Archive of Our Own

The Isle of the Lost is open and Mal has never felt more relieved. Finally, she has done something actually good. Something that wasn’t for herself, and wasn’t evil. Something that will actually help people. Help kids who didn’t deserve to be abandoned like they were in the first place.

It doesn’t undo how long the VKs were left to rot on the Isle with the villains, but it is a step forward. A step towards a better future for everyone who was trapped behind the barrier.

As they walk back to the pier that connects Auradon to the Isle, Mal glances at her friends. They each look as elated as she feels, like the weight keeping them grounded had been lifted. She knew they were waiting for this too, and it’s so nice to be able to do right by her friends and all the other kids who were left on the isle.

Since opening the barrier things began moving very quickly. Hundreds of people had come over to Auradon, and Mal was amazed at the new energy in the air. She didn’t understand it, but it felt like a new life was being breathed into Auradon.

“It’s the magic,” Hades told her when he noticed her fidgeting. “There was a lot of magic lying dormant on the Isle and now that it’s being channelled again it’s changing the air.”

Mal looked down at her hands in amazement, she could feel the energy in them, and the ember in her pocket was radiating with power.

Hades laughed at her excitement, and it’s one of the first times in her life Mal has ever felt seen by one of her parents.

After hours of watching people step into Auradon for the first time in decades, Hades turns to her with a grim expression.

He explains that he has to visit the Underworld for a while. That he’ll be back soon. He was always an absent father so it’s unsurprising. 

“You know where I’ll be.” She said with a sad smile before heading back to her friends, who are were playing in the grass with Dude as they waited for her.

Now they were walking back towards the Isle. No one had suggested it but the underlying anxiety that someone might have closed the barrier after they left was lingering. They just needed to be sure.

They step out onto the dock, and Mal is relieved to see people still walking across the bridge. It feels like another accomplishment. But her excitement falls short when she spots Uma, Harry and Gil.

They are sitting together against the archway opening the bridge. Knees pulled up, and huddled together like that, Mal has never seen the pirates looks so small. She catches the dark expressions on their faces and feels her chest tighten with anxiety.

The group makes a beeline towards them, and Uma, Harry and Gil stand when they spot them. Mal can see the anger on Uma’s face, and the defensive positions Harry and Gil take behind her make the hair on Mal's arms stand up.

“Is everything okay?” Evie asks, in her peripheral Mal can see Jay and Carlos scanning them for injuries.

“They don’t have anywhere to go.” Uma hisses. Mal narrows her eyes.

“What? Who?” Carlos asks, shifting Dude who is sleeping against his chest.

“The kids from the Isle. Look.” Uma gestures around the dock and Mal turns. There are kids, unmistakably from the Isle, scattered sporadically across the dock, in small groups or standing alone, their hands are in their pockets and they’re looking around nervously like they don’t know where they are allowed to be.

Jay spots someone he recognised and moves away from the group towards him. Mal recognises the boy as Jace Badun, the son of Jasper, one of Cruella’s henchmen. She follows closely behind.

“Jace! Hey buddy!” Jay extends his hand to Jace, who looks surprised and hesitantly takes it with a shake.

“Hey Jay, Mal.” He nods politely at them both.

“Why are you out here Jace?” Mal asks, and a startled look appears on his face.

“I thought we were allowed to- the barriers open! Look I’m sorry I didn’t realise-“ he goes to push pass Jay, but Jay stops him from moving.

“Hey, you’re not in trouble, man. I promise. She just meant why are you still out here. It’s getting pretty late.” Jace looks uncomfortable. And Mal notices Evie, Carlos, and Uma’s crew move up behind them. 

When Jace spots Carlos, his face lights up.

“Carlos, it’s good to see you, man. It’s been a long time,” Jace reaches out and gives him a hug, being careful of the sleeping dog cradled against his chest. It’s a lot smoother than his handshake with Jay, and he looks far more comfortable with his present company.

“You too Jace. I’m glad you can finally see what it’s like on this side of the barrier.” The pair share a grin. Uma coughs and Carlos jumps slightly.

“Right sorry. What’re you doing out so late dude? It’s been a while but your Dad had pretty strict rules on that didn’t he?” Carlos’ pushes. His presence has done a lot to calm Jace down, and he responds quickly.

“I mean I went back home, but the door was locked and my dad wasn’t home. Figured it’s probably safer spending the night on the street over here then spending it on the Isle.” Mal shares a look with Jay and can feel Evie tense behind her. Jace isn’t wrong, it would be safer at Auradon at night then on the Isle, even if people could leave the Isle now. She feels kind of sick.

“Is that what happened to everyone else too?” Evie asks. Mal can hear her trying to sound soothing and calm, not letting any of the anxiety she is feeling leak into her voice.

“I mean to some of them. Hugh Hans’s dad told him that he wasn’t allowed to come home anymore, but Ginny Gothel just ran. She doesn’t want to go home. Don’t blame her honestly.” Jace says pointing to the respective kids, who turn away when Mal looks at them. Mal knows there are a lot of kids on the Isle with parents like that, but even still it shocks her.

She should’ve thought of this, should’ve known that opening the barrier without having prepared somewhere for the kids to stay was risky. 

“I have somewhere you can stay. It’s safe and warm. There’s no adults, just us.” Evie says moving closer. Mal is relived that Evie is such a quick thinker. Jace looks at her sceptically.

“Are you sure? This isn’t some trick?” He narrows his eyes at Uma, who raises a single eyebrow. Jace ducks his head at her expression.

“No trick. We just don’t want you sleeping out here tonight.” Carlos assures. Jace bites his lip and hesitates, before nodding slowly.

“Is there any chance you have some room for some others?” He asks, gesturing to Claire Clayton, a small child probably no older then Squeaky and Squirmy. She’s sitting on the ground behind Jace, her knees pulled up to her chest, looking sadly up at them. The guilt is her stomach is churning.

“Yes, there is,” Evie says. She turns to the group and speaks quickly. “Go around and talk to as many kids as possible. If any of them don’t have a place to stay tonight tell them they can come with us. Uma are you guys with us?”

Uma nods quickly, and sends Harry and Gil in different directions, before walking off herself. Jay and Carlos follow suit. Evie turns to Mal and grabs her shoulders.

“This isn’t your fault, but we need to get these kids off the street tonight.” Mal can see the determination in her eyes and knows that now is not the time to be thinking about herself. So she nods and follows after Uma.

 17 displaced kids from the Isle end up at Evie’s cottage, Mal and Uma’s gangs take a second to breathe in the kitchen before they begin moving on autopilot making the kids comfortable.

It’s not the first time Mal has helped kids seeking refuge, and she knows it's not Uma’s either, so the tasks fall naturally.

Jay and Evie go upstairs and try and find as many blankets and pillows as possible, whilst Carlos and Gil try and get everyone settled in the living room. Harry and Uma go to the kitchen to try and organise some food. They find more food than either of them have ever seen in one place and they begin to sort out rations.

Mal takes the opportunity to take a perimeter of the house, making sure there are no unwanted people in the area, and checking the protection spell she put on the house. Her and Evie spent weeks trying to find the right spell. The one they eventually found gave Evie complete control over who enters her cottage. Anyone that she didn’t want to enter would immediately feel burns on any part of their body that crossed the threshold.

She’s grateful for the spell right now because she knows Evie won’t let anyone who wants to hurt these kids inside the house. God, a good portion of the group inside are hiding from their parents. Opening the barrier was supposed to get rid of this problem, but she should’ve known that is was more complicated than that. Villains who are allowed in Auradon aren’t going to be suddenly good parents. She knows better than that. Ugh, Auradon had made her soft.

By the time she is sure the house is safe, Mal has well and truly worked herself into a fury. She is angry at herself for being so stupid, and angry at every parent from the Isle who made their kids hide from them.

She storms into the living room with a scowl on her face and stands at the edge of the room, watching. She recognises a lot of the faces in the room; Hermie Bing who is cowering with Rick Ratcliffe, Yzla sitting away from the group carefully watching everyone’s moves. Claudine Frollo is on the opposite side of the room doing the same. Jace and Claire are sitting together, watching the room with wide eyes. Dizzy is sitting with the Smee twins on a couch watching the room with wide eyes. Mal’s not sure how they ended up back here but guesses their parents probably didn’t want them sleeping on the Isle anymore.

