Do What You Gotta Do - a Descendants fanfic - Hades Maleficent

Chapter 32

"I'm not." Jay spoke up but Carlos insisted.

"We're your family too. We've been through a lot, together, we're not stopping that now. Okay? Everyone sit." He said as he crossed his legs and settled himself in the grass with Dude in his lap. It took the others a moment but they did join him. A moment of silence passed before Carlos realized he hadn't really thought this through, "I don't know how to start girl talk."

Drac chuckled and smirked looking down to hide it from Carlos.

"What up?" Jay shrugged trying to kick it off. Evie laughed and Mal took a deep breath before starting.

"I'm a mess, I'm such a mess." she began as she finally let herself break down and start crying. Evie put her hand on her shoulder in comfort, "I mean, six months ago I was ya'know, stealing candy from babies and now everyone expects me to be this lady of the court and I have no idea how to keep up the act."

"Then don't." Carlos replied simply.

"See this was dumb." Jay said starting to get up but Evie's next words stopped him.

"Maybe it wasn't. We're always going to be the kids from the Isle. I tried to forget it, I really tried but. . . those are our roots. And we all did what we had to do, to survive. But it made us who we are. And we're never going to be like anybody else here, and that's okay."

"And we can't fake it." Carlos agreed.

"Yeah, I mean, especially without my spell book." Mal continued.

"Mal if Ben doesn't love the real you, then he's not the one." Carlos told her.

"I like that." Evie agreed.

"Give him a chance." He said petting Dude.

"And at the end of the day it's not all about your boyfriend." Drac said and all eyes turned to him as he sat crossed legged with the scepter balancing along his knees, "Mal each one of those reporters, every girl who pulls another girls hair just to get close to you. . . they'd all want to be in your shoes. They'd all want to be the hardcore girl who's hot news because she's so different. They want to be you, and that's not going to change just because you start acting like yourself."

Evie nodded, "He's right. I know you're worried about what Ben will think about you, because you care about him. But it's more important that you love yourself and we're here for you no matter what."

"Yeah and I mean, if Beastie Boy fell in love with you while you were trying to steal Fairy Godmother's wand and take his kingdom from him I doubt anything you could do would ruin a love like that." Drac said smirking.

Then Evie rested her hand on Mal's knee, "I'm going to make some changes to your dress." She told Mal resting her hand on her best friend's knee, "And if you're up for it – only if you're up for it – it will be waiting for you okay?"

Mal nodded gratefully and Evie turned to Drac, "And you better get that thing back where it belongs." She nodded at the scepter and he stood and headed back to the museum.

- - LONG LIVE EVIL - -

As Drac walked back from the museum he stopped by the band room. Cotillion was tonight and he had a lot to do before then. Thankfully with Evie making last minute alterations to Mal's gown it would give him time to work on moving the DJ equipment and setting everything up long before the bluenette could track him down and drag him to her room to change and make any final adjustments.

He got to the door just as Pin and Bobby Hood were walking out with black bags full of wires that they were taking down to the yacht. Each lit up when they saw him and gave him a fist bump as they passed. Inside he found Aziz moving one of the speakers and the stand that it went on.