Wicked Dawn | 'Till The Night Falls Book 1 (Disney Descendants)

Chapter 23: The Point of No Return

Carlos was struggling to comprehend this. "She's...she's dead?"

"No..." Doug muttered, refusing to believe it.

"Dude, it's not your fault," Jay said quickly, noticing the expression on the dwarf's face. "You couldn't have stopped it."

"No!" Doug cried. The tears came hard and fast now. He didn't bother to try and contain them. His heart crumbled and he fell to his knees beside the bluenette. "No! No! No, no, no! Evie!" He took her hand, hoping, praying, that somehow Mal was wrong. She has to be! Evie can't...she can't...not for me. "EVIE!"

"Morgana's still out there," Mal forced out. "Someone has to stop her." She glanced up at Ben and the others. "We have to go after them and save Auradon. For Evie."

"I can't...can't...leave her...not...not like...like this," Doug was sobbing now. "I...was supposed to pro-protect her. T-true Love. That's what she said." He smiled painfully, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I was her Romeo. S-she loved me but I...I never told her...that I loved her. Why didn't I tell her I loved her?"

"She knew," Ben spoke up firmly. Doug looked up at him desperately. "Doug, she knew."

"But...I-I..."

"Doug," Carlos came forward to kneel next to him and rested a firm hand on his shoulder. He had tears in his eyes too but he quickly blinked them back. "Come on, man, we have to go." He tried to pull Doug to his feet but the blond refused to budge. "Dude, seriously, come on."

"Evie would want us to finish our mission," Jay added tonelessly.

Doug shook his head firmly. He closed his eyes and just planted himself more firmly to the ground. "No."

"Doug," Mal began. She started an exaggerated sigh but stopped when he glared firmly at her, something he'd never had the courage to do before.

"No."

His entire demeanor had changed. Mal lurched back, stunned. She started to say something but Doug ignored her and went back to staring at Evie once more. I have to save her! I have the Dragonstone! Surely I can! "Evie," he whispered, lifting her body into his arms, ignoring the stares from the others. "I...I love you. Please. Don't leave me."

The stone began to pulse again as Doug held the bluenette close. The tears continued to pour from his eyes as he leaned over to kiss her gently. He paused, doubting himself. He'd just awoken her once, would another kiss really work? He retreated, red-eyed.

"Doug, I'm sorry," Ben told him, patting him on the back reassuringly. "But the others are right. Evie'd want us to stop Morgana."

Doug nodded weakly. Ben was right. That was exactly what she'd want. He slowly put Evie back down and wiped his tears away. He stood up and turned to face the others. Though he could not see any more than a bunch of blurs, he knew the others were watching him, waiting. Even Mal. He took a deep breath and pocketed the Dragonstone.

What he didn't see were his tears that had rolled onto Evie suddenly glow yellow and disappear.

He trudged over to the others who were beginning to discuss how to find Morgana and the other villains. He kept his head down. It wasn't until he heard footsteps, and could make out the blur of Mal's black army-style boots, did he look up. "Mal?" he questioned, squinting.

"Yeah. Here." She held something out to him. The something was glinting in the faded light.

Doug cautiously took them. My glasses! He shoved them on, blinking at her gratefully. She gave him a small nod before turning back to the matter at hand.