Mal notices that there are also a bunch of faces she doesn’t recognise, kids that were too young to be taken seriously when she was running her gang on the Isle. She’d only seen many of them in passing and feels a pang of guilt for suggesting to Ben that they should’ve just kept the barrier closed with these kids inside. These kids have nowhere to stay tonight because of who their parents are and Mal was going to leave them there.

There is more order to the room, then when Mal had left. The furniture had been pushed aside, and most of the floor has been covered with blankets and pillows. It’s probably not super comfortable, but they have all slept in places worse, then on Evie’s carpet.

There are more pillows then Mal has ever seen in one room, but it still doesn’t look like enough for everyone. Tomorrow morning she’ll go and get some more.

Evie’s walking around with a notepad, peering at the torn, dirty clothing of the kids, obviously trying figuring out what needs repairing, and how long it will take. Uma and Gil are passing out food, that the kids are taking with nervous, hungry eyes. Carlos meanwhile is following a little bit behind Evie, the first aid kit in his hand; he’s checking kids for injuries, and Mal’s heart feels heavy. The same way it used to when she would see the cuts and bruises Carlos used to come to school with. 

Dude follows behind Carlos, talking to the kids and keeping them distracted as Carlos cleans wounds that shouldn’t exist. The kids laugh and pat Dude with wide eyes.

At least some of them are laughing, Mal thinks bitterly. This was supposed to be a night of celebration, a night that welcomed the VKs into Auradon with open arms. Instead, it’s become another night that reminds Mal just how little the adults around them actually care.

Across the room Harry stands in the kitchen, he’s mirroring her perfectly, with his arms folded, eyes scanning the kids in the room. Mal’s seen the look in his eyes before, it’s the one she’d seen him give his crew when he was making sure they were okay after a fight. It’s the same look Mal has seen him give Uma and Gil a lot over the past few days. It feels weird seeing it directed at someone else.

Uma catches Mal’s eye and jerks her head towards the kitchen, before standing and walking there herself. Mal walks through the room, following behind. Evie gives her a small smile as she walks past, and Harry nods in acknowledgment.

Uma is standing behind the counter, an assortment of fruit in front of her.

“You need to help me cut these, I don’t know how some of them are supposed to be cut.” Uma doesn’t look up, but Mal mumbles an okay as she comes over. She takes the banana bunch from the centre of the bench and peeling one, before cutting it up and putting it into one of the many bowls spread on the bench.

“We need to figure out what we are going to do with these kids. We can’t just send them back to the street tomorrow.” Uma says, there is a fierceness in her voice that reminds Mal of years of rivalry. But they are older now, they have more important things to worry about than their childish feud.

“I know. I think we should go and see Ben tomorrow morning. Try and organise a more permanent home for them. Somewhere safe, where they don’t have to worry about doors being locked on them while they are out.” Mal says bitterly, as she grabs and orange and starts peeling it. 

“That sounds like a good plan,” Uma responds her voice even. It’s the voice of someone who knows what it’s like to be in charge and understands the steps that need to be taken to ensure the safety of all no matter what. Mal is struck with a thought.

“Uma, are your crew okay? Like do you know if they are all safe tonight?” Uma looks up at her offended that she would even suggest otherwise.

“Yes they are,” she snaps. It’s quiet for a moment before she continues. Softer this time. “When I escaped the Isle Harry says that half the crew left to Harriet’s ship. The ones that stuck around know they have a place on my ship, even if I’m not there.”

Harriet Hook was no joke on the Isle. Someone that even Mal was wary of crossing. She can imagine how bitter Uma must be feeling, knowing they abandoned her for Harriet.

“It’s good that they are all safe,” Mal says. Uma takes a deep breath. It looks like she is actively trying to calm herself.

“What matters now is making sure we find somewhere for these kids to stay. Evie is definitely alright with them being here?” Mal nods, feeling her bitterness creep back in. The more she thinks about it, the more her anger at the situation turns to guilt. She should have gotten those kids out sooner. Or at the very least got them out in a way that didn’t leave them sleeping on the street at night. Mal’s had to do that before, and she wouldn’t wish it on any VKs, even the ones she hated.

“Hey, Mal.” Mal looks up at her. Uma gestures to the living room, where Mal can see Carlos wrapping the wrist of a ten-year-old in a thick bandage. “I know you’re feeling guilty right now, but you got them out. Where they were was so much worse. You did the right thing.”

Mal swallows thickly, blinking back the tears that try and fill her eyes.

“We should get some of these out there.” She mumbles. She pours some blueberries into some bowls, and picks up as many as she can carry, before walking back into the living room. She purposely doesn’t look at Uma as she does so.

The kids that she hands the bowls to, smile gratefully at her, but duck their heads quickly. Mal had a reputation on the Isle, so she’s not offended.

“Hey Mal,” Yzla asks softly when she hands her a bowl, “What if our parents come looking for us?”

Mal sees the moment the thought occurs to her friends; sees Carlos go pale, and Jay’s back straightens out. Evie’s looking at Mal. She can see Gil looking between Harry and Uma for assurances, that won’t come.

Uma speaks up.

“They can’t reach you here. This is a safe space, and we can protect you here.” Uma’s voice is so strong that even Mal believes her. It gives her strength.

“We won’t let anyone hurt you,” Mal promises.

The night feels longer than usual. Every VK is restless, even the ones that were living in Auradon before tonight. There’s an anxiety in the air, that is only amplified every time someone jumps awake from a nightmare.

Neither Mal’s gang or Uma’s crew, sleep very much. The responsibility of so many kids keep their minds alert and the worry of other villains on the loose keeps them anxious.

There is also another anxiety in the air. The one that comes with not knowing if you can trust the people you are around. It’s a feeling that Mal left behind on the Isle, but being in a room with so many other kids from the Isle has brought it back. She can see that she’s not the only one who is feeling it.

Uma is keeping a sharp eye on everyone, her eyes darting around the room anytime she senses movement or hears a noise. She’s sitting on the arm of an armchair that both Harry and Gil have squeezed themselves onto. Harry and Gil spend the night looking tense. Mal watches as they keep succumbing to exhaustion, before jolting awake in surprise. Every time one of them does it, Uma reaches out a hand and cups the back of their head until they settle back down. It’s a routine that doesn’t break through the night and makes Mal feel even more guilty for not reaching out to Uma sooner.

Jay sets himself up next to Jace after Claire works herself into a panic when the lights are shut off. With a promise to Claire that he will protect her she falls asleep, and he follows soon after. Mal’s glad that at least one of them is getting some sleep.

Carlos is in the corner of the room, a tablet in his hand, probably reading something scientific that Mal wouldn’t understand. Dude is sleeping on the floor, curled up next to him. Carlos is dragging one hand through his fur and periodically looking up to scan the room for danger. Evie is tucked up on Carlos’ other side, using the light from his tablet to take notes in her notebook. Neither of them even try to sleep and it feels stupid. She and Uma are already awake. They don’t need that many people to keep watch, and it feels like they are wasting resources. If Carlos and Evie sleep now, then Uma and Mal can sleep later.

By sunrise, everyone is exhausted, and even the kids who slept through the night are feeling it. Evie’s cottage feels like a very temporary solution, and Mal needs to talk to Ben as soon as possible. 

It’s quickly decided that Mal, Uma, Harry and Jay will go and see Ben, whilst Carlos, Evie and Gil keep an eye on the VKs for a while. Now that they were comfortable, it doesn’t appear that any of the kids wanted to leave anytime soon, and no one is prepared to tell them otherwise.

“See if you can get some supplies on your way back. I don’t think we have enough to sustain this capacity for very long.” Evie tells her as they leave, the exhaustion clear in her voice.

“We’ll get as much as we can carry,” Mal assures, squeezing her shoulder before they leave. Mal feels tired and can see that Harry, Uma and Jay feel the same. But they are safe. And all the kids inside Evie’s cottage are safe too. That is enough for now.

When they arrive at Ben’s office, he is very excited to see them. He pulls Mal into a hug and drags everyone into his office with a laugh. His grin is wide and usually contagious, but Mal can’t bring herself to smile back.

Getting the kids off the Isle was his idea in the first place, and now Mal has to be the one to tell him that it didn’t work properly. That not all kids are doing better even though they can come to Auradon now.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news Ben, but we need to talk,” Uma says seriously, and the smile slips of Ben’s face. He leans against his desk and gestures for her to speak. Mal is glad that Uma is talking, she doesn’t think she could right now.

