reading Mal's mind. "You... you put up with the way your mother treated you and managed to keep it hidden for years. You are strong Mali, the strongest girl I've ever seen and I am so proud to call you my daughter."

"Thanks dad," Mal sighed as she started to calm down, closing her eyes as she felt Hades's fingers run through her hair lovingly.

"She can't hurt you again, not with me here. I never should've left you with her. I knew she was bad but... I never thought she would actually hit you, " Hades said with regret in his voice.

"It... it wasn't your fault dad. You didn't know what she would do, " Mal said, calming down completely.

Hades gave Mal another tight but gentle squeeze before pulling away.

Mal looked up at Hades for a moment before asking the question that had been on her mind since the day she asked Maleficent about her father.

"Why did you leave?," Mal asked softly.

Hades sighed and looked down.

"At first, me and your mother got along really well. We were both really mad about being trapped behind the barrier and we both wanted revenge. But after we got married and especially after your mother became pregnant, revenge was all your mother talked about. When I found out she was pregnant I... I forgot about revenge and started thinking about you. After about a month of her being pregnant, she started talking about using you to get her revenge. I got mad and we had a big fight. From then on we had fights almost every day about her using you for revenge purposes. About eight months into your mother's pregnancy, I told her I was leaving and that I wanted to take you. She refused and we had another big fight. Your mother told me the reason why she doesn't believe in love and... it made me realize I had to leave you with her in order for you to survive. So, I stayed long enough to see you born and then I left. Believe me Mal, I thought about you every day. I even started asking Celia how you were doing," Hades said.

"Yeah, she told me that," Mal said. "I'm gonna put this away."

Mal grabbed her spellbook and put it back in her drawer, her eyes glowing green as she repeated her spell.

"Mal, I have to go to the Isle to get some things. You wanna come with me?," Hades asked.

"Sure, I'll come. I wanna show you something when we get there, " Mal said with her arms crossed.

"What is it?," Hades asked curiously.

"You'll see when we get there, " Mal said with a mischievous smile.

Hades rolled his eyes but smiled amusingly as they left Mal's room.

Chapter Text

Hades and Mal walked toward the front of the castle to meet up with Mal's limo.

As they walked, they ran into Jay, Carlos, and Evie.

"Hey guys, " Mal said.

"Hi," Carlos said with a smile.

"Oh Mal, I told Dizzy about styling your hair for the wedding. She said she'd love to, " Evie said with a smile.

"I thought she would, " Mal said with a smile, imaging the excitement Dizzy would feel.

"What are you two up to?," Jay asked.

"We're going to the Isle. Dad has to pick up a few things and I have some business to take care of. I wanna start thinking of plans for the Isle. You guys wanna help me?," Mal said with a smile.

The three looked at each other and smiled.

"Of course we will, " Jay said with a smile.

"The Isle is our home, " Evie said softly.

"Maybe we could even get some people from the Isle to help, " Carlos said.

"I was thinking of that very thing actually, " Mal said with a thoughtful look.
"Where's Ben?."

"He's taking care of a few things with Fairy Godmother and his parents, " Carlos said.

"Mal, " called a voice.

The group turned to see Audrey and Celia walking towards them.

"Is it okay if we came too?," Audrey asked.

"We wanna help too, " Celia said.

Mal smiled and nodded.

"Of course you can," Mal said softly.

The group followed her out and into the limo.

Celia and Audrey looked out the windows of the limo as it drove across the bridge to the Isle.

Arriving at the Isle, the group got out of the limo and Audrey looked around.

"Welcome to the Isle, " Carlos said.

"Wow, " Audrey said softly.

"I'm gonna go to my lair and get a few things," Hades said.

"Okay, meet up with me later, " Mal said.

"Alright, " Hades said, walking away.

"Where to first?," Evie asked.

"Well... I know me and Uma have a little score to settle and I would like to see if she could help us too," Mal said. "We'll go to Uma's first and then see if she'll come with us."

Mal started leading the way to Uma's diner and the group followed behind her.

