Bal: it starts with me & you

Reminiscing

*soon after they were sat on the floor of the nursery together, each cradling one of their young children and with a bottle in hand*
Ben: this is how it should've been from the beginning
Mal: I love that of all the places we could sit in this ridiculously over pretty room we choose the floor
Ben: it's a very us thing to do
Mal: I miss the days when things were so simple
Ben: so do I, I can't help feeling like all this is my fault
Mal: why?
Ben: because it wouldn't be like this at all if I wasn't me
Mal: Ben, I'm gonna be honest, I don't really like how all this royal stuff has affected our lives, I really don't, but I'm getting used to it, and there's parts of it that I really do love, but Ben, you can't blame that for the things that have gone wrong for us because without it none of it would have gone right either
Ben: it's crazy how far we've come
Mal: it's crazy where we are now
Ben: I remember the first time we met
Mal: I can remember rolling my eyes just looking at you
Ben: and I can remember just thinking wow
Mal: when you asked me on that first date I was absolutely horrified
Ben: shouldn't have made such a powerful love spell then should you?
Mal: I did what I had to do okay?
*she chuckled and he just smiled simply, he moved to kiss her on the cheek and then did so*
Ben: you didn't have to do a single thing to win me, I was hooked from the moment I saw you
Mal: no you weren't
Ben: I absolutely was, I'd never seen anyone like you before and everything changed once I had
Mal: you're such a lovesick puppy
Ben: why a puppy?
Mal: because you're cute, loveable, hyper.....and you rather like to play
Ben: damn, was not prepared for you to come out with that
Mal: I'm full of surprises
Ben: oh honey I'm quite aware
Mal: but then so were you, just casually coming out with the fact you knew I'd spelled you, I genuinely nearly had a heart attack
Ben: that was hilarious
Mal: not for meee
Ben: I remember looking at you as I got to the steps in the cathedral and I know we hadn't even been together long at all and I know you'd spelled me but something about you in that moment, I just KNEW I was going to make you my queen one day, I knew it
Mal: when you proposed, all I could hear were the words someone said to me after family day that year 'he'll never make a villain a queen'
Ben: who said that?
Mal: I think it was Jane trying to fit in with Audrey, it wasn't like she'd gotten into my head, but when it happened it just made sense, why would you want to make a former villain QUEEN, like by any measurable standard you must have gone mad
Ben: you're not a villain, in the entire time I've known you, you never really were
Mal: at the start I absolutely was babe
Ben: okay then, but absolutely since that first date, there was something there that changed, I could see it in your eyes, you weren't evil
Mal: I guess so
Ben: we were just kids in love not that long ago
Mal: I liked being just kids in love
Ben: I liked it too
Mal: but I like this as well, being your wife, having kids together, it's the future I never thought I'd ever get
Ben: I'm glad I could give that to you
Mal: from all this I've realised, we need to always be there for these two, because one day we won't be and we don't know when that will be, they deserve to get all of us for as long as they can have us
Ben: one day, he's gonna be where we are now
Mal: preferably a little bit older by this point, and I'm intending for us to both still be around if possible
Ben: Mal, I love you
Mal: I know you do, and I love you too
Ben: we're gonna be okay
Mal: I know, if I have to go through this, deal with everything that I've been stuck with because of all this, at least I've got you with me
Ben: you do, one hundred percent
Mal: I'm here for you too
*Ben didn't reply but instead looked down at the infant he was cradling*
Ben: they'll never know them
Mal: I'm glad they'll never meet my mother
Ben: she's all you had
Mal: I never really had her, I only ever had you, I've never had a family, I was nothing more than someone to do her bidding
Ben: I'm you're family, so are they
Mal: you guys are all I've got, all I've ever really had
Ben: I'll always be your family
Mal: I'm sorry they won't get to meet him
Ben: I can tell them about him one day
Mal: he was a good man
Ben: you don't have to pretend you liked him Mal, he was awful to you
Mal: he did try his best with me towards the end
Ben: he did really like you, despite his behaviour, he really did
Mal: I liked him too, I definitely respected him, sometimes it felt like I shouldn't but I couldn't help but respect him anyway
Ben: I'm glad my grandpa is still around for them at the very least
Mal: and your mother
Ben: yeah
Mal: thank you
Ben: for what?
Mal: everything, for being there for me, for giving me them, for sticking with me and just letting me do whatever I need to do, you never complain, I've put you through hell before and you've just kept your mouth shut and kept me going, I honestly don't deserve you
Ben; you've changed every single aspect of your life to fit around what everyone expects of me, I'm the one who doesn't deserve you
Mal: our story sounds absolutely insane doesn't it?
Ben: eh, I mean, if you think about ALL the fairytales that this whole entire kingdom is built upon then I don't think ours sounds all that crazy
Mal: it absolutely does
Ben: okay maybe like A LITTLE BIT but oh welllll
Mal: Ben?
Ben: yeah?
Mal: when do you have to go out and talk to them?
Ben: soon, they're all still in the dark and absolutely petrified, they have to know the truth
Mal: the whole truth?
Ben: I already promised you, no one will ever find out who killed your mother
Mal: I know
Ben: do you want me to keep that completely out of it
Mal: what?
Ben: do you want me to keep your mother's death quiet?
Mal: don't shield me Ben, it'll come back to bite you in the end, it's okay, I can handle it
Ben: we got this together, right?
Mal: right
Ben: if it's gets too much, tell me, I'll make sure it's reigned back in, if you're sure you're okay, I won't shield you from this, but the second you aren't okay, tell me and I will do everything in my power to cover you, I've got your back Mal, I always have
Mal: I know that and I will
Ben: how you feeling about this?
Mal: this is one of the most terrifying times in my life
Ben: what's the most terrifying
Mal: admitting I loved you
Ben: why was that so terrifying?
Mal: because I'd never felt love before, thank you for teaching me how
Ben: thank you for letting me

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Okay so first off let me apologise for the end of the last A/N, it turns out there was a notification glitch because I had to publish that chapter 3 times for you guys to get notified and idk why but yeah so sorry about that, I was having a pretty bad week and then I didn't know it was a glitch until the last time I republished that chapter yesterday so yeah, REALLY sorry about that ALSO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BUT IM GONNA TRY AND DOUBLE UPDATE I SWEAR Xoxo