“Last night we were down by the bridge, and found a bunch of kids who had been displaced by the barrier opening.” Ben’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“What do you mean by displaced?”

“They didn’t have anywhere to go. A bunch them went back home after coming over to Auradon and found their homes empty. Or their parents kicked them out, or they didn’t feel safe enough to go back home. Either way, there’s now a bunch of kids in Auradon who don’t have a place to stay without your VK program organising housing for them.” Uma says, folding her arms across her chest.

“Oh my god. Did they sleep on the street last night? Are any of them hurt or sick?” Ben jumps from his desk and moves around it to grab his phone.

“Ben, it’s okay. We found them and took them back to Evie’s cottage. They didn’t sleep outside.” Mal says, trying to sound comforting. Ben gives her an incredulous look.

“How many of them did you find?”

“There were 17 VKs, not including the seven of us,” Jay responds.

“Okay, we need to find places for them to stay. I can maybe call some families? See if they’re willing to take some kids in.”  He starts to reach for the phone again, but Uma puts out a hand to stop him.

“I don’t think putting them in a stranger's house is going to make any VK feel any safer.” She says pointedly. Ben considers what she says and sits down in his chair.

“What do you think we should do Uma?”

“Auradon needs to build a house for lost kids. Like the one, Carlos had on the Isle. But one with actual heating, and clean water and food. These kids need somewhere where they will be looked after. But more importantly, somewhere they will feel safe. Forcing them to house with a bunch of Auradonians isn’t going to help them feel safe.” Ben bites his lip thoughtfully and looks at Mal, seeking her opinion.

“I think it’s a good idea. Not all VKs are going to come willingly, but they will come to somewhere marked safe. We can hire fairies to be careers, and have chefs and maybe even have some counsellors on hand. We need to do whatever we can to help this transition run smoother.” Mal tries to keep the desperation out of her voice, but by the look on Ben’s face, she knows he heard it.

“Okay. I’ll talk to Fairy Godmother, and get the ball rolling. With other fairies helping, I’m sure we can have the house up and functioning in a couple of days. Is Evie okay with housing the other kids a little bit longer?” Ben asks. In the corner of her eye, Mal sees Uma’s shoulders relax.

“She is, but we’ll need more supplies,” Mal says.

“I’ll get some delivered, and get on that as soon as possible. Is there anything else before I call Fairy Godmother?” Mal and Uma shake their heads, but Harry steps forward. Ben looks at him in surprise.

“Just a wee question. What will happen to the villains who were on the Isle but continue doing evil now that they have been let free?” And isn’t that the question. Opening the Isle was supposed to be a second chance for every person that lived there. But what about those who used their second chance to continue hurting people?

“You can’t put the barrier back up on the Isle. It’s a lot of kid’s homes. Innocent kids.” Jay steps up next to Harry. And Ben is starting to look as overwhelmed as Mal feels.

“We can’t let anyone who hurts others be allowed to continue to do so.” Mal feels separate from her voice as she talks. Like she always does when she makes a political statement that she knows is good for the country, but mightn’t necessarily believe. Uma whips her head towards Mal.

“The problem with the Isle wasn’t that villains were being locked up. Beyond the genuinely inhumane living conditions, we were forced to live in; the Isle gave the same punishment to every crime ever committed, and then that punishment was able to fester into a subpar society that then also punished innocent kids.” Uma hisses, glaring at Mal and Ben. Mal feels the angry expression form on her face before she can stop it. As though she didn’t know that. As though she didn’t also grow up on the Isle!

“So maybe a different kind of prison is the answer then,” Jay suggests, his voice soft in comparison to Uma’s harsh words. Ben nods slowly.

“Okay, I’m going to organise a meeting with the other royals today and we will see about designing something….different. A place that will keep bad people from the people they hurt, without letting them hurt others.” Ben begins to scribble notes on a piece of paper, and the VKs are quiet for a moment.

Mal doesn’t look anywhere other than at Ben. Her eyes itch, and she knows her face is red. She’s angry, not necessarily at Uma, but at every parent from the Isle who made their kids feel so unsafe. It’s been a long 16 hours. She kind of wants to hit someone. But she’s not that person anymore, she knows she’s not. So instead she takes a deep breath.

Jay slides his hand into hers, uncurling it until he can hold it tightly.

“Everyone gets a second chance.” He says. The silent ‘they don’t get a third’ is unspoken.

They leave Ben’s office with the comfort of knowing he has a plan, and that Fairy Godmother is going to visit Evie’s cottage later in the day. It’s not a solution yet, but knowing some adults are helping with decision making alleviates a little pressure off Mal’s shoulders.

Mal and Jay lead Harry and Uma towards a marketplace on the edge of Auradon, so they can get more supplies for Evie. It’s smaller than the other markets in Auradon, maybe two dozen colourful stalls set up in a spiral on a concrete courtyard.

Mal scans the area whilst Jay excitedly tells Uma and Harry about the things the various things sold at the marketplace, everything from fresh fruits to custom satchels. For their part, both Uma and Harry look like they are trying to hold back how excited they are. It’s unsurprising, the nicest things sold on the Isle were almost always broken and dirty anyway.

The marketplace is more crowded than usual, and Mal can see the contrasts between Auradonians and Isle dwellers. The bright colours of locals glaringly vivid in comparison to the dull and dirty clothing of those from the Isle. She can also feel the slight tension in the air- Auradonians are being more cautious than usual, keeping a closer eye on their tills then Mal has ever seen them do before.

Some people are making more of an effort though. From where the group stands, Mal can see Bashful’s pie stall. He is giving out free samples to everyone who passes by, villains included… is it right to call them villains now that they aren’t contained to the Isle? Sure they did things wrong in the past, but letting them free was supposed to be about second chances.

Her thoughts are halted when she spots Yzma gliding across the courtyard. Immediately she reaches out and grabs Jay and Uma’s arms. They both stop and follow her line of sight, and freeze. For a moment she doesn’t know what to do.

On the Isle, if you saw a big name villain it was either quickly offer up whatever you have or you run before you’re seen. But now they’re in Auradon. Are the rules the same here? No one else seems to be reacting so maybe it’s okay?

Dread pools in her stomach as she spots Claude Frollo. Harry moves in front of the group, his hook held in front of his chest, ready to protect them. Uma immediately puts a hand on his shoulder and pulls him back to them. She turns to Mal.

“I don’t know what the rules are here,” she says honestly. Mal doesn’t either, but they theoretically should be fine. She’s going to be Queen for crying out loud, surely that means other villains won’t try and mess with her or her friends.

“Oh god,” Jay whispers. Mal’s head whips up at his voice and tries to see what he’s staring at.

He has his back to the group, but Mal would recognise Jafar anywhere. Jay dives behind a tent, pulling the group along with him. There is panic in his eyes, and Mal can feel herself mirroring his tense position.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Jay is mumbling. Mal reaches out and pulls one of his shaking hands into hers. He looks up at her with desperate eyes.

“Mal he can’t see me. There’s no way he’s forgiven me after what happened with Fairy Godmother’s wand. Mal- he’ll kill me if he sees me.” His voice is almost shaking and Mal can’t believe she has made Jay scared.  

This is all her fault. She let the villains out. If Jafar sees Jay, anything he does to him will be her fault. Oh god. What about the Evil Queen? Or Cruella? All she’s ever wanted to do was protect her friends, and now the one thing that could hurt them more than anything else, she enabled.

“Mal,” Uma says, shaking her a little, but pulling her from her panic. “We need to get out of here. Unseen. Do you have a spell or something?”

Uma and Harry move around so that they are blocking Jay and Mal from anyone who walks past. They both look like they are preparing for a fight, and Mal recognises the look on Harry’s face as the same ones he was giving the other VKs the night before. It makes her heart ache.

Mal thinks carefully, she needs to keep Jay safe. And she needs to keep Harry and Uma safe.

“Okay,” she says quietly, “I can make us invisible for a little while, but we won’t be able to see each other so link hands.”

She squeezes Jay’s hand and uses her other hand to cast the spell.

“We don’t want you to know we’re here; so with a flick of my wrist we disappear.” As she finishes the spell, all four of them quickly become a shimmery translucent colour before fading into nothing.