Walking through the door of the diner, Mal looked around for Uma.

"Well, well, her Majesty has come to visit, " Harry said, walking over to the group. "Come to settle a score?."

"You know it. I also wanna talk to you and Uma about something. Speaking of which, is the captain on board?," Mal asked with her arms crossed.

"She's in the back. She'll be out in a minute, " Harry said.

"I'm out now, " Uma said from the back doorway.

Harry smiled wickedly and stepped aside.

"What's going on?," Audrey whispered to Evie.

"Uma and Mal are old rivals. They used to be enemies but they put their differences aside now. They still have a rivalry but it's on a friendlier level now, " Evie whispered back.

"What's up princess?," Uma said, walking over to the group.

"Nothing much. What's up with you?," Mal asked.

"Same old, same old, " Uma said with a shrug and a smile.

"Ready for the rematch?," Mal said with a smile.

"You're on, have a sit," Uma said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Mal pulled out her own chair and turned it around, sitting down and putting her elbow up on the table.

Uma did the same and they held each other's hands, getting ready for the match.

"Are we ready?," Uma asked.

"Born ready. On three, " Mal said.

"One, " Uma said.

"Two, " Mal said.

"Three, " they said together before putting force into each other's hands.

The group watched in silent anticipation as Mal started slowly pushing Uma's hand down.

Mal slowly pushed Uma's arm down to the table and put her hands up.

Uma shook her head and looked at Mal with a smile.

"You won one, I won one. What is it you wanted to talk to me about?," Uma asked.

"Well, you know how I said we will be cleaning up the Isle?," Mal asked. Uma responded with a nod. "Well, I was wondering if you and Harry could help. "

Uma hummed thoughtfully and looked at Harry.

"What do you think Harry? Should we give these guys a hand?," Uma asked.

"It's your call captain, " Harry said.

"We're in, " Uma said with a smile.

"Alright," Mal said with a smile. "We'll go to our hideout and think of plans there."

She got up and turned the chair around, putting it back up to the table and starting to walk away.

Uma got up and pushed her chair in, she, Harry and the rest of the group following Mal.

They followed Mal into an alley and over by a staircase.

"Okay, before I show you guys this, you have to promise you won't tell anyone how to get in here. I like to call it the mystery of the Isle because no one knows how to get in or that it's our hideout," Mal said.

"No one knows how to get in because we found a way to make it so that it looks like no one would ever be able to come in, " Jay said.

"Unless you climbed it, " Evie said.

"I won't tell anyone, " Audrey said.

"It's safe with me, " Celia said.

"You got it, " Uma said, Harry nodding in agreement.

"Alright. Carlos, you wanna do the honors?," Mal asked.

Carlos smiled and picked up a rock, tossing it in his hand before throwing it at a sign that said, "beware, flying rocks. "

On impact, the sign moved to the side, opening the staircase to the hideout.

"Oh wow, " Celia said. "I've never noticed that sign before. "

"Neither did I and I come by here every day, " Harry said, looking up at the sign.

"Because it's so high up. That's one way we were able to keep this place hidden, " Carlos said.

"I have to admit I'm impressed, " Uma said with a nod, her arms crossed.

Mal smiled and sighed, walking over to the staircase and putting her foot on it before looking over at the group.

"You guys can go first, " Mal said, tilting her head towards the staircase.

The VK'S let Audrey, Harry, Uma and Celia walk up the staircase first then Jay, Evie and Carlos followed, Mal being the last one to start walking up.

As she walked up, Mal started singing:

"Shattered dreams and broken glass"
"In pieces on the floor "

Then Jay sang:

"Reflections of who we used to be"
And who I was before "

Then Evie sang:

"An uphill climb to reach the top "
"Don't say what's wrong or right "

Then Carlos sang:

"Cause now I see your view of me "
"And it's only black or white "

Then Mal and Evie sang together:

"Don't you tell me who I'm meant to be "
"Cause mirror mirror I like what I see "

Then all four of them sang:

"Call me the villain"
"My stories been written
"I don't want to fit in
"In this world your living in
"So you can hate me
"But, you'll never break me
"What, I am you make
"So now you can just call me the villain"

The group entered the building and Mal closed the door.

