Straight on Til' Morning; Book 4 of the Love is Weakness(Carlos De Vil) series

She's Dangerous on a Good Day

The group trudged through the forest, their goal: to get as much distance between them and Pan as possible. Carlos was struggling to keep up, carrying Raven in his arms.

"Ay, wee pup, if ye're too tired, I can carry 'er for a while." Offered Harry, with an amused glint in his eyes.

"I got it, Hook!" Snapped Carlos, through clenched teeth- not in the mood for the pirate's commentary.

Mal came up with an on-the-spot incantation to help; feeling that Carlos was exhausted and becoming unbearably irritable.

"This journey is tough, it's hard to weather. Make this Pixie feel light as a feather." Mal recited.

Carlos felt the tension easing up on his shoulders and forearms, she felt solid against him, but completely weightless. Relief flooded through his tired and sore muscles.

"Thanks. But, I had that." Carlos insisted, pridefully. Although, he was genuinely grateful. "I can take care of her, Mal."

"You're grumpy, and it was getting annoying. This was purely selfish on my part." Mal smiled at her pseudo brother,
"No one thinks that you aren't capable." She added.

"Yeah...no one, except me. I failed her, Mal." Carlos muttered.

"She's not a child, Carlos. She's a grown woman, with a seriously screwed up family, just like the rest of us. Her power and her connection to Pan made her vulnerable. You can't watch her 24 hours a day!" Mal reflected to Carlos.

"I know. It's just that she's so powerful, and so strong, but still so fragile. I just hate that it was so easy for him...so easy, to take away the most important thing in the world to me. And, I had no control." He explained.

"We almost never have control, this isn't news." Mal quipped.

"Interesting attitude for a future Queen." Carlos joked.

"We just have to take what we can deal with in the moment and work on the rest. Stop blaming yourself. Raven would tell you to cut the shit, if she was awake." Mal said in jest.

"Oh, yeah she would." He laughed.

Carlos nudged her playfully,
"Love you, Witch." He grumbled.

"Love you, Nerd." She returned.

Hartley was listening intently to their conversation, as she took up the rear. She was filled with contradicting feelings.

She missed being Carlos' best friend; and at the same time, she couldn't shake the obvious jealousy that she felt for Raven when he spoke about his feelings for her. She was also jealous of Mal, and her ability to keep her gang together; and make it like a real family. This was something that she barely experienced with her own crew or her own mother. Some days she missed evil; and how easy it was to block out the feelings--when you made the decision to just not care. It was cathartic to cause pain and suffering to others; as it made her forget about her own pain. But, she couldn't ignore that something had shifted in her when she saw Carlos again; that day, on the Isle, in the back room at Ursula's Chip Shoppe. She started to remember her humanity, and how much she did in fact love him, when they were children. Hartley could not wrap her mind around what her next path should be, but she knew what she wanted.

The group finally returned to Auradon, and they all decided to stay together in Evie's Castle so that they could protect Raven and the little VKs. They considered sending the children back to the Isle or having them stay with Jane or Lonnie, but they didn't want to put anyone else at risk. The palace would have been an option as it was guarded, but there were too many opportunities for casualties.

Mal put protection incantations around the castle. Carlos built a series of triggering alarms, to warn them of intruders--out of some of Evie's appliances. The blue-haired princess was not too happy, but there wasn't much other choice.

Evie had several bedrooms in her castle, so she could accommodate the couples. The little VKs would set up blanket forts and mats in the sitting room. Harry, Gil, and Jay agreed to sleep on cots in the same area, to be sure that the children were protected.

Raven was placed onto a soft bed in one of Evie's spare rooms, as they awaited the effects of the Rip Van Winkle flowers to wear off.

After much protesting from Carlos, Mal decided to place a shield around the bed to contain the pixie, should she still be under the influence of Pan.

"She's not an animal, we can't just lock her in the there!" Carlos exclaimed.

"Carlos... she's dangerous on a good day, let alone when she's not in control." Argued Mal.

"So are you! Remember when your eyes would turn green and you'd almost dragon out when you were mad and losing control... We didn't lock you up." Countered Carlos.

"Mal was in control of her mind, it's not the same thing." Said Ben, coming to her defense.

"Yeah-- when you lose your mind, they do tend you lock you up around here." Quipped Hartley.

Everyone became quiet at her words, and an awkward silence fell.

Eventually Carlos spoke up.
"You were getting help, it wasn't just confinement."

"And, that's what we're going to do. Keep her safe, and us, and help her in any way we can." Assured Evie.

"If she is in a trance, a force field won't keep her from marking anyone." Added Harry, for the sake of argument.

"I... I need some air." Muttered Carlos, becoming increasingly anxious, and walking out of the room.