Westward; Eastbound - Part 1

I do not own Disney Descendants.

To be updated in parts. Also included with my Oneshots Collections

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Ben crept around the coffee table with a grin plastered onto his face. He spotted a pair of light purple and pink-spotted socks peeking out from behind a heavy grey curtain and jumped forward to brush them away. A doll fell forward onto the floor beside his feet. Bamboozled again.

"Oh, come on!" He complained, turning to look back around the room. "You need to play fair!"

A giggle sounded from behind the couch. Ben pivoted and leaned over, but there was no one there. He wasn't to be fooled again though, so he flipped open the lid of the blanket basket and laughed when his eight-year-old looked up with a shocked expression. "Found you!" He exclaimed.

"What?" She squawked. "You never look there!"

"Are you keeping track?" He laughed. "I didn't think you could fit in there."

"I'm stuck," Belle nodded. "Can you help me out?"

Ben began to laugh in earnest as he leaned down and pried his wayward daughter out of her hiding place. It was a miracle she'd been able to fit. The basket was barely as big as she was. Belle finally stood up amongst the blankets and dusted off her blue dress. "Ugh, it was so stuffy in there," she snorted, holding her head up high. Ben rolled his eyes as she glanced over towards the window and let out a dramatic gasp. "You knocked Molly over!" she exclaimed and jumped out of the basket to rescue the doll.

"I was busy looking for you!" Ben protested as she scooped up the doll, which was half as big as she was, and combed its hair in a comforting manner. The doll was made of plastic and had the dimensions of a real-life toddler. It had been designed for a medical class so technicians could learn CPR and other lifesaving procedures for children. A pediatrician had brought one to Belle's public school and she'd been so impressed that she'd come home and taken up dozens of extra chores to earn one. She was a far cry from the Belle who would have thrown a tantrum for the thing. Ben honestly hated it. It made alarm sounds if you turned it upside down for too long or if it was trapped under something heavy or if something knocked into it hard. There was also a computer feature on it where it would cry every so often and you had to feed it or cradle it or do something to make it stop. It was supposed to mimic an actual child, but it only made it all the more creepy. Belle adored it, but Ben made her switch off the automatic crying every night before she went to bed.

Ben sighed and crouched down beside Belle as she checked the doll's arm, listened for breathing, and then went back to combing her brown hair. "Is she okay?" He asked.

Belle nodded. "I think so," she agreed and then adjusted the doll's dress so it fit better against the doll's body."

"Your Majesty?" Someone called from the door. Ben looked up. The door had been left open and a footman was now waiting in the doorway.

"Yes?" Ben asked, standing up straight and fixing the cuffs on his shirt.

"You're needed in your office," the foreman informed him. "It'll only be a moment."

Ben nodded and patted Belle on the shoulder. "You can stay here," he told her, "Or you can go find Mom. I think she went for a walk after she got off work."

"I have to stay here and make sure Molly doesn't have any bruises," Belle huffed dramatically. She flipped over her wrist and examined her pink plastic watch. It had come in a children's meal from a fast-food restaurant they'd stopped at on their way home from a meeting and she liked it more than the glass-face watch Audrey had gotten for her years ago. This was a toy Ben approved of - he could give her the day's schedule and she'd meticulously write in her assignments alongside his and every once in a while come back to him to compare his watch to hers and make sure both were correct. "Oh, and it's almost nap time and I haven't picked out a book for her!"

"Naptime?" Ben asked. "What about lunch?"

"It can wait," Belle huffed. "Or, actually-" she glanced at her watch again and furrowed her brow. "No, it can't! I have to go to the library afterward to pick out a book to show Grandma and then Mom's going to be here to take me to the park!" She threw her head back in exasperation. "There's not enough time in the day!"

"Your majesty?" The footman called from the door.

"Coming!" Ben got to his feet and crossed the room quickly. The footman began to walk ahead of him to his office, glancing back at every corner to make sure he was still coming. Ben followed to the office and discovered that three people were inside, waiting for him. It was the Charming family, consisting of Chad, his wife Alexis, and their son Liam. "Chad!" Ben exclaimed, stepping forward and clapping his old friend on the back as they exchanged a hug. "It's marvelous to see you again!"

"Hello, Ben," Chad returned the hug, but not with as much enthusiasm. They broke apart and Ben took a seat behind his desk. Everyone else sat down in front of him without being prompted. Chad didn't even take the time to re-introduce his son and mention that he was sitting in on this meeting for future training or anything. Ben frowned.