"Come on newbies, sing with us. You two Audrey, " Mal said, standing up on higher part of the hideout while everyone else stood at the bottom.

"Just follow our lead, " Evie said with an encouraging smile.

Audrey nodded and Uma sang:

"White house, hero, enemy "
"Who said you could decide?"

Then Audrey sang:

"You think you got the best of me?"
"You think it's justified "

Then Celia sang:

"It all comes down to what you see"
"And all I see is red"

Then Harry sang:

"It's too late to negotiate "
"So it's off with your head "

Then Uma and Audrey sang together:

"Don't you tell me who I'm meant to be "
"Cause mirror mirror I like what I see"

Then those four sang together:

"Call me the villain"
"My stories been written "
"I don't want to fit in"
"In this world your living in "
"So you can hate me"
"But, you'll never break me "
"What, I am you make me "
"So now you can just call me the villain "

Evie, Jay and Carlos went up to stand beside Mal, holding hands as they sang together again, Mal and Evie putting attitude into their singing:

"See what you wanna see "
"Bring out the worst in me "
"Save your apology "
"Cause look who's sorry now"

Then Uma, Audrey, Harry and Celia sang together, Audrey and Celia putting attitude into it:

"Call me the bad guy "
"Fine, now I'm the bad guy "
"Bet you never wondered why "
"We don't see eye to eye "

Then all eight of them sang together:

"Call me the villain"
"My stories been written "
"I don't want to fit in "
"In this world your living in "
"So you can hate me"
"But, you'll never break me"
"What, I am you make me "
"So now you can just call me the villian "

Then just Mal sang:

"You just make me the villian"

"Boy, we haven't sang that song in a while, " Carlos said.

"I know right?," Mal said.

"I have to say, our newcomers did pretty good, " Jay said.

"I've heard this song from my mother," Uma said.

"So have I from my father, " Harry said.

"Me I just winged it, " Celia said with a shrug.

"So did I. I just followed your guys lead," Audrey said.

"You both did really good, " Evie said.

"How does it feel?," Carlos asked.

"Honesty? It feels awesome, " Audrey said. "I never thought I would like this kind of thing in Auradon but... it's actually really fun. "

Mal smiled and said, "you know, you do make a good villain Audrey. I know you probably don't want to be seen as a villain but you are a natural VK. I'm sure all of us can agree on that."

All the VK's nodded in agreement and Mal walked up to Audrey.

"You grew up in Auradon where you were taught all there is to know about being good. Yet, you act a lot like a professional villain. To you, it might not be a good thing but to us, even though we're not evil anymore, it's who we are. It makes us feel like ourselves. How does it feel to you?," Mal asked.

"It feels... freeing. It feels like I can do anything. Like I can let my hair down and just be wild despite the fact that I'm a princess. Being bad makes me feel like I'm taking down all the people who kept telling me what I should be, " Audrey said.

"It's an awesome feeling, isn't it?," Mal asked with a smile.

"It really is, " Audrey said.

"Well then, whenever we're doing something like this, unless I say it's a private thing between me and my crew, you all are more than welcome to be a part of it. That includes my wedding. I would love it if you guys could all play a part in my wedding," Mal said. "Audrey, I would love it if you could help plan it and if you could be one of my bridesmaids."

"I would love to Mal, " Audrey said softly.

"Uma, Harry, could you guys help me with food for the wedding?," Mal asked.

"I think we can handle that, " Uma said with a smile.

"You got it las," Harry said.

"Uma and Celia, will you two also be my bridesmaids?," Mal asked.

"You know it girl, " Uma said.

"I'll be there, " Celia said with a smile.

"Okay. So, what do you guys think of the place?," Mal asked.

The group looked around the building and started to explore.

