Torn Away (Disney's Descendants 2 fanfic)

Surprise

As soon as the VKs arrived with Ben at the Enchanted Lake, they untied him and pushed him in. Sure, they could have been nicer since they know he's under a spell, but it still felt like betrayal. Ben flailed momentarily in the cool water. It didn't take long before his head shot up and he looked to Jay and Carlos.

"What the... hell?" He shook his head, water dripping off the ends of his hair. He stared at all of the VKs in front of him, shaking his head.

"Someone had to put some sense back into that big head of yours, Ben." Evie said with a chuckle. "So they just had to throw me in?" Ben retorted, glaring at Jay and Carlos who high-fived each other.

"Pushed. You were pushed, not thrown." Carlos said with an arrogant smirk. "Yeah, whatever. Thanks." Ben said. Jay reached out to him, offering him help out of the water. Ben accepted graciously, although part of Jay considered the thought that Ben was going to pull him into the water for revenge.

"Alright boys, we still have to find Mal." Evie stated, a small frown returning to her face. She wished things were simpler, that they were only at the lake for swimming, rather than spell-breaking and soon to be life saving.

"Oh my God. Mal!" Ben looked at Evie, fear evident in his eyes. "What have I done?" He placed his head in his hands, tears warping his vision.  "Let's go. We can fix this." He picked up his pace, strides growing more confident.

"Ben, it's not that simple. We still need Uma to believe that you're under her control... And we haven't quite found Mal yet." Evie grimaced at the thought, "You're gonna have to be a pretty good actor." Ben looked up at her, trying to understand what she meant. Then it clicked, and he remembered that as of right now, Uma was supposed to be the love of his life. He was King Ben, under the love potion, oblivious to his love for Mal. He nodded to Evie, lips tight across his face as he thought about the challenges ahead of him.

"I can do this."

"Good, because we have to get going. I'll fill you in on the rest on our way back, but we need to hurry. Uma could be looking for you as we speak."

The VKs quickly entered the car and sped back to the kingdom, hoping to sneak Ben inside before Uma would ever know he was gone."

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Uma returns inside of the large building, making quick strides toward her royal bedroom. A grand godfather clock in one of the long hallways rings out, signaling that it had just turned 11:00am. Uma frowns, wishing she didn't have to wait longer, but at least she could distract herself with Ben, her newly beloved boyfriend. She quickens her step down the hall, eager to see him.

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Mal had tried to stay asleep, she really had. When she was asleep, her pain seemed to diminish and that sense of temporary physical peace was something she wished she could hold on to. But like all good things for Mal it seemed, must end. Her grasp on sleep was fading, until it was completely lost.

Her wounded form jolts when Hook rapidly paces towards her, though he may as well have been stomping. Even his rather soft steps increased the pounding in her head. She can't even keep track of her injuries anymore, it was just a constant state of pain, and damn, she wished she was sleeping.

"Why, good morning Mal!" Hook hums, clapping his and hook together proudly. Mal groans, she musters up what strength she can to spit in the damned pirate's direction. "Now, that really wasn't very nice. I suppose that's to be expected." Harry shakes his head over-exaggeratedly. Mal forces her aching body into a sitting position, glaring up at him.

"Back to beat me again, Hook?" She says, eyes full of rage, though her face is worn down with exhaustion.

"I like to think of it as more of a gift." He replies with a smirk. He reaches into one of his front coat pockets and retrieves a syringe.

Mal's eyes immediately widened, the reaction causing Harry's smile to grow. "Afraid of needles are we, Mal?" He steps quickly to Mal, removing misplaced hair from Mal's face with his cold, metal hook. "There truly is no reason to be childish." Mal clenched her teeth, contemplating how to handle the situation. Whatever the hell was in the syringe was guaranteed to worsen her current state, but even with her determined mentality, she was well-aware she couldn't take Harry alone, and especially not while his guards resided nearby. She was fucked.

"Stay the fuck away from me, Hook."

"No can do."

He brings the syringe up into better view for Mal. She flinches away from it, ready to try and fight, anyway. Harry leans in closely, "Sleep well." More sleep? The thought was momentary as she was being overwhelmed by adrenaline. As he raises the syringe to Mal's neck she throws her head forward into his. He is stunned which leads him stumbling onto his back. Mal tries to stand, but cannot find the strength in her wobbly legs to do so. She only makes it so far as to kneel, the bruises on her knees flaring with pain. Harry stands up almost immediately, nostrils flaring in anger. "You're lucky I find your resilience amusing, Maleficent."

He rushes forward, aggressively shoving Mal onto her back. He towers over her, admiring the cuts and bruises that litter her body. He hits her across the face, grinning as she grimaces. Her head stays laying on the cold cement floor. Sweat is beading at her hairline, and it feels like a relief, as though if she could just focus on that maybe she'd be okay.

She feels blood drip down her face. He had just reopened the cut on her forehead. Satisfied, he puts his body on top of hers, pinning her effectively. He grabs her by the chin, forcing her to look at him despite the way her head was lolling to the side. With one swift motion, he plunges the syringe into her neck.

"You'll wish you could've spent more time with me today."

Mal lazily stares back at him, trying to process the words his mouth formed. Her eyes drift around Hook, then to nothing.

Darkness finds her instantly, and she is thrown back into the world of unconsciousness.

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I have not died
You're welcome
u.u.