Jay quickly grabs Harry’s hand before he disappears, and Mal sees Harry reach for Uma’s hand with his hook. She grabs on tightly and they disappear.

Mal rises and begins to quickly guide the group through the marketplace. She feels Jay squeeze her hand tighter when they walk past Jafar. Jafar doesn’t see them, fixated on whatever he is trying to buy.

They make their way to the other side of the marketplace and pass Gaston, who is leaning across a table trying to flirt his way into a deal.

Mal hears Harry make a noise of distress at seeing him and starts walking faster.

They are almost out of the marketplace when Mal hears Cruella De Vil’s unmistakable screeching voice.

“Has anyone seen my Carlos? Do you know where my Carlos lives?”

Mal feels ill.

By the time they get back to Evie’s cottage, the four VKs are almost completely visible again, but it’s only when the cottage comes into view that they pull their hands apart.

Inside the cottage is a stark contrast to the previous night. At night the house was full of lost kids and teenagers, most of whom were either riddled with nightmares or were shaking with anxiety. But now the house was booming with noise and laughter.

Carlos had moved the blankets and pillows out of the way and was now using the living room to host some sort of video game tournament. Dude is playing with a ball between Claire and Dizzy on the floor in the corner of the room. Mal is relieved to see some of the kids looking settled.

Carlos grins and waves up at the group as they enter the house. Despite how obviously exhausted he is, Mal can tell that he is enjoying himself.

In the kitchen, Gil has a group of VKs with a cookbook on the table. They are obviously trying their hand at baking, probably unsuccessfully. Almost every surface area is covered in flour or some other food waste, but just like in the living room, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

Even the kids who are sitting back and not participating, look like they are just enjoying watching the chaos unfold.

“Mal!” Evie calls as she enters from her sewing room. “Did you guys manage to buy any more material? Mal- hey what’s wrong?”

Mal grabs Evie’s hand and pulls her outside, making sure to gesture to Carlos to follow. Harry grabs Gil and they follow them out too.

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Carlos asks, glancing nervously between them.

“Did everything go okay with Ben?” Evie presses.

They explain how things went with Ben. Their plans to build a house run by fairies for kids from the Isle who don’t have a proper home. They are quiet through the explanation and only look startled when Mal mentions the plan for a new type of ‘prison’ system for villains who break the law.

“That seems… risky.” Carlos says cautiously. Jay throws his arm over Carlos’ shoulder, comfortingly.

“It shouldn’t be. It won’t be like the Isle was. Just somewhere to keep people who are dangerous contained. Uma made sure to talk about the living conditions so it shouldn’t be inhumane. We can’t just let people who want to hurt others live among us. No matter where they are from.” Mal is so tired of these conversations. She is so tired.

Evie nods pensively.

“It does seem like a good idea. Just keep your eyes on things M. Don’t let them create another Isle.” Mal reaches out and grabs her hand.

“I won’t,” she promises. It’s not a hard promise to make.

“Is there something else?” Gil asks. Everyone looks over at him in surprise. “It just feels like there’s something you’re not telling us here. You could’ve told us all that inside.”

Uma links her arm with Gil, and he looks surprised by the movement, but Uma keeps looking at Mal, waiting for her to speak.

“We think that maybe… our parents are looking for us now that they are off the Isle.” She says ‘our’, but Mal knows where both of her parents are, and neither of them are looking for her.

There’s a sharp gasp from Evie and Mal closes her eyes. She doesn’t want to see her friends faces, doesn’t want to see their disappointment or fear. Emotions that her actions created.

She hears Carlos’ soft ‘oh’ and tries to swallow back the lump in her throat. They all know what will happen if their parents find them. Even Uma, Harry and Gil left their parents behind on the Isle when they originally escaped. Mal can’t imagine the punishments that await them.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. We’re not going to let any of our parents near us. We have each other’s backs. Right, Mal?” Uma is increasingly becoming the voice of reason in all of Mal’s panic. Mal forces her eyes open.

The group has huddled closer than before she spoke. Everyone is pressed against one another, trying to offer comfort without being obvious about it.

Jay’s grip on Carlos’ shoulder has tightened, and Evie is on the other side of Carlos, her arm wrapped around his. Next to Jay, Harry is standing as close as possible to Gil, his arm pressed firmly against Gil’s. Even from where she stands Mal can see that Uma doesn’t like how far away she is from Harry, wanting to comfort him as well as Gil.

She takes a deep breath.                            

“Uma’s right. We are stronger together, and they can’t get you here.” Mal reaches for both Evie and Uma’s hand. They stand tall for a moment, together despite their fear.

“Wait! M, if Ben’s going to create a prison, how long do you think until our parents do something evil enough to be locked away?” Evie asks her eyes darting around the group at the thought. Harry widens his eyes in realisation, and Carlos lets out a breath.

“Our parents are not good people. It won’t be long,” Harry says.

“Exactly! Mal put a protection spell on my cottage when I bought it. No one can come in without my say so. So maybe we just stay here until they are safely locked away.” Jay nods his agreement, and Gil looks to Uma for assurance. Mal considers this- it’s certainly the safest idea. Their parents were put on the Isle for a reason… they did something bad enough to be locked up so surely it wouldn’t take long until they did something again?

“I think that’s a good plan,” Uma responds assuring them all. She squeezes Mal’s hand, urging a response.

“I think so too. But what about resources? You said we were already running out of food E, and you need new materials at least.” Mal points out.

“We could ask Lonnie? Or Jane? They’re both in the area and usually down to help out.” Jay says. It’s not a bad idea, but Mal hates the idea of asking for more help. 

“I’ll text them right now,” Evie says, pulling her hand back and reaching for her phone.

They head back inside together and disappear to different parts of the house. They all try to occupy themselves with other VKs to keep their minds off their parents, and the trouble they know they are all in if they are found.

Hours after Evie’s text, Lonnie, Jane and Fairy Godmother arrive at Evie’s cottage with dozens of pillows, blanket and a dozen bags of groceries.

Whilst everyone is unpacking the packages, Fairy Godmother takes Uma and Mal around to the gardens behind the cottage to talk about their plans for a VK home. It’s the start of a much bigger conversation that will eventually need to happen; what’s going to happen to the VK’s schooling and extracurriculars? How are they going to fit into Auradonian society with no transitionary period? There is so much to discuss, but right now they start with housing.

Uma takes the lead with the conversation, emphasising to Fairy Godmother the priority that it needs to feel safe above all else. Fairy Godmother listens with pursed lips, and it feels comforting to have her actually listen to what Uma is saying. On the Isle, a child never was given the respect of actually being heard, and Fairy Godmother giving it at this moment was telling.

 “You also can’t force any kid to stay there. No one will come if you force them to stay.” Uma says and Fairy Godmother looks surprised. She looks to Mal for confirmation.

“Most VKs have grown up fearing authority. If it’s too controlling, they won’t risk it. Even if it’s to have a warm place to sleep at night.” The look of pity on Fairy Godmother’s face makes both Mal and Uma scowl. But neither of them say anything.

“I understand.” She says softly. “I want both you girls to know I’m very proud of you. You’re standing up for these children, and making sure they are protected when no one else has.”

Mal bites back from saying that she could’ve stepped up. That there wasn’t anything preventing the famous Fairy Godmother from looking out for neglected kids in their time of need.

Instead, she gives her a half-smile and says thank you. Glancing at Uma, Mal can see she’s still scowling.

“So it will be a few days before we can get the fairies to come out and help us build. Is Evie okay for the children to stay here in the meantime?” Mal hates the way she says ‘children’. Especially when some of the VKs inside are the same age as her. Her exhaustion is creeping up on her.

“Yes, Evie is happy to lend out her space. And you, Jane and Lonnie, brought us plenty of supplies to keep running for a few days.” Her smile is disingenuous, but Fairy Godmother takes no notice.

“That’s wonderful to hear,” she responds cheerfully. “But I can’t help but notice things were getting a little… cramped inside?”

“You think that’s cramped?” Uma says, scoffing, “You should try spending the night on a pirate ship with 30 other kids because none of them has a better place to sleep. That’s cramped.” 

Mal places a hand on her arm in warning.

“Um. Right, well what I mean to say is, it might be safer if there was some more space inside. I have a spellbook in my desk at home, and I think it might have a spell that could extend the building a little bit. I’d be happy to bring it by after my meeting with King Ben and the Royal Council this afternoon. That way the children won’t feel as cramped up at night.” Fairy Godmother smiles brightly, and Mal is never going to turn down an opportunity for some new magic.

