Author's Note: I gave serious thought to letting the last chapter be the ending to the story, but I felt like something was missing. So I decided to wrap things up a little more. This chapter goes a little off the usual path of the other chapters; no one's sick, no one's going to the hospital, and no doctor's being too blunt and saying someone almost died. But now, I think the story comes full circle and feels complete. This is one of my favorite chapters I've written in any of my stories, and I hope you like it. Thanks for reading and enjoy…

Mal had been back at her dorm for a few days, her flu virus having run its course and Dr. Dalton deciding that she could come back. While she did like being back at school and getting back to her routine, she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't missing the castle a little bit. She thought it was silly, she'd only stayed there a little under a week, but already the place felt like home.

Right now, she was frantically trying to clean up the room. As she moved, picking up stray clothes and art supplies, she realized that she was actually picking up her side. Evie's side was immaculate, not a piece of clothing, a stray shoe, a beauty supply, or fashion designing necessity out of place. After she was done picking up after herself, Mal then went to work setting up her easer near the dresser in the back wall, adjacent from the door.

"Hey, M," Evie said as she entered her dorm room.

"Hey," Mal answered back.

"What are you up to?" the bluenette asked as she saw her friend setting up her easel.

"Just setting up for Mom's…I mean Belle's…visit," she answered.

"You know you don't need to correct yourself, Mal," Evie told her.

"Hm?"

"You called Belle 'Mom'," Evie said to her. "Then you corrected yourself and called her Belle."

"Cause that's her name."

"Not for you. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, for you, 'Belle' became 'Mom', and whenever someone is around to hear you, you act like you said something wrong."

Mal sat on her bed and looked over at her best friend. She didn't want to admit it, but Evie was right. She did have trouble referring to Belle as Mom when other people were around. Hell, I've never even said it in front of her, she thought. But the reason she always corrected herself wasn't because she felt she was doing something wrong.

"Evie, I still have a mother," she said as she sat down on her bed.

Evie went over and sat next to Mal. She wrapped her arm around her and pulled her close. Mal immediately rested her head on Evie's shoulder, almost smiling as she felt Evie wrap her other arm around her, hugging her tight.

"I know you do Sweetie, but right now, Maleficent is a lizard. And - and as I say this please remember that I love you - but your mother was terrifying. You said there were times she even scared you."

"But…"

"But she's your mom, I know. I'm the same way," Evie revealed, causing Mal to lift her head and look at Evie in shock. "Ever since we started dating, Doug's mom checks up on me, like Belle does for you."

"What do you do?"

"I don't say it all the time, but every once and a while, the word 'Mom' sometimes gets used instead of Connie."

"Does it feel weird?" Mal asked.

"It did at first," Evie admitted. She took a deep breath and thought about her relationship with her boyfriend's mother. "Now? Whether I say Mom instead of Connie, I know it doesn't mean I love my own mother any less."

Mal looked like she was even more confused than ever. Part of her wanted to stay loyal to her mother. After all, her mother was the reason she was who she was; confident, smart, resourceful. Although, she knew she had also been brought up with some less than endearing qualities; her mother wanted her to be conniving, manipulative, and just plain mean

But Belle never asked her to be any of those awful things. She tried to help Mal be more than those things. And she celebrated Mal's better traits; her intelligence, her empathy, her kindness.

"Despite what your mother says, those things don't make you weak, Mal," she heard Belle's voice in her head saying. "You're a better person for having them."

"Feel better, M?" came Evie's voice, snapping her out of her reverie. Mal nodded. Evie smiled and the two of them hugged once more. "So are you gonna paint something else for Belle?"

"Show her something, actually," Mal corrected.

Evie's eyes lit up. "Oh my God, did you finish the painting for your room at the palace?" Mal nodded. "Can I see it?"

Mal nodded again and Evie squealed with joy. "When Belle gets here."

"Aww, you're no fun."

A half hour later, Evie was at her desk getting in some last minute studying so she didn't have to worry about it over the weekend. Mal was laying back on her bed feeling more nervous than she'd ever felt in her life. She had her sketch pad out, but instead of drawing, she was tapping the pencil against the page over and over.

"Mal, stop it, you're going to drive me insane," Evie told her.

"Sorry," Mal said quickly. "I'm just a little scared."

"Of?"

