Perfection~ MAL* BOOK 3

the sleeping beauty: part 1

Nothing was edited (sad face)

•~•~•~•~•

The moment Audrey was defeated, those who were turned to stone statues and put to sleep were awakened again. Mal, with the help of Uma and Harry, worked to being Audrey's sleeping body to her room. As they made their way there, they bumped into the other members of the Core four, Ben, and Chad. They helped as well as make up for their fight.

Finally, Audrey was laid into her bed, with everyone around, trying to figure out what to do.

"She's slipping away." Evie comments grimly. Mal sighed heavily. She stared down at Audrey and could only feel angry and sadness. Audrey is the only one to know where Cori was and now she was in a sleeping curse herself.

'There's only one person in the world who might be able to do something about this... and that's Hades." Mal says.

"Hades? He wouldn't do it. And I wouldn't risk it." Ben says.

"Actually, he might do it for me. He's my father." The room was loud with the silence. Sharp gasps and widened eyes while eyeing one another of this new information. Chad was the first to speak up.

"So... my sister's future wife won't just be the daughter-in-law of Maleficent but also the God of the Underworld?" There was no bite in his words, not yet at least, only pure confusion and curiosity. "Did Cori know about this?"

"No. And I wasn't exactly going to tell her or anyone this because it really wasn't important at this time."

"So you were just gonna keep it a secret from Cori?" Chad asks, harshness in his tone. Mal just waves him away with exhaustion in her voice.

"Chad, this really isn't any of—

"You know, last time you kept a secret from my sister she ended up being kidnapped by these two," Chad points to Harry and Uma. "Before that, she was in a love spell where Jay was her "dream guy"—"

"Hey, I'm a great catch!" Jay comments, sounding offended. Everyone ignored him.

"Now you wanna keep your parentage from her? No."

"What do you mean "no"?"

"I mean "no", you wanna hear it in Spanish? No." Chad moves his head around. "Don't you think you've had enough secrets between the two of you?"

Mal didn't reply, but she was feeling tears welling up. Chad was—for once— right. She's kept so many secrets from her love, all when Cori has trusted her with her own. She covered her face in her hands to cover her tears falling. Everyone else in the room quietly exited to give the future in-laws some space to talk.

Chad stepped over to her carefully and put his hand on her shoulder. "We're going find her, Mal. And when we do, you will tell her all you need to and move forward with your lives together. Cori loves you, and you love her."

Chad took a step back and nods at her. Mal took a few deep breaths and calmed herself before standing up. "Let's go get Hades, before it's too late." She said. Chad nods and they both walk to the door to invite the others to come back in, while Ben flags down a few guards to have Hades brought to Auradon, as well as inform the parents of Cori, Audrey, and Ben of what has happened.

"I'll bring them," Chad offers. "It's probably better to send as many of the guards to get Hades here instead. I'll bring our parents and catch them up on what they missed."

Ben nods and pats his friend in the back with a smile.

"You're really growing more as a decent human being, Chad." Jay says, clapping him on the shoulder. Chad looked at him offended but leaves all the same on his task.

•~•~•~•~

A few hours later, once everyone has had a chance to bathe and sleep, all waited for the arrival of Hades. Cinderella and Kit, Queen Leah, Fairy Godmother, and Belle and Adam joined Mal and Benin Audrey's room.

Uma, Harry, and Celia had decided it was best to return to the Isle of the Lost when the barrier was going to close. Celia didn't want to leave her father, and Uma didn't want to abandon her people.

A knock of the door caught everyone's attention and Kit was the one to open it. He came face to face with Hades, who he just recently learned with his future daughter -in-law's father. Kit stepped out of the way so Mal could be the one to speak to him.

Once Hades stepped into the room, slipping in behind him to enter was Anthony and Etta, whom the former immediately rushed over a distressed looking Cinderella. Since being told her daughter was nowhere to be found, she went into a panic and cried to herself. Now she sat on the couch with Belle and Chad comforting her.

"Thank you for coming." Mal spoke. Hades gives her a mocking look, making sure to shake the chains he was bound in for affect.

"Didn't have much choice."

"Can you wake her?" Ben asks him. Hades tilts his head at the former king.

"Since when do heroes care about villains?" Hades asks.

"She's— "

"One of your own? Right." Hades let's out a snicker. "When you guys try to destroy the world, it's an "error in judgment". But when it's one of us, lock 'em up, throw away the key." He makes a point to look at the other former king, Adam. "Right, Beast?"

The glaring of the two men were all that took place before Hades abruptly lifts his arms. Everyone either backed away in surprise, or were ready to restraint him more than he already was. "Yeah, I'm gonna need to use my hands."

Everyone looks at Mal and Mal gives the sign to the guards to unchain him. They do so cautiously. Hades holds out his hand for his ember, which Mal reluctantly returns. The moment the ember touched his palm, his blue hair turned to flames. He felt his power return after years and let's out a chuckle.

"Haven't lost my touch." Hades looks around the room to stare at everyone menacingly until his eyes land at Etta, whom he waves at jokingly. "Hey there, sweet pea, helping out your big sister, I see?" Then he turned to growl at Adam who growls back.

Everyone, although shocked by the more new information, chose to ignore it at the moment. Hades waves his ember around, the room flashed in blue for a few seconds before Audrey was pulled from his bed to sit up.

She opened her eyes and gasped for air. Looking around in confusion as to where she was. She was in a daze, everyone around fluttering around her to check on her, asking if she was ok. Audrey finally focuses on one person in the room.

Mal.

"Tell me it was all a bad dream."