"Whoa, Mal, you designed a room for everyone in your gang?," Celia asked amazed.

"Sure did. This place belongs to all of us so I wanted to make sure we had a little bit of ourselves in it, " Mal said, looking around at her paintings. "I haven't lost my touch. "

"This is awesome, Mal, " Audrey said.

"Thank you. One of my very few hobbies, " Mal said with a chuckle.

"Did your mom know about this?," Harry asked.

"Yes and no. She knew that I painted gratifti over the Isle but she never knew it was actually a hobby of mine. I didn't want her knowing either, " Mal said.

"The joys of mother problems, " Uma said dryly.

"You have no idea," Mal said with wide eyes. "That's another reason why I found this place and made the entrance the way I did. So that we would have a private and safe place to go to get away from our parents. "

Then Mal again felt heat and pain going through her body, a bit worse than the other times she felt it.

She put a hand on her head and groaned slightly.

"Mal, you, whoa!," Carlos said.

"M," Evie said worriedly with a tone of surprise.

"I'm okay, " Mal said, feeling the pain and heat die down again but now feeling heat on the back of her neck and smelling smoke.

"Your hair Mal, " Uma said in shock.

"What?," Mal asked confused, lifting her hand up to her hair, only to quickly pull it back and cry in pain as it was burned by her hair.

Sure enough, Mal saw blue flames raising from her hair.

Panic filled her as she quickly ran out of the hideout and down the stairs, ignoring the worried voices of Jay, Evie, Carlos, Uma and Celia calling her name.

She cried in pain again as she felt the fire burn her neck as her panic grew.

She wanted to turn back and see if any of the flames had fallen to the ground but she couldn't get her legs to stop running.

For a split second she thought of transforming into a dragon but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop and focus enough to do it.

So she continued to run towards Hades's lair, only he would be able to help her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Mal's Fire

Mal ran until she found Hades's lair, quickly entering and running to where her father was.

Her hair had since changed from a light blue to a light purple flame.

"Dad? Dad!," Mal called in a panic, frantically looking around the main part of the cave.

"Mal? You alright?," Hades asked worriedly, noticing the panic in her voice as he came into view.

His jaw dropped and he stood motionless in shock after seeing the purple flames raising from Mal's hair.

He never imagined Mal would inherit his fire abilities.

Mal's cry of pain shook Hades from his state and he took a step towards Mal.

"I don't wanna burn you. I can't control it!," Mal said in a panic, taking a step back.

"Oh Mali, it's okay. You won't burn me, I promise. Come here, I'll help you, " Hades said softly, taking another step forward, slower than before.

"No, please dad, stay away. I don't wanna hurt you, " Mal said, the flames growing taller as her panic grew.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at me Mal. Look at me, it's okay. It's gonna be okay, Mali. I promise you, you won't hurt me. Just take a deep breath and try to calm down," Hades said comfortingly, still slowly making his way over to her. "Just look at me and breathe. "

Mal closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath, feeling the pain of the fire on her neck.

Mal yelped in pain as Hades got up to her.

"Here, give me the ember. I'll help you get rid of the pain," Hades said comfortingly, holding his hand out.

Mal put the ember in his hand and soon his hair was ablaze.

Hades gently moved Mal's hair aside and put the ember on her shoulder.

"It hurts dad, " Mal said as the ember slowly healed the burns.

"I know it does Mali. Just keep taking deep breaths. Trust me, the sooner you calm down the sooner the fire goes out, " Hades said softly, squeezing Mal's hand gently. "I'm right here okay? Can you come here?," Hades asked softly, opening his arm for her.

Mal hesitantly accepted Hades's embrace, hugging him tightly as she continued to breathe.

Hades hugged her back tightly, still keeping the ember on her shoulder but using his free arm to hug her and rub her back.

The flames slowly started to fade as Mal began to calm down.

"That's my girl. Just breathe and then we'll talk, okay? I'm gonna help you, I'll teach you how to control it," Hades said comfortingly, calming her down more.

