With the danger resolved, I looked over at the pair who had changed Ben back, and a wide smile spread onto my face. Relieved, I pushed past Carlos and sprinted at the two, wrapping them into a hug.
"Hey," laughed, pushing back and smiling at Jane and Jon. "Oh, my gosh, I was so worried."
"You didn't show up." Despite Jane's words, she honestly didn't seem that upset that we'd missed her birthday party.
"I didn't forget your party," I assured her.
"I got scared she got you, too."
"I'm so glad you're both all right." I reached forward and hugged them again, before Carlos and Jay came down the hill, helping Ben. The former came over and wrapped an arm around his waist, and I smiled up at him.
"That was a really brave thing you did back there." I smiled, turning to face him. "I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but I'm definitely impressed."
"Thanks for the support." I sighed and leaned against him as he pulled me into a hug, planting a kiss on the top of my head.
"You good?" Jay asked the man on his arm as he led him over to one of the downed trees. "Take a seat right there, okay? There you go." He helped lower Ben to sit down, and once they both were comfortable, the latter began to laugh.
"Oh, that was funky," he sighed, looking around at all of us.
"It was. There's..." Jay gestured to his chin and teeth, prompting Ben to do the same.
"Huh? Oh, wow." Honestly, Ben seemed pretty calm, given what just happened.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He and Jay began to laugh again, and from beside me, I heard Jane and Jon chuckle as well.
"You need another blast." Jane held up the water gun she'd used before, but when she shot water at Ben, nothing happened, leaving him in the same state he was before, just soaking wet.
"Huh." After a moment, she shrugged. "It's Enchanted Lake water. I guess it can only do so much."
"Please tell me that's not genetic," Jon groaned, staring at his brother.
"No," Ben assured, standing up and meeting his brother halfway.
It was strange. In all these years of knowing them, I don't think I'd ever really seen Jon and Ben interact, save for a few sparse conversations. This was the first time I'd seen them really acting like brothers, checking on each other and hugging. It just confirmed I'd made the right choice in forgiving Jon.
With that still on my mind, I glanced over at Harry, who was sulking against a tree. Gently, I pat Carlos' chest, getting him to release me. Strangely, I didn't feel any sort of hesitance or hatred as I approached Harry, looking up at him quizzically.
"Are you okay?" I asked, finding it slightly strange how much I cared.
"What?" He, too, seemed pretty shocked I actually wanted to check up on him.
"Did you get hurt at all? Or are you okay?" After another moment of tense silence, he nodded and answered me.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Mm-hmm."
I awkwardly turned away, unsure of how to deal with this sort of situation, but I didn't get much time to think about it. Just as I looked back at the group, Jon's eyes bounced between Harry and I, and his gaze darkened as he stared.
"Wait a minute... He's..."
I reached an arm out and pushed Jon back as he charged in our direction, trying to swing at Harry. Not that he would have been able to do much at all, but I'd rather diffuse the situation before it really started.
"Relax, Jon. We're..."
I glanced at the pirate again, unsure of what to say at first. We certainly weren't friends, nor would we really ever be, and we weren't even civil. But I didn't completely hate and resent him, so I supposed that was a start.
"...not angry anymore." With that, I released him and headed back over to Carlos, grabbing his hand, nodding toward a shortcut I knew of. "Come on, we should head to Evie's. The rest of the girls are waiting for us there."
"Hold on." I stopped in my tracks, turning and watching as Ben pointed at Harry in particular. "What side are they on?" Jay pat his back, as though that somehow would make all of this less confusing.
"They escaped and joined us. And Mal has the Ember, which is our only hope to stop Audrey. Details to follow."
"Hades' Ember?" Ben seemed strangely educated on the subject. "Has Mal gone back to the Isle?"
"I said details to follow. We're meeting up with, Mal, Evie, and Uma. Let's go."
"Uma?" Jon scoffed. I groaned in annoyance and leaned against Carlos' shoulder. This was going terribly already.
"Details to follow!" everyone shouted, trying to get the brothers to move along. Thankfully, that shut them up, and we all headed back towards Evie's.
As we approached Evie's castle, the doors suddenly flew open, and Mal came running out. Ben immediately perked his head up and extended his arms up, wrapping Mal into a tight hug as he lifted her off the ground a little. I made my way over to Evie and Celia, falling into their embrace. We'd just gone through a lot, and the worst still seemed like it was yet to come, but at least all our friends were safe for now.
"How did it go?" Evie asked. She seemed almost regretful for the situation she'd put me in, her eyes scanning my face worriedly. I laughed a little and shook my head.
"It wasn't... the worst thing that could have happened. I mean, we can't ever be friends again, I just can't do that, but..." For a moment, I glanced over at Harry and Uma as he pulled her close. What was going on there? "... maybe I won't try to kill him if we're in the same room together anymore."
"Well, it's a start." She hugged me again. "I'm glad you guys are okay."
"I'm glad you're okay, too."
"Okay, so we all think Audrey could be at Fairy Cottage." Mal spoke just loud enough so that all of us could hear her. "We have no idea where it is. Did she ever take you there?" Sometimes, I completely forgot Audrey and Ben once dated.
"Every Fairy Godmother's Day," he sighed. "Where is Fairy Godmother when you need her?" We all looked to Jane, but she shrugged, a slightly sad expression crossing her face.
"I wish I knew." I made my way over to her and hugged her side, attempting to offer her some reassurance before Mal and Ben began to split all of us off.
"Doug! Go with Jane. We need to find Fairy Godmother." I stepped away from the girl and stood between Evie and Celia, waiting to find out what we were doing. I figured I'd be going with Mal and Ben to Fairy Cottage, but you never know. Jane might need some extra help.
"I-I can go with her, too," Jon suggested, stepping up to stand beside her. I raised an eyebrow, bouncing my eyes between them. Jon seemed incredibly eager to help Jane out, but really, if something was going on, it wasn't my business.
"They might need some muscle," Uma pointed out, grabbing Ben's arm.
"Hey," Doug whined, seemingly offended for a moment.
"I'll go with him," Gill offered, still holding a tangerine in one hand.
"Yeah, actually, I would feel better," Jon muttered, seeming a little reluctant.
"Yeah, actually, I would feel better, too," Evie stepped in, smiling at Doug. I knew she wouldn't want to emasculate him, but she also knew his limits better than the rest of us. Doug looked around at all of us before sighing, his shoulders drooping.
"Same," I admitted, trying to keep my voice low.
"Actually, I would, too," Doug relented. Gil set an arm around Doug's shoulders.
"All right, man, let's do it!" he exclaimed. "Let's go, Jane."
After that group headed off, the rest of us went back into Evie's castle, waiting for Ben to give us directions and Mal's orders so we could hopefully find Audrey—or some clues—and end this nightmare.