"What if she hates it, E?"

"Well considering I've never seen it I can't say if she'll hate the painting itself, but," Evie said in a tone that let Mal know she was still annoyed at not being allowed to see the painting, "she loves you. I'm sure she'll love whatever you made."

Mal was about to speak when a knock interrupted her. "Oh God, she's here," Mal panicked, jumping out of her bed, but not moving from it.

"Mal, calm down," Evie instructed her as she went to open the door. "Hi, Your Majesty," Evie greeted with a smile a curtsy.

"Evie, hi," greeted before wrapping the young girl in a hug. "And I've told you that you can call me Belle," she said gently, softly moving some hair back behind Evie's ear.

"Manners matter," she said. "At least that's what my mother says."

"Well, despite her…crimes, it's nice to see that the Evil Queen taught you that."

"Thank you, and while she did stress that, I meant another mother," she smiled.

Belle smiled back, gently cupping Evie's face, glad that she too had found someone to fill that void for her as well.

She walked into the room and turned her attention toward Mal. "You said you finished the painting, Sweetie?" she asked, politely pointing toward the easel with the covered painting. Mal nodded, nervously biting her lip. "Well, can I see it?"

"Y-yes," Mal stuttered. Belle and Evie looked at each other and smiled. They walked over and stood before the painting, both of them eagerly anticipating what Mal had done. Without further ado, Mal grabbed the sheet was using to hide the painting, pulled it, and finally revealed her work.

On the canvas was an effigy of Belle, sitting on a throne, looking positively regal in a yellow gown, a sly smirk having her lips. Standing next to, well, more leaning on, the throne with one arm, the other perched coolly on her hip, was Mal, dressed in the same outfit she'd worn on Family Day when Ben introduced her as his girlfriend. On her face as well was the same sly smirk.

Evie's jaw dropped open, a small breath let out at the same time. Almost immediately, a smile replaced her open-mouthed reaction. Belle's reaction was even stronger. An audible gasp was heard from her, even though she'd brought her hands up to cover her mouth.

"D-do you like it?" Mal asked, not sure if she was more nervous, or terrified.

Belle nodded. "It's beautiful." Mal let out a breath of relief, trusting that Belle's reaction was real. "What's it called?"

"The Current and Future Queen?" Evie asked, a hopeful smile on her face. Belle let out a small giggle.

"Actually I was thinking," Mal said, pausing for a flood of emotion. She'd already decided on the name for the painting, but now that she had to say it, she was finding it to be the most difficult thing she'd ever done. "I was thinking…Mother and Daughter."

Oh my God I said it, Mal thought, astonished that she'd actually been able to get the words out. She looked over at Belle and Evie's faces, and felt her eyes fill with tears as she saw them. Evie's eyes were just as tear filled as hers, and she didn't know if Evie was holding them back or not, but the look of elation on her face spoke volumes. She was proud that Mal had finally referred to Belle as Mom.

Belle on the other hand was not doing as well a job of holding back as her friend. The normally calm and reserved Queen Mother of Auradon, was a picture of emotion. Whereas Evie managed to keep her tears in check, Belle was crying rivers. "Sweetie," Belle sobbed, moving over to Mal, and wrapping the girl up in her arms, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Mal felt Belle squeeze her tight, refusing to let her go. Mal hugged Belle back, just as tight, and now crying just as openly. They probably would've stayed that way, holding each other as the family they had become had it not been for the sound of Evie's phone letting them know that she had snapped a picture.

They came apart at the sound, and turned to look at her, seeing that she had gotten her tears under control. "Sorry, but I felt like capturing the moment," she said making her way toward the door.

"You don't need to leave, Evie," Belle said, doing her best to stop crying herself.

"I know, but…I suddenly feel like calling Doug's mother. I'll text you the pic later okay, Mal?"

Mal nodded as she watched her friend leave. Once Belle and Mal were alone, Mal wiped her tears and stood next to Belle. "I'm going to need you to paint something else for your room," Belle told her. "I'm putting this in the main hall with the rest of the family portraits for everybody to see." Mal nodded, too afraid to try and immediately speak for fear of breaking out into tears again. Belle put her arm around Mal and pulled her close, no longer feeling like Mal was like a daughter. She is my daughter, she thought. "I love you, Mal."

"I love you too, Mom."

The End