Eventually, the flames died down completely and Mal closed her eyes.

"Here, let me see your neck. I wanna make sure I got it all, " Hades said.

Mal turned around and hissed as Hades gently moved Mal's hair to the side and placed the ember down on her neck.

Hades winced as he saw the burns on her neck.

"How did the fire not burn you?," Mal asked.

"I have enhanced endurance. I can withstand both cold and hot temperatures. I can even withstand lava if I had to," Hades said. "Of course, when I first developed my fire powers I got burned a lot. It took a long time to learn different steps and strategies to get myself to calm down enough so the fire goes away. But on the bright side, after the first time I didn't burn anymore. I could summon my fire without the burn."

Mal nodded slowly, taking in the information.

"All done," Hades said softly.

Mal turned back to face Hades and put her hand up to her neck.

"Thank you, " she said softly.

"Mmhm," Hades responded, tossing the ember back.

Mal put it away and rubbed her arm.

"Wanna sit and talk?," Hades asked.

Mal nodded and let Hades guide her to the chair, both of them taking a sit.

Mal cuddled up to Hades's side, who protectively wrapped his arm around her.

"Are you okay?," Hades asked.

"Yeah I... I'm okay. Just trying to process everything, " Mal said with a slight chuckle.

"Understandable. Heck, even I'm shocked. It's gonna be okay though. I'll teach you all the things I've learned over the years. This power... well, it can either be summoned or it just appears. You have a little more control over it if it's voluntary but I'll teach you to control it when it decides to have a mind of its own. It's just a matter of calming yourself down," Hades said.

"I thought that... that the fire only flares by itself if you're upset about something. I wasn't upset at all when it started, " Mal said confused.

"Hmmm... not quite sure how to explain that one. Could be because you started using my ember. It probably connected with your God side and made it react," Hades said.

"Dad, what if that's not the only power I have," Mal said nervously. "What if I develop more powers from you and mom?."

"Well, I'm not quite sure about your mother. But if you gain any more powers from me, I'm right here to help you. You're not alone in this, I promise, " Hades said comfortingly, stroking Mal's hair.

"What if... what if this happens again? What if I inherent more powers? What if I can't control them?," Mal asked, panic slowly starting to grow again, causing her hair to slowly start becoming flamed again.

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay," Hades says comfortingly, pulling her into a hug.

Mal takes a shaky breath, allowing Hades to comfort her, the flames again dying down.

"If you do inherent more powers... I will help you in any way I can. I will teach you how to use my powers and how to control them. And... if you do inherent powers from your mother... I have ways of getting the lizard to help you. I won't leave you to deal with it alone... I promise. We'll get through it together," Hades says softly, rubbing her back gently.

Mal takes another deep breath, relaxing into Hades's embrace.

"Thank you, dad...," Mal says softly.

Hades smiles softly, kissing her forehead. "You're welcome, Mali. I love you."

"I love you too," Mal says, hugging him a little tighter, feeling his arms tighten around her in response.

"You okay?," Hades asks softly as they pull away.

"Yeah... I'm okay now," Mal says, smiling softly.

"Good. Remember, I'm always here for you. I'll teach you how to control the power. As you get better at controlling it, you'll be able to keep the fire at bay, even when you're upset. You just need help figuring it out," Hades says encouragingly.

Mal smiles and nods. "Thank you for being here for me dad."

"Like I said, I haven't been there for you your whole life... and I wanna change that," Hades says, a loving and regretful look in his eyes.

"Dad... please stop beating yourself up about that. I'm not mad anymore... it's in the past. You're here now... that's all that matters," Mal says, grabbing his hand and holding it in hers.

Hades smiles at that, squeezing her hand. "I know... I'll try not to."

"Good. Have you got your stuff together?," Mal says.

"Yeah, I have everything I wanted to get."

"Good. I wanna show you something."

"You mentioned that. Color me intrigued. Lead the way," Hades says with a smile.

Mal smiles and the two leave the hideout, Mal leading the way back to her hideout.