What Comes Next?

Chapter 31: Well, Now What?

Jane's PoV:

    Everything was feeling right again. Mal was home, Harley was done pretending to be Queen and it seemed as if all of the happy endings that we all had worked so hard for were finally going to come true.
It had been a few days since Mal had been brought back home. Under strict orders from Belle, we all had let Mal rest, recuperate and spend some much needed time with Ben.
    This had given us all time to focus on other things. Carlos and I had been shopping for the baby, which was a surreal experience. It was hard to believe that Carlos and I were going to be parents. It still hadn't fully sunk in for me.
       Meanwhile, wedding planning was in full swing. There was my wedding, Audrey and Harry's and finally Lonnie and Jay's. Everyone seemed to be in constant wedding planning mode now that Mal was back. It was all so exciting and wonderful. I got emotional just thinking of all the happy endings that were unfolding right before our eyes.
But, after nearly a week of rest, Mal had sent out a group text asking for all of us to meet her in her redecorated office. I wasn't too surprised that she wanted us all there. She really hadn't talked to the boys too much and had only seen the girls for a few minutes in her office. She probably wanted to talk to all of us for a full debriefing and account of things while she was gone.
    So, here we all were, either seated or standing in Mal's office. Mal was seated behind her desk, with Ben sitting right next to her, hand constantly holding hers. It was obvious that Ben was still blaming himself for Mal's ordeal, though none of us blamed him for what happened. Mal was looking better. Color was returning to her face and she was starting to regain that fiery personality of hers that we all loved.
    "I can't thank you all enough for keeping this place together. I was terrified that Harely was going to ruin everything that we had built, so my dear friends I say, thank you. Thank you for rescuing me, thank you for bringing me home and thank you for watching over Ben." Tears streamed down Mal's face as she thanked us. My pregnancy hormones kicked in, just as Mal's had, and I almost started crying. But, I held back the tears, surprisingly.
    Ben wiped the tears from Mal's face as she spoke once more. "Also, I can't say how happy I am for everyone! My brothers are getting married and one of them is going to be a father as well!! All of us former Children of the Isle now have that happy ending we all dreamed of." Jay and Carlos smiled at each other. But it was Audrey of all people who broke the positivity of it all.
    "This is all well and good, but is anyone at all concerned that Harley has just vanished into thin air? When I went evil, you all never stopped chasing me until I almost died. When Tiffany terrorized us, Evie DID kill her! Now we're just letting Harley get away scot free?" Audrey was pretty pissed and I kind of agreed with her. Harley had done some pretty terrible things and now that she was gone, we weren't doing anything about it. It's like we all suddenly forgot that she existed again.
    "Guards are posted all over Auradon and Uma knows to keep an eye out for her. Other than that what else are we supposed to do? She vanished into thin air, no trace of her was left behind." Ben responded to Audrey's challenge, attempting to display the authority of the king that he truly was.
    "It's scary saying this, but Audrey is right. That bitch kidnapped our queen, our sister, we have to do something about it. Someone has to know where she would have gone." And there was the aggressiveness that Jay always displayed. I guess it was one of the reasons he and Lonnie were such a good match. Jay was always so protective of Mal and this instance was no different. Even though she was home, he was still protecting his sister.
    All eyes turned to Mal as the room descended into murmurings and discussions about what to do. I was afraid it was all too much for her. I silently looked at her, trying to gauge a reaction and a plan when instincts took over. Usually it was Evie whose voice rose above the noise, but this time it was mine. I could even recognize that my Headmistress boss lady voice was coming out...
    "All right enough!! Look, I know we are all still worried about Harley hurting Mal, but bickering gets us nowhere. Besides, this is exactly what Mal doesn't need. The Queen is back, let her make the final decision." My reaction elicited a smile from Evie, who gave me thumbs up for doing what I did.
    All eyes turned to Mal, with Ben tightly gripping her hand. I knew he was still scared for her and still worried, but she squeezed his hand back, assuring him that she was okay. "Yes, Harley is somewhat gone, but Audrey is right. No matter the security measures we have in place, she's proven before that she can evade those. There are one or two people who might know where she would have gone. I need to summon my parents here....."