“That would be great Fairy Godmother, thank you,” Mal responds in her most diplomatic voice. She elbows Uma, and Uma adds a ‘Yes thank you Fairy Godmother’, in an insincere tone, that Fairy Godmother thankfully doesn’t comment on.

Mal walks Fairy Godmother to the front door and bids her a polite goodbye. She turns, prepared to reconvene in the kitchen with the rest of the group. Instead, her path is blocked by Squeaky and Squirmy. The white-haired twins are standing, arms linked staring up at her with wide eyes.

“Hey guys, you want a snack?” she asks, bending down to their level. They stare unblinking, before Squeaky nods, and Squirmy reaches his hand out for her. She laughs softly, and grabs it, guiding them towards the kitchen.

It’s weird to see her Auradonian friends in the same room as her VK friends, but it looks almost natural. Jane and Lonnie are at the bench cutting up sandwiches and placing them on a plate, that already has two dozen sandwiches on it. Behind them, Harry is leaning against the countertop, twirling his hook in one hand and munching on an apple with the other. Gil meanwhile is sitting on the counter next to him, eating an apple of his own. They are both quietly watching the girls make sandwiches.

Uma has joined Evie at the dining table, organising and dividing up fruit, like they were doing last night. Jay, Carlos and Dude are notably absent.

Mal is about to offer Squeaky and Squirmy one of the sandwiches when Squeaky well- squeaks. Everyone in the room looks up in shock, the VKs especially surprised after not hearing a noise from either twin since taking them from the Isle, days before.

Squirmy pulls his hand from her, and she realises they are staring at Harry, who is looking at these two kids like they might attack him at any moment.

They walk over to stand in front of him and the room is quiet, watching the interaction.

“Hook,” says Squirmy, pointing at Harry’s hook. Harry looks up at Uma for help, and then at Mal when none is offered.

“Um yeah, this is me hook.” He says, lowering it to their level so they can get a better look if that’s what they wanted to do. But both kids are looking up at him now.

“Dad says we trust Hook,” Squeaky informs. And Harry’s mouth parts in surprise. He quickly swallows and tries to recompose himself, realising the room was still watching him.

“Yes, your dad was right. You can trust me,” Harry promises and the twins giggle in response. They turn and run out of the room before anyone else says anything, and Mal thinks she can see the weight that interaction has placed on Harry’s shoulders. Like she can see him physically take on the pressure of feeling responsible for someone else.

“Well, that was maybe the cutest thing I have ever seen,” Coos Lonnie, in her unbreakably cheerful manner. It breaks the tension of the room, and Mal let’s out a laugh along with Uma and Evie. Gil pats Harry on the shoulder, as Harry repositions himself against the counter, his face red.

“Hey guys, thanks for doing this,” Mal says, properly greeting Lonnie and Jane. They both give her big grins as they work.

“It’s no problem at all Mal, we’re glad to be able to help.” Jane smiles. Mal can’t help but smile back. “Did Mom say how long until your VK home would be ready?”

“She said that it’ll probably take a few days to get things rolling before anyone can move in. Until then, we’ll be housing them here.” Mal looks at Evie for confirmation, who nods as she continues sorting fruit.

“That sucks. I can’t imagine how stressed out you guys must be,” Lonnie says offhandedly. Mal doesn’t know how to respond so she just offers Lonnie a half-smile.

“You guys look exhausted actually,” Lonnie continues. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

Mal sort of shrugs and everyone else is silent.

“Oh my god. Go take a nap. All of you. Jane and I can take over making sure the house doesn’t burn down in your absence.” Mal can see Uma furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. Evie looks reluctant.

“Hey guys we really appreciate that but it’s okay,” Mal assures. Gil yawns loudly behind Jane and Mal glares at him.

“Sorry,” he says, ducking his head.

“Seriously Mal, we’ll be fine for a few hours. Besides, you guys are no use to anyone if you’re all on the brink of collapse. You all look exhausted.” Jane says, moving more sandwiches onto the overflowing pile. Mal looks over at Evie and Uma, who both look exhausted. The dark rings under the eyes are prominent enough that Mal knows Evie is probably feeling self-conscious already.

She looks over at Harry and Gil, who looks just as exhausted. Both are leaning heavily against the countertop and Mal can almost see a slight tremble in Harry’s movements.

She should’ve made everyone sleep last night when she was keeping watch. She knew they were wasting resources but let them stay up anyway. If she’s going to continue thinking she is someone who protects her friends, she should actually do it.

“Yeah okay. That’s a great idea. Thanks, guys.” Everyone in the room looks at her in surprise, but there is also a small relief on all the VK’s faces, and it assures her she made the right decision.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with the other kids?” Evie asks as her and Uma stand.

“I mean we handled you guys just fine,” Jane says with a laugh. Mal inwardly scoffs; she remembers Family Day and how badly they were ‘handled’. But she needs her friends to actually sleep so she doesn’t say anything.

They follow Evie upstairs, only stopping to grab Carlos and Jay from the living room where they were showing the VKs how to use the VR headset. Jay jumps up immediately, excited to get some rest. Carlos leaves Dude in the arms of Claudine and follows closely behind.

Evie leads them to the end of a corridor and gestures to a closed-door, before turning to Uma.

“You guys can sleep in there if you like. There’s a pretty big bed and a couch if need be. I put fresh sheets on the bed when Jane and Lonnie arrived.” She says with a tired smile. It’s the room that Jay and Carlos usually sleep in, but neither of them seems fussed. Uma nods her thanks before entering the room. Harry and Gil follow and the door is closed in their face. Mal sighs. 

“Don’t worry about it M,” Evie says, she grabs Mal’s hand and pulls her into her own room next door. Carlos and Jay follow.

Evie goes over to her cupboard and exits with sweatpants and t-shirts. All the perfect size. She hands a set to Carlos and Jay, before pulling Mal into her bathroom so they can change.

After changing they go back into the bedroom, and the light is already off. Evie huffs in annoyance at Carlos and Jay’s clothes that have been haphazardly been thrown on the floor. Mal laughs and drops her own clothes next to them, just to hear Evie squeak in annoyance. She laughs, but Evie is probably more tired than she looks because she leaves the clothes and instead goes over to the bed.

“They can’t ever make it easy for us can they,” Evie says amusedly. Mal looks over and sees that Carlos and Jay have both already climbed in bed, and are under the covers asleep. They are on opposite sides of the bed, a wide space left in the middle for Mal and Evie.

It’s certainly not the first time they’ve shared a bed. Not even the first time they’ve had to do so because of lack of space.

Evie climbs over Carlos, careful not to jostle him in his sleep. Mal meanwhile climbs over Jay, purposely nudging and prodding him as much as possible. She lugs herself over him and makes sure to ‘accidentally’ elbow him in the stomach for good measure.

“Opff.” He groans, not quite asleep.

“Oops. Sorry.” Mal says with fake cheer. Jay huffs and pushes her towards Evie, and she laughs.

Mal lies down, her head propped up on the pillow. She settles her hands on her chest and gets ready to keep watch for a few hours as her friends get some much-needed rest.

“M,” Evie says quietly, a warning tone in her voice. Mal keeps her eyes locked on the ceiling.

“Yes E?”

“You need to sleep too. Jane and Lonnie are keeping watch downstairs.” Mal frowned.

“I know,” she assured.

“Then come sleep.” She didn’t get it, that was the problem. Evie didn’t understand that everything that was happening with their parents and these kids was because of her, because she jumped the gun and just opened the Isle. And maybe it was the right decision, but she did it the wrong way. And now all these people- these kids- were being affected and potentially put in danger. Her friends were being put in danger because of her-

“Mal.” Evie’s sitting up and peering over at Mal. Mal can feel tears burning her eyes.

“Mal listen to me. None of this is your fault okay? You didn’t lock anyone up on the Isle. You didn’t ask for our parents to be the way they are. Every decision you have made has been to help or protect us and we don’t blame you for any of this. You don’t need to feel bad about any of it okay?” Evie reaches out and grabs Mal’s hand and Mal squeezes it. Evie squeezes back, but Mal can feel her looking at her waiting for an answer.

