Once We are Descendants

Chapter 31: Friends and Family

"Mal, it's not your fault," her best friend says comfortingly.

"No, it is my fault, I shouldn't have let Uma get to me like that; making me so angry that I couldn't protect my friends. I should have been there to help you and Ben but instead, you were thrown into the portal..."

"That was Harry's doing, not yours... whatever that stuff was that made the portal, it didn't hurt us. At least we're safe... Oh Gods, where's Carlos and Jay?"

"I don't know," she says. The two friends get up and begin to search the other hospital rooms for their friends, not noticing that Storybrooke's sheriff, deputy, mayor, and the resident young adult were about to go into the room to ask them questions.

It only takes a few minutes for the girls to find their male friends. The first two rooms only had War Frat pirates in them, but the third had the son of Jafar and the son of Cruella De Vil laying there asleep. A woman dressed in a nurse's uniform was checking both boys' vitals when she sees the two girls. The two boys lay in beds adjacent to one another, with a curtain that could separate the two if required.

"Are these two your friends?" the nurse asks when she notices the girls.

"Our best friends," Evie nods.

"Well, they seem to just be resting; a couple of scrapes and bruises, but nothing too serious."

"Thank you," Mal says politely, but she is also relieved that the two boys she saw as her brothers were unharmed by what had transpired.

"It's best to let them wake up on their own," the nurse advises them before leaving the room.

Suddenly, Dude comes trotting into the room, the bone Crystal had given him still in his mouth. He places the bone on the ground and then leaps up onto Carlos' hospital bed. He then begins licking his master's face. A smile begins to form on the teen's face as he slowly comes back to consciousness and he gently brushes the dog's tongue away.

"Cut it out Dude," he says. "It's the weekend, we can sleep in."

He then opens his brown eyes with a smile, Dude now sitting contently on his chest.

"Hey buddy," he says, scratching the dog behind the ears. It suddenly dawns on him that he's in a strange place and he sits up; a shocked look begins to form on his face. He looks around in confusion and starts to pant loudly. Dude is forced to jump from his master's chest to avoid being thrown to the floor from panic.

"What... what..."

"Hey Carlos, chill dude, everything is okay," the dog says calmly.

"Okay?! Dude, where the heck are we?! None of this is okay!"

"Carlos," Evie says in an equally calming voice. She goes over and sits on the edge of his hospital bed. The son of Cruella doesn't think twice before embracing her.

"Oh, thank gods Evie!" he breathes in relief. Mal slowly gets closer to her friend and he gets up and attacks her with a strong hug too. "Mal... Thank goodness you're both okay."

"They're fine Carl," Dude says, sitting and enjoying the show. He then drops to the floor and goes to work on chewing his bone again. "We're all fine."

"The battle on the beach, what happened? Where's Harry? Where's Ben? Where's Uma? Where's Jay?"

"Jay is right here," a voice says from behind them. The three friends turn to see Jay's dark brown eyes and his trademark smirk grinning over at them. Both Evie and Mal rush over and engulf their friend in a hug. The son of Jafar is a little shocked by their sudden contact but enjoys it.