"We have news," Chad explained without being prompted. "An emergency, I'm afraid. It came to my attention late last night and we came straight away to inform you in person." He withdrew a photo from a file case that had been set on a seat and slid a photo forward to Ben. Ben leaned forward and frowned. He recognized it immediately. It was the Isle of the Lost. And, near the old port where the magical bridge would be conjured up if anyone ever decided to go over, there was a visible hole underneath it.

"How long has that been there?" Ben asked, picking up the photo to examine it further. It was quite a wide rip… maybe thirty feet across.

"Since two days ago," Chad admitted. "My overseers saw it open and tried to remotely close it, but I'm afraid the equipment is rather old and… well, it doesn't work anymore. After doing everything they could, they brought the matter to me and now I'm bringing it to you. We've already sent out a ship to guard the opening, but it's possible something with magic… like Dr. Facilier, Ursula, or - God forbid - Maleficent might have already escaped."

"Maleficent?" A voice repeated from the doorway. Everyone turned. Audrey was standing in the doorway, looking startled. Ben's face softened to see her.

"Hey," he smiled and got to his feet. "How was your walk?"

"Fine," She stepped inside and took his hands. They shared a quick hello kiss. "What's going on?"

"The barrier to the Isle of the Lost is broken," Chad explained. "We found it two days ago."

"And Maleficent escaped?" Audrey asked, crossing her arms.

"No." Ben shook his head and retook his seat. "That's just speculation. So far, we have a ship out watching it and no one's escaped that we know of."

"The Isle has been quiet for the last few years," Chad speculated, rubbing the base of his chin. "If they've been planning something and they were quick… they could have got away."

"What do you mean by quiet?" Audrey demanded, then looked down at Ben. "Do we know where everyone is?"

"Oh, we keep track of most of the villains and note when they appear on cameras," Chad butted in before Ben could respond. "But two years ago, all the children stopped showing up on the cameras. Everyone twenty-two to four went underground. There are new kids now, of course, but we think the older ones went to the back of the Island, away from their parents."

Ben pinched his lips together to suppress a little smile and then continued examining the photo. The older children had escaped - underneath Chad's nose - and headed to the West, where they now had their own little place of safety away from their parents, ruled by a three-person team. It wasn't quite a secret that they were there - plenty of the contractors and constructors who had headed over knew the villain kids quite well and a few people traveled over without ever knowing whose territory they were going through, but Ben hadn't announced them at the request of Evie, who wanted to establish the community before it was added to Auradon as a Kingdom.

"What are we going to do?" Audrey asked, glancing down on the photo and then shifting her weight from side to side. "Is there anything we can do?"

"We ought to count the villains on the Isle right now," Ben decided, taking the photo and turning it upside down. He could tell that Audrey was panicking over the sight of it. "I'm worried about Ursula in particular… if the rip extends under the water then it's harder to tell if she's escaped already. However, I don't want to call attention to the breach. We don't need people taking advantage of it."

"Understood," Chad nodded and glanced at his wife. "Alexis proposed we erect some sort of secondary barrier or a monitoring spell at the least over the rip while we figure out how to fix the rip."

"Call the Fairy Godmother," Ben nodded. "She should be able to help with both the rip and a second barrier." He glanced up at Audrey. "Maybe your Fairy Godmothers could help with that as well?"

"Maybe," Audrey nodded. She was looking past Ben, out the window, and into the distance. He glanced out, but there was nothing there and he knew she was only spacing out again. She had been doing that ever since he ripped out the curtains in her room and closed the spa on all days except Monday.

"We will contact her," Chad decided, and the three of his family got to their feet. "Thank you, Ben. We'll be in touch."

They took their leave out of the office. Ben busied himself with scribbling a note down to reach out to them later and then glanced at Audrey. She was focused on the window still, gazing out at nothing. Ben sighed. "You're doing it again," he murmured softly, trying his best not to nag.

Audrey snapped back to the present and let out an irritated sigh. "Let it go, Ben," she grumbled, sitting down in a chair near the door. "I'm just… thinking. Nothing's wrong with me."

"You're having trouble focusing," Ben told her. "You keep going unresponsive. You used to never do that."

"Plenty of people think, Ben," Audrey replied. "And I did what you wanted. I went for a walk. I went outside." She waved her hand to the window and made a fluttering motion with her fingertips. Ben frowned. It was clear from her tone of voice she still thought he was being ridiculous. "Listen, I know you have this belief that nature restores everything, but I've been having this thought lately-" She spread her hands as if framing something on the wall behind him. "What if I'm just getting older? What if that's what this is?"