“Okay,” she tries to sound strong, but it comes out almost like a sob. Evie’s frown deepens.

“Come sleep M,” she says lying back down, pulling Mal over so she’s resting in Evie’s arms.

Mal can feel Jay move behind her, trying to remain close as he slips off to sleep. Carlos curls his body around Evie’s and throws his arm over her, so he’s touching Mal’s arm. She feels safe in between the best people she has ever known. And she tries not to think about how it’s her fault they are all at risk.

And then when Carlos wakes in an hour and a half, unable to breathe after a nightmare, she tries not to feel guilty that he feels so unsafe his nightmares returned.

When Evie wakes an hour after that with a nightmare of her own, she stops trying to not feel guilty.

Uma closes the door before Evie can say another word. She’s grateful for the kindness but far too tired to keep dealing with her peppiness.

Harry is the first over at the bed. Someone- probably Evie has left out some soft sweatpants and t-shirts for them to sleep in. Harry throws a pair of pants at Gil, before passing a set to Uma.

Before Uma can even take a chance to look at the clothes, both Harry and Gil are changing. Once she’s assured that the clothes are in fact for them to wear, she changes herself. Dropping her other clothes on the floor, she crawls onto the bed.

It feels just a comfortable as Audrey’s did. Maybe even more so, because now she gets to sleep in it. She sighs dreamily, sinking under the covers into the bed. It’s so comfortable that Uma thinks she could probably live in this bed forever.

She’s only in bed for a few moments before she sits up with a huff.

“What are you doing?” she grumbles at Harry and Gil who are situating themselves on the couch together.

“Captain gets the bed,” Harry responds without looking up. Uma rolls her eyes.

“Have you seen the size of this thing? We could fit half the crew in here. Get up here. Both of you.” Gil doesn’t take much convincing and is crawling in bed next to her immediately.

Harry saunters up slower. He’s trying to appear dismissive, but Uma knows he’s reading the situation. Making sure she’s comfortable before he crosses a line. She smiles assuredly at him.

He places his hook on the bedside table and crawls under the covers, on the other side of Uma. Pressed between the two of them, Uma feels a semblance of calm that she hasn’t in months.

“I’m glad you’re both here.” She says. Harry hums in response, moving closer to her, close enough that she can feel the warmth radiating off his body but not close enough to touch.

“I’m glad you’re here to Uma.” Says Gil. He stretches out on the bed, and curls one hand under a pillow, turning to face them both. Far less subtle or cautious then Harry, Gil grabs her hand and squeezes it. She squeezes back and pulls away.

“Get some rest boys.” She says. Uma missed her boys. Missed them both so desperately when they were on the Isle and she couldn’t reach them. It felt like she was functioning without a limb, being apart from them for so long. But no one needed to know that.

And if she wakes up during their nap because she hears Harry start whimpering in her sleep, no one needs to know that she pats his hair until he calms and resettles. And if she lets Gil curl closer to her, because even in Auradon, he is perpetually cold, then no one needs to know that either.

When Fairy Mother returns, the sun has set and the VK’s have just woke up. They didn’t sleep for very long, and frankly, Mal feels more tired than she did before she laid down. One look at Uma, confirms that she feels that way as well.

Fairy Godmother walks with Mal and Uma back outside to the garden. As they walk she explains that the new ‘prisons’ have been approved by the Royal Council and that in the meantime the dungeon underneath Belle and Beast’s castle is being reopened.

“So far there are only a few criminals who have been causing enough trouble to get attention from the Royal Guard,” Fairy Godmother chimes, handing Mal the spell-book. “But no one has been hurt.”

Mal hears the unspoken ‘yet’, and Uma gives her a look. Mal busies herself with the spell-book.

“So you said this can expand the building?” Mal inquires, flipping through the pages.

“Yes, if you turn to the last page there is an expanding spell. It was originally made for cooking, but it works just as well on buildings.” Mal reads over the spell and passes it to Uma.

“You guys are not subtle with your fairy-tale garbage are you?” Uma scoffs. Mal hums in agreement and tries not to laugh when Fairy Godmother objects quietly.

“How big will it expand by?” Mal asks curiously as Fairy Godmother hands over her wand.

“As big as you want it to be. The magic is instinctual so don’t worry about it going overboard.” Fairy Godmother assures. Mal nods thoughtfully and reaches out her hand for Uma.

Uma grasps it, and her lockets begins to glow against her neck. Raising the wand, in unison Mal and Uma recite the spell: “Take this object as we know; give it light and make it grow”.

The wall in front of them begins to glow brightly. A white light radiating from the edges of the wall as it extends towards them.

Mal and Uma jump back to Fairy Godmother who was already standing back. The building moves silently and settles just before them. Mal looks down and sees the flower beds still perfectly intact. 

Uma laughs excitedly, still unused to see large scale magic. Even Mal feels a little in awe.

“That should make keeping the children here for a few more days a little more comfortable.” Fairy Godmother says, taking back her wand. “Now, do either of you mind if I go speak to a few of the children myself? I want to see what type of preparations they believe will be needed for the home.”

Mal nods, suddenly very aware that Fairy Godmother hasn’t taken back the spell-book yet. She smiles and watches as Fairy Godmother heads back inside. Uma starts to follow, but Mal grabs her wrist preventing her from moving.

“What’s up?” Uma asks in confusion. Her eyes light up when Mal lifts up the spell-book.

“You wanna take a peek before she realises she forgot it?” Mal beams. Uma grins and peers over her shoulder as Mal starts flicking through the pages. 

It’s obviously a very old spell book, filled with spells used to build castles and communicate with people across long distances before modern technology was available.

There are some strange spells too, ones that turn frog’s back into Princes if true love’s kiss isn’t an option or ones that change animals into other animals. Mal recognises Fairy Godmother’s perfect handwriting in the margins of the pages. Phrases like ‘unreliable’ or ‘caused nosebleeds’ written next to spells that obviously were more trouble than they were worth.

“Check it out. There’s a strength spell.” Uma observes. Mal notices the phrase ‘doesn’t work?’ at the bottom of the page and looks at Uma in confusion.

“Hey, as far as I’m concerned we need as much help as we can get if our parents come knocking. Even spells that might not work.” Mal can’t really argue with that, so she lets Uma read the page, before continuing flicking through the book.

“You know we’re going to have to go back out there tonight,” Uma says quietly. Mal bites her lip nervously.

“Yeah, I know. Our crews aren’t going to like it though.” Uma scoffs.

“They’ll get over it. Besides Harry and Gil wouldn’t dare question their Captain.” Uma reminds her with a grin. She’s glad that Uma has faith in her crew like that. Although it won’t do much to protect them from Evie’s protests later.

Realising there is not much more value to the spell-book, Mal and Uma head back inside. Mal stops in the living room, noticing the change of the room once again. Now, there are twinkling lights hung up through the living room, and with more space, the kids have spread further throughout the room. Ensuring that kids who needed their space were getting it. 

The kids who aren’t sitting on the couch are perched on pillows on the floor. All eyes are fixated on the movie being projected on the wall. Mal doesn’t recognise it, but that’s not unusual, she certainly hasn’t been in Auradon long enough to catch up on all the media she missed growing up.

Mal can smell something delicious, so she wanders into the kitchen, Uma just behind her. Fairy Godmother is helping Lonnie serve up the largest batch of spaghetti Mal has ever seen in her life. Next, to them, Jane is adding another loaf of garlic bread to the already large pile of garlic bread.

Uma’s eyes are so wide, Mal’s surprised they haven’t fallen out of her head.

“Do you guys want to grab some before we call everyone else?” Jane asks politely.

“Yes,” Uma says quickly. She goes to the doorway of the kitchen and calls for both Harry and Gil loudly. Mal looks over her shoulder and is unsurprised to see that none of the Isle kids so much as looked up at Uma’s hollering.

Both Harry and Gil enter the room, eyes on their captain. She gestures to the table and grabs a plate of her own.

Jay, Carlos and Evie trail in after them and Mal smiles assuredly at Evie’s concerned look.

Everyone grabs some food, and they sit down at the dining table.

“Smells delicious,” says Dude who sits up on his hind legs looking at Carlos. Carlos scolds him softly but does get him some food too. Mal can see Gil watching the whole interaction with excited eyes.

