I don't own Descendants.

Chapter Twelve

Mal stood in front of the mirror in her dorm bathroom, staring at her reflection. Today there was a parade celebrating the return of Ben, and she'd been asked to be a part of it with her friends. Ben had originally wanted her to ride in his carriage with him, but she'd declined, wanting to stand with her friends on this one.

She was wearing a knee-length dress that had a similar neckline to the one she had worn to Ben's coronation, so it had a high collar. However, she still had trouble tearing her eyes off her neck.

She had been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, only having to spend two more days there after she woke up. The bruises on her neck were getting better, but they were still highly noticeable. She couldn't help but feel like they made her less beautiful.

A knock on the door made her jump, and Evie's voice called through the door, "Hey, Mal, how's it looking?"

Mal took another glance at her reflection. The dress itself was stunning, a black number that shimmered with the crystals embroidered into the body. But every time she glanced at the mirror, the only thing her eyes could focus on was her neck.

Mal opened the door for Evie, hoping that her face didn't show her dissatisfaction.

"You're so beautiful!" Evie exclaimed, but stopped smiling once she saw Mal's face. "You don't like it."

"I do like it, E, it's just…"

Evie nodded in understanding. "We could cover them up with some makeup?" she suggested.

Mal sighed. "Let's try it."

And try they did. But a light layer didn't conceal it, and the more they caked on, the worse it looked. So they ditched that idea, wiping the layers of makeup off.

"If it's any help, I hardly even notice the bruises," Evie said. "All I see is a beautiful girl who is fit to be a princess."

Mal offered a weak smile, but didn't believe her friend.

Another knock, this time from the entrance of their door, sounded through the room.

"That's probably Ben," Mal said in disdain. Now there was no chance at even attempting to cover them up. Ben was taking them straight to the parade.

"I'll get it," Evie told her, and marched over to the door, throwing it open.

Ben stood there, smiling widely. "Hey Evie," he greeted. "Where's Mal?"

Evie gave him a sad look before gesturing to the bathroom, where Mal was still staring at her bruises in distaste.

"Hey Mal, you almost ready to go?" Ben asked, walking into the bathroom.

Mal tore her eyes away from her reflection and looked at her boyfriend, tears filling her eyes. Immediately Ben's face softened and he moved to comfort his girlfriend.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed her, rubbing her back as she cried into his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Look at them, Ben," Mal commanded, gesturing to the bruises. "They're ugly, and they make me feel weak."

Ben was taken aback. Mal wasn't one to be insecure about anything. She didn't care what others thought of her; she'd do it her way and you'd like it. "You're not weak, Mal."

"Yes, I am!" Mal insisted. "I'm the only one who came away from this battle with marks. Everyone else is unscathed."

Ben closed the bathroom door behind him and sat Mal down on the side of the bathtub. Then he proceeded to take his coat off and start to unbutton his shirt.

"Ben, now's not the time," Mal remarked sassily, giving a small smile through her tears.

Ben chuckled, and shrugged off his shirt when he'd finished unbuttoning this. Mal's breath hitched in her throat, and not just because of her boyfriend's toned abdomen.

No, Mal's focus was on the long, jagged scars that littered his chest. She had noticed them earlier, when they first found him as the beast, but the reality and seriousness of them really hit Mal when she saw them there on his chest when he was a human.

"You're not the only one who got hurt by those two," Ben told her, crouching down in front of her. He took her hands in his and looked her straight in the eye. "And your wounds don't make you weak. In fact, they make you even stronger because sure, you got away with a mark, but the fact is you got away. They show that you're so brave that you'll go through anything to get what you want, and that you'll get through whatever that is because you are just that strong." He squeezed her hands in reassurance, offering her a gentle smile. "You are so, so beautiful Mal. And in my eyes, those bruises and your immense strength just make you so much more beautiful."

Mal felt her eyes tearing up, now for an entirely different reason. "I love you, Ben," she told him, and he beamed at her, the same smile he did every other time she told him.

He pulled her down and kissed her slowly and languidly, causing her to thank her lucky stars that she was sitting down, or else her legs would've given way underneath her.

They pulled away finally after Evie knocked on the door, the kiss leaving them breathless. Ben pulled his shirt back on and Mal helped him slip into his coat. They shared one last quick kiss before stepping out of the bathroom.

"You ready to go?" Ben asked, reaching out and taking her hand as they headed out the door.

Mal smiled. "Yes," she said, more sure of herself than she had been since Ben had disappeared.

The four Villain's Kids walked hand in hand down the cobblestone paths of the village. Crowds of people, more people than Mal even thought lived in Auradon, stood on the sides of the roads, cheering for them. Cheering for the VKs, who, up until then, were people to be wary of. People to fear.

But now they were being celebrated, while the real bad guys -Crimson and Jack- were being shipped off to the Isle where they belonged.

Mal looked around, at her friends, at the crowds of people cheering her name, and then up at Ben, who was smiling and waving at the crowd from his carriage ahead, and realized that she had it all. This was the good life. The one where everyone knew she had chosen good over evil.

So there it was! The last official chapter of Missing in Action!

I'm so glad that all of you readers kept with the story, despite me missing like a million updates. I really hope you enjoyed it, because I loved writing it! The epilogue will be out as soon as I can, hopefully by next Sunday.

Please leave me a review, it'd mean the world!

Also, are y'all excited for Descendants 2? It's out tomorrow! Yay!

~SmartyPants210