Descendant's Consequences

Solution or Problems?

"So, what do we do?" Doug asks.

Before anyone can reply, Mal's back arches from the bed. I run my hands through her hair, making her look at me. Her eyes glow green. Magic lashes around us, pushing everyone but me out of the room. "Mal, listen to me. You need to fight this. I need you; just hang on a little longer! We'll figure this out."

Eventually, her eyes stop glowing and she lies flat again. Her breathing is ragged and she's hardly moving. I crawl over her again, pulling her into my lap. I put her hand back where it was earlier, in the crook left by the neckline of my shirt. She smiles weakly and lets her body rest against mine. "B-Ben," she mumbles.

I tilt her head up to look at me. "Shh, Mal. Just rest. You're gonna be alright, I promise."

"B-Ben," she says again. "I-I need to- to tell you somthin'."

"You can tell me when you're better, alright?" Ben says. "You need to save your strength."

She shakes her head. "I-I love y-you," she says.

I look down at her and a tear starts to fall. "No," I tell her. "No, you can't say that. I don't want to hear you say that right now. It means you're giving up and I won't let you give up on me, now. You can tell me that when you're better; when this stupid curse is lifted and we're having that time to ourselves like I promised, okay? Don't say that, not yet."

"P-ples," she slurs. "I neded to tel y-yu. I-I wan'd yu to he-hear it. I-I ned t-to hear you-"

I run a hand over her cheek and smile, sadly. "I love you, too. I love you so much. Please, don't give up. We'll get through this and you'll be alright in no time." I dry the tears that slide down her cheeks. I move the oxygen mask for a moment, pressing a kiss to her lips before replacing the mask. "Mal, I need you to rest, alright? You need to save what strength you have left. I need you to hold on until we figure this out, okay?"

I watch as she nods and closes her eyes. Her shallow breathing evens out as much as it can. I hold her closer to me as they break down the door. "What happened?" Carlos asks.

"Her powers lashed out," Jay guesses. "Locked us out."

I nod. "I just got her to get some sleep. She need to save whatever strength she has left." Everyone files out slowly until it's just me and Jay. "She's giving in," I tell him.

"What?"

"She'd never said it to me," I explain. "I'd always end our calls saying "I love you" but she never said it back. I could always see it but she never said it. She wasn't ready, I guess. She told me she loved me."

"She's not giving up," Jay says. "This is Mal, we're talking about. She'd never give up. She meant what she said." I look at Mal and wrap a blanket around her. "Hey, Mal will be alright, Ben. She always is."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, everyone gathers in the office across the hall from the nurse's office. The three fairies come in and talk with me and the half-conscious Mal. Her fever's back with a vengeance and she isn't coherent anymore. "How long has she been like this?" Flora asks.

"A couple days before her birthday. Nothing is helping," I explain. Her hand stretches up and I reach for it, bringing it back towards her. She starts to squirm again, the pain building up. "Please excuse how she's acting, she is on a lot of pain meds plus her fever and whatever this curse is doing to her."

"We could try to turn the curse into a sleeping curse like we did with Aurora," Merryweather says. "But there aren't any guarantees. When we changed Aurora's fate, it was right after the curse was cast. Also, she was just a baby. Now-"