Mal watches with amusement as Fairy Godmother calls the rest of the VKs to come to eat. It’s a confusing whirlwind of kids rushing to all get food at once. Fairy Godmother tries to get them to move slower, and with more order, but is ignored.

Mal watches kids fight past each other to make sure they get fed. There is enough food to feed everyone three times over but that doesn’t stop them fighting. Years of not being fed enough are hard to leave behind, Mal’s not even sure she’s gotten there yet.

Despite pushing past each other, Mal also notes that the older kids are making sure the younger ones are getting fed. People like Jasper and Yzla are making sure plates are being given to kids like Claire and the twins before they are shoved to the side.

Mal can see Fairy Godmother noticing it too, as she gives up trying to control the chaos instead of choosing just to watch. Her mouth is in a deep frown, and Mal recognises the expression. It’s the same one she used to give Mal, Carlos, Evie and Jay when they first came over to Auradon and she started to realise just how bad the Isle really was.

They grab their food and head back into the living room, keen to continue watching the movie.

“Your carpet is toast, Evie,” Jay says through a mouth of food. Evie groans, and everyone laughs.

“That was insane,” Lonnie says, looking at just how little food is left. There’s still enough for all of them to get another meal if they wanted, but certainly, a larger dent was made then Mal expected.

“On that note everybody, we are off for the night. We will stop by tomorrow morning with more supplies, but if there is anything you need during the night please do not hesitate the call me or Jane.” Fairy Godmother insists, ushering Jane and Lonnie out of the kitchen towards the front door.

“Thanks, Fairy Godmother,” Carlos calls out. Mal waves her goodbye and then goes back to her food.

“I can’t believe they left us in charge of all those kids,” says Gil through a mouthful of spaghetti.

“Yeah, adults aren’t very responsible on this side of the barrier either,” Jay explains good-heartedly. Evie hums in agreement, and Uma looks at her thoughtfully.

“So Fairy Godmother was telling me that she is personally going to make sure every kid from the Isle gets the come to Auradon Prep.” Evie starts.

They eat dinner whilst sharing stories about Auradon Prep, and answering the questions about how things work in Auradon. It’s a peaceful dinner, and it still feels weird to be having a peaceful dinner with Uma.

Whilst they’re cleaning up it seems like a good as a time as any to fill everyone in on her and Uma’s plans for the evening.

“So Uma and I are going to go out tonight. See if more kids need a place to sleep.” Everyone stops what they’re doing and looks at Mal in surprise. Harry is looking at Uma instead.

“That’s very risky,” says Harry eventually.

“I agree. Mal we agreed we were going to lie low here until our parents are inevitably get apprehended.” Evie scolds stepping towards her, crowding her space the same way she always does when things feel out of control. Mal grabs her hand and squeezes it.

“I know E, but there might be kids out there who don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight and don’t know they can come here. They’re who matters right now.” Mal reminds her.

“We should come with you,” Jay argues, crossing his arms and looking at Gil who nods in agreement.

“That’s not happening,” Uma says, crossing her arms too. “We know for a fact that your parents are out there looking for you. Mal and I are the safest bet.”

“What if your mom comes looking for you Uma?” Carlos asks softly. Mal sees Gil’s eyes widen in concern.

“Please,” she insists. “My mother forgot I existed the second I stepped out of that barrier. There’s no way she’s suddenly remembered now.”

Nobody looks convinced, but they also know that Mal and Uma aren’t going to take no for an answer.

“We’re going to leave when everyone is settled down. We’re just going to go back down to the docks and see if any other kids are hanging around. We’ll have my phone on us the whole time, and come right back.” Mal is trying to convince her friends to trust her here. They need to trust her because this is something she has to do. A child from the Isle is not going to be spending a night on the streets because of her. 

“Do you trust me E?” Mal pushes.

“I trust both of you,” Evie confirms, looking between both Mal and Uma. Mal can see how surprised Uma is at the confession. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“We’ll be as fast as we can,” Mal promises.

Just like that morning, Uma and Mal move through Auradon relatively unseen. They stay in the shadows and focus on trying to spot any kids from the Isle.

They make their way to the bridge, knowing that’s where kids congregated the night before. Sure enough, a few kids are milling around the area, though not nearly as many as the day before.

Mal and Uma split up, just like the night before and begin asking everyone they see if they are okay. Unlike yesterday, some of these kids are completely uninterested in her help. The first three kids she talks to, tell her to get lost.

The third is Harry Badun, who agrees almost instantly when he hears that Jace is with them. After that Mal finds two more kids who agree to come back to Evie’s with her.

When she finds Uma, Uma has four kids with her and it’s easy to let her take the lead with these kids. Uma was already running things when Mal left the Isle, so they trust her easily. 

“We should get back,” Uma says. Mal nods in agreement and begins to usher everyone away when she hears a rumbling from behind her.

Confused, she turns and tries to spot the source of the noise. Her eyes can’t see anything in the dark, but the noise grows louder.

“Crap,” Uma says. Mal looks at her, startled. Uma’s locket starts glowing brightly. Uma turns to her with wide eyes.

“Mal! You need to get them out-“  Uma’s voice is cut off as the rumbling gets so loud that some of the kids cover their ears. Uma whips around to the water, and Mal tries to follow her line of sight.

The water next to the dock is spinning in a whirlpool. Though it’s so dark that Mal has trouble seeing what is happening. When a long tentacle reaches out of the water and onto the pier, Mal understands.

“Crap,” Mal repeats. Ursula rises from the water, towering over them. Her white hair sticks to her face, and Mal certainly doesn’t remember the sea witch being this old. She has a snarl on her face and her eyes focus on Uma.

For her part Uma doesn’t look scared, she stares back at Ursula, unblinking. But Mal can’t tell if that’s because she isn’t afraid of her mother or because she is trying to make sure these kids don’t see her as afraid.

Uma steps forward, and Mal wants to stop her, but she feels frozen in place.

“What do you want Mother?” Uma asks, her voice booming across the water. Ursula’s eyes narrow, and the water around her becomes more choppy.

“You insolent brat. You left me to rot on the Isle! While you were what? Prancing around in Auradon? Swimming in their waters like they were yours?” She barks. Her words sound like Maleficent. So much so that it makes Mal’s knees feel weak. She’s had words like that thrown at her, and she knows that her Mother would also rather she stayed suffering on the Isle with her then get a chance at a better life.

Mal knows that the only way to ever get respect from her Mother would be to defeat her in her own battle. It’s because of this that Mal stays back. This is Uma’s battle.

“I’m kinda busy if you don’t mind. So unless you want something?” Uma asks dismissively, turning her back. Ursula screeches at her child’s disrespect.

“I’m here to take back what’s mine. After that as far as I’m concerned you don’t exist to me.” Mal doesn’t know what she’s talking about. But clearly Uma does, judging by how her face has dropped.

“You can’t have it back. It’s mine now.” Uma’s hand curls around her locket and oh. Ursula wants the part of her necklace back that Uma keeps in her locket.

Well, that’s never going to happen. That necklace gives Uma strength, and if there is one thing Mal has never known Uma to give up, that is her strength.

Ursula looks furious. Her expression is only getting darker, and it feels like the waves are getting angrier with her.

“Excuse me? Don’t forget who gave you everything you have Uma. You would be nothing without me!” Ursula screeches. Waves crash heavily against the bridge in loud claps that make Mal jump. Uma stands unwavering.

“You don’t get to take credit for anything that I am. I am who I am, despite you. Not because of you. I was nothing more than a pawn for you. Don’t do either of us the disservice of acting otherwise!” Uma yells. Her anger radiates and the water gets more chaotic. Both Ursula and Uma are affecting them now, and the water doesn’t know how to react beyond chaos. Mal tells the kids behind her to step back even more.

Mal looks over at Uma and it’s like she can see the cogs turning in her head. As though she can see the decision she is going to make, moments before she makes it.

“If you want it,” Uma hisses, stepping forward and jutting out her chin, “come and get it.”

It feels like Mal’s world turns into slow motion. Ursula lets out an ear-piercing screech and lurches forward towards Uma.

A year ago she wouldn’t have cared what happened to Uma. Uma was her rival on the Isle and crushing Uma would get her more power.

But it’s not a year ago. And now Uma is her friend. And she wants to protect her friends. If there is one thing in the world that Mal wants to be able to do, it’s to protect her friends from things that want to hurt them. Even if those things are their parents.

