Always Have, Always Will

Chapter 4: I feel my heart beat beating

The barrier was down, giving opportunity to each and every VK on the Isle of the Lost to come to Auradon, have a better life. That also meant that any of the villains could come to Auradon too, which could cause some issues. Evie had seen her mother pretty recently, but she had kept it under lock and key that she and Doug were together, not only together, but something very very serious. Her mother would never approve. Evie wanted to protect Doug at all costs, even if that means never telling her mom.

There was a big party the night the barrier was taken down, and Doug and Evie were having the time of their lives. They danced and kissed for hours, exchanging 'I love you's' and getting several eye rolls and 'get a room's' from their friends around them. That is until they heard a scream, and not just any scream. Evie knew exactly who that scream belonged to, her mother.

Evie could feel her chest start to tighten up, and she started to slightly get dizzy. Her mother, the Evil Queen, walked slowly to where Doug and Evie were standing, directly in the middle of the dance floor. Doug thought he was going to throw up, felt like he should run and hide, but he knew Evie needed him right then. Doug stepped right in front of Evie, shielding her almost from the one thing she was actually terrified of- her mother. Evie held on tight to the back of Doug's dress jacket, unsure if she was going to pass out or not. She just kept saying, "Doug, Doug please."

Doug stood at attention, ready to take on whatever the Evil Queen had in store for them. After a bit of a stare down when she got to them, he finally opened his mouth.

"Your majesty, my name is Doug, son of Dopey. And I am completely and irrevocably in love with your daughter Genevieve, and if you can't accept that, we don't need you in our lives then."

Doug spoke very clearly, but Evie could hear the fear in his voice. The Evil Queen just stared, and then pierced her lips at them.

"Evie, I didn't want to believe it. I have heard whisperings of my daughter, MY daughter, dating a child of one of the dwarves, and I simply didn't want to believe it. You have totally and completely disappointed me. You were supposed to marry a prince, someone who could get you a castle, a title, someone who was going to take care of you and eventually me! Instead you chose some vermin, some low life. What can he do for you? Absolutely nothing. He has no title, no castle, nothing to offer. You are no daughter of mine," the Evil Queen spat as Evie could feel herself slipping away.

She hasn't had one since she left the Isle for good, a panic attack that is. Any time her mom yelled at her, she felt as though she couldn't breathe. She came up with tactics to help when the spells came on such as scratching at her neck, pulling her hair, anything to get her to calm down But this one was worse than anything she has felt before. She continued to clutch onto Doug, as he watched the Evil Queen walk away.

"This goes without saying, you are going to miss out on one of the greatest people this earth has ever seen. I may not be able to give her the status she has always wanted or even the big castle, but what we do have is true love. A relationship to outlast anything life throws our way. Evie is my entire world, and no matter what happens, I will always be at her side, caring for her, making sure she knows she is loved."

The Evil Queen scoffed and walked straight out the lobby doors. Doug turned around just in time to see Evie fall, unable to hold herself up anymore. She had told Doug about her anxiety attacks, but he had never seen one happen to her. He scooped her up, kissed her temple, and walked her back to her "starter castle" as she likes to put it. On the way Evie was too tired to talk, but Doug would continue to drop kisses onto her head and say 'I love you, my princess' whenever he got the chance to. Evie smiled every time those kisses and those words were gifted to her, until she fell asleep about five minutes away from home.

Doug opened the front door, and took his sleepy girlfriend all the way up the stairs to her bedroom. She was still in her ballgown, so he found one of his band sweatshirts she had stolen from him and helped her quickly get changed, all while keeping his eyes closed like the gentleman he is. Doug pulled back the royal blue covers of her king sized bed, and lay his beautiful girlfriend down. She began to stir when he tried to tuck her in.

"Lover boy, is that you?" Evie managed to groggily say as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yes, princess, it's me. Are you feeling any better?" Doug asked kissing the top of her head gingerly.

"Mmhmm, thank you my love," she replied as she yawned.

"Goodnight my beautiful dreamer. I will see you tomorrow," Doug whispered as he got up to walk towards the door.

"Wait! Doug, can you please spend the night? I don't want to be alone," She managed to croak out.

Doug smiled and started walking towards the bed. He slid off his shoes, and stripped down to just his boxers, that's all he had to sleep in. Evie pealed back the covers, and Doug climbed right in. He pulled her back to his chest, and within seconds, she was fast asleep again. Doug kissed her temple once again, and whispered, "Goodnight, Evie. I love you. Always have, always will."