“NO!” Mal hears herself scream. She jumps forward and reaches for Uma’s hand before Ursula can get near her. 

As their hands' touch, the water from the ocean crashes heavily against the bridge with a slap. A bright light echoes out from their hands and Ursula screams in shock.

She reels back as though she has been burned. Uma and Mal watch stunned.

Looking angrier than before Ursula surges forward again, only to react the same. She cries loudly in pain and looks at the two girls.

“Wretched creatures. What did you do?!” Ursula thunders. Mal can feel how heavily Uma is breathing.

“It’s okay,” Mal says, “I don’t think she can touch you. She can’t get near you.”

She doesn’t quite understand what has happened, but Mal can feel that Uma is safe. Can feel it in her bones.

Uma looks at her in confusion, and then down at their adjoined hands.

“I don’t understand what’s… okay. We should leave now.” Uma says, trusting that Mal is telling her the truth. It kind of makes her want to cry.

Still holding hands, the girls direct the kids in the direction of Evie’s house and start walking.

“Where do you think you’re going?!?” Ursula screeches, water crashing around her loudly.

Uma gives no reaction and continues walking, Mal follows her direction and doesn’t look back either. Ursula continues screeching behind them until they are so far inland they can no longer hear her. The kids in front of them seem unsettled by what’s happened, but no one says anything.

Mal squeezes Uma’s hand in reassurance. Uma keeps her face forward, not giving her any reaction. But she squeezes back.

They get back to the cottage and the house is silent. In their absence, everyone has fallen asleep in the living room. Even Harry who had angled his chair so he could see both the film and the front door.

Mal begins settling in the kids they found outside with blankets and pillows on the ground with the other VKs.

Meanwhile, Uma wakes up Harry from his chair. He startles awake and immediately begins checking his Captain over for injuries. Uma rolls her eyes and grabs his hand, dragging him through the living room, only stopping to kick Gil awake from where he had fallen asleep on the floor. She takes the pair upstairs, most likely to the bedroom they slept in earlier.

After Mal settles the VK’s in, she throws a blanket over Evie, Jay and Carlos who had fallen asleep, curled against each other on a couch at the back of the room. She smiles at them fondly and goes to wait for Uma in the kitchen.

Mal isn’t a very good cook. None of them are really, they haven’t spent enough time around fresh food to understand how to use them to make something taste good. That being said, she does know how to make a hot chocolate.

She vaguely remembers Lonnie telling her that warm hot chocolate was the best way to comfort someone when they are feeling down. So she sets about making two cups of hot chocolate whilst she waits for Uma.

Uma comes back in, as Mal is trying to figure out if pouring mini-marshmallows in Uma’s hot chocolate is the right choice.

Uma is wearing a pair of sweatpants that Mal recognises as her own, and a shirt she is pretty sure is Harry’s.

Mal decides that Uma should definitely have marshmallows and pours from the bag until they are spilling over onto the bench.

She sticks a spoon in the mug and pushes it towards Uma silently, who raises her eyebrows.

“It’s called hot chocolate. It’s really good,” Mal promises, pouring marshmallows into her own drink.

Uma takes a hesitate sip and then smiles over her mug at Mal. Mal smiles back warmly. 

“So…” Uma takes a seat at the bench and looks at Mal expectantly. “Do you want to tell me what happened back there?”

Mal bites her lip. She doesn’t really know what happened back there. Just knows that she wanted Uma safe.

“I don’t really know. I was just thinking that I wanted to protect you. The spell I put on the cottage for Evie? I was just saying it over and over again in my head hoping it would work. But I didn’t think it could be that effective.” Mal stirs her drink slowly, still trying to process what happened.

“Maybe it wasn’t that effective?” Mal looks up, confused.

“What do you mean?” she asks. Uma’s expression starts to get brighter, as she figures out something Mal can’t see yet.

“When you grabbed my hand, all I was thinking about was how I needed to be strong. That strength spell we read in Fairy Godmother’s spell-book? I was thinking about that. Oh my god, Mal! What if our spell’s combined? And that’s what protected us?” Uma exclaims.

“Oh my god.”

This is it, this is how they can keep all those kids safe.

“Uma the protection spell, it’s connected to a person. Your Mom couldn’t come near you because you didn’t want her to. If we give this spell to the other VK’s then they can be safe from their parents.” Mal says excitedly.

“And then they can all live in Auradon without having to fear that their parents are going to find them.” Uma grins widely. Mal feels like jumping and screaming, but with a house full of sleeping teenagers it’s probably not the best idea. Instead, she goes over to Uma and gives her a hug. Uma hugs back tightly and some of the tension in Mal’s chest finally starts releasing.

Uma pulls out of the hug and puts her hands on Mal’s shoulders, grinning.

“We know how to fix this now.”

The following days pass just as fast as those first few hours after opening the barrier.

After explaining what happened on the dock the night before to their friends, Mal and Uma take time to place the spell on all of them.

And then on every VK in the house who wants it (funnily enough Dizzy, Squirmy and Squeaky are the only ones who don’t want it).

Mal calls Ben shortly after and explains the spell they found, and the relief in his voice makes her feel weak. She understands so deeply this burden that had been placed on his shoulders and is glad she can offer him some relief.

He bids her goodbye and tells her he is bringing over a royal chef to make lunch for everyone.

The next three days are spent trying to give the spell to as many VKs and they can find. It doesn’t take long until they start coming to them.

Smee shows up at Evie’s house on the third day. He has his hat in his hands and explains he heard his boys were staying here at the moment and that he has a place is Auradon for them to stay with him now.

The twins run into his arms so fast that no one questions if they will be safe (though Harry does keep a close eye on Smee the entire time he is present) and let them go with promises to visit.

The VK house is also up and running within a week, and the days following that are spent making sure all the VKs feel as safe and comfortable as possible under the roof of fairies. Uma and Mal continue going out every night down to the pier to see if any kids need help. It quickly spreads through Auradon that kids hiding from something will be protected at the docks.

Ben predicts that the ‘prison’ probably won’t open for another month, but the dungeons in the castle are not overflowing yet so they have time. When Mal hears that Jafar and Hook have already been amongst those arrested she celebrates the small victories.

Ten days after the Isle was opened, Mal finds Uma, Harry and Gil in their bedroom, stuffing everything they have inside a single backpack in the bedroom they have been sleeping in.

“What’re you guys doing?” she asks, standing in the doorway. Harry and Gil look to Uma, who responds.

“Packing, obviously. It’s time for us to move into the VK house. At least until school starts, then your Fairy Godmother says we can have rooms at your preppy school.” Mal’s heart sinks, realising that means that they won’t be staying with them anymore. She sees Jay, Carlos and Evie walking upstairs and gestures for them to come over.

They come up to the doorway, and Evie puts together what they’re doing the second she spots the bag.

“Oh, you guys are leaving,” she says, not trying to hide the sadness in her voice. Harry gives her a strange look like he can’t understand why she would be sad that they’re leaving.

“What’s wrong?” asks Gil dumbly.

“I think we just assumed that you guys were going to continue staying here.” Uma looks confused.

“Why would we stay here?” She asks slinging the back over her shoulder.

“Because you’re our friends, and you’re welcome to stay here,” Evie responds, as though that’s the answer to everything.

“At least we won’t worry if you’re here. Cause we know you guys are safe. And if you’re here then we can make sure we have your back.” Carlos says. All three pirates look surprised by the statement.

Mal frowns. They shouldn’t be surprised. Mal’s gang have made it very clear where they lie with Uma’s crew, and frankly as far as Mal is concerned they have won her loyalty ten times over. And they don’t even realise it because they are so worried about protecting themselves, they can’t see that others want to protect them too.

Mal wonders if this is what Lonnie felt like that night she found them in the school kitchen making cookies after they first arrived in Auradon. Just a little bit heartbroken because the people in front of her weren’t given the same love she was.

Harry and Gil look at their captain, she’s the one that makes the decisions. Wherever she goes they will follow.

“Well,” Uma starts, “I would hate to be a reason that Queen Mal gets all worried.”

A grin spreads across her face and Mal returns it brightly. Jay cheers loudly next to her and pushes into the room for a group hug.

It’s just a start. Not every child is safe, and not every child remains unharmed. But the Isle is open now, and every kid who grew up there has a better chance at a bright future now. So even if not all of them are safe, a lot more of them are now. And that means everything.