"Geriatrics at twenty-nine," Ben snorted. Audrey let out an annoyed breath as he started going through random papers atop his stack. There weren't many though, and soon he was left with the option to find something else to occupy his attention or look at Audrey and engage in awkward silence. He stood up and wandered to the window, opening it. Audrey shivered before the first breeze had ever swept into the room and stood up.

"Where's our daughter?" She asked.

"It's Molly's nap time," he rolled his eyes. "I believe she's reading and putting her to bed."

Audrey stared at him as if he had two heads. A blank and confused look was frozen on her face as she stared at a point just over his left ear, processing. "Oh," she nodded and pressed a hand to her head. "I didn't know she was reading yet. Did her last nanny teach her?"

"We don't have nannies anymore," Ben reminded her patiently, though he felt like grinding his teeth together. "I taught her. Remember, we read in the evenings now?"

"Yes, of course!" Audrey snapped. "I'm not stupid, Ben." She paused, then raked the fingers of one hand through her hair. "I just… I thought Molly was still struggling, and-"

"Molly is the doll, Audrey," Ben interrupted. "Our daughter's name is Belle. Remember? Belle?" His voice was rising now - Audrey's face bloomed over red and puce.

"I got mixed up!" She snapped. "I forgot about the doll. I was talking about the… the… the peasant girl who keeps coming over to play with her. The one you said was a good influence."

"Morgan," Ben supplied, and yes, he could see how she confused the two names. "Morgan isn't a peasant girl, Audrey. Her mother is a developmental psychologist. She's the one we used to take Belle to. But she doesn't have a nanny. Never has."

"I can't believe you thought I would forget my own daughter's name!" Audrey snapped, ignoring what he'd just said. "What kind of monster do you think I am?"

"Well, you seem content to-" Ben shut himself off. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I… I apologize. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, no." Audrey shook her head. "Do go on. What do I seem content to forget? I'm the one who participates at her school."

"The school that I put her in."

"I put her in the first seven-"

"You didn't care when she got dropped out of every single-"

"You weren't ever there! You were always busy-"

"I was busy because you couldn't be bothered to-"

"It wasn't a problem for you then-"

"It was always a problem! I just-"

"You need to-"

"Mom?" The little voice came from the doorway and Audrey stopped mid-sentence to glance down and then turn to pick Belle up. Belle's head dropped onto Audrey's shoulder as mother and daughter shared a hug. Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She chuckled and ran a hand down Belle's back.

"You smell nice, little one."

"Thanks, mommy."

Audrey set Belle back down and Belle glanced over at her father, who got down on one knee to be on eye level with her as he held out a hand for a fist bump. "Did you put Molly to bed okay?" he asked.

Belle nodded. "I checked her pulses," she announced as if it were an ordinary thing. "She's a bit on the dead side but I'll give her medicine when she wakes up and she'll live."

Ben wasn't sure that was entirely how medicine worked.

"That sounds like a good idea, pumpkin," Audrey told Belle. "You take such good care of your dolly - maybe one day you can come up with something that fixes Mommy's aches too."

"Dad says if you eat lots of fruits and veggies and go outside to play then it helps," Belle suggested. Ben lifted his eyes to Audrey as if to say "I-told-you-so," and Audrey pinched her lips together.

"Mommy has different problems than that, honey."

Belle shrugged. "It worked for me. I don't get tummy aches anymore." She put a hand to her midsection and rubbed her belly. "Dad, I'm hungry. Can we get a snack?'

"Sure," Ben nodded and scooped her up into his arms. Her unicorn t-shirt slid up against his arm and Belle squirmed to pull it back down. Ben stopped to kiss Audrey's cheek before he stepped out of the office and murmured: "We'll be out on the porch." She didn't respond. A corner of the office had transfixed her, and she was gone. Ben huffed and turned out the lights. She never remembered to do it herself and he was tired of the expense it was causing. He left the door open and the window letting in a breeze. Audrey wouldn't notice either until she eventually came back to herself.

Belle curled into his shoulder. She hadn't noticed yet that Audrey wasn't always herself.

Nineteen months and he still couldn't get used to sleeping without the window open.

It was the closest he could get on a reasonable night to sleeping outside. Sometimes he actually would sleep outside, out on the porch or in a hammock or sometimes in a tent where Belle could play the next day. But most nights he was inside, fully clad in soft plaids and warm flannel and thick socks with the ceiling fans on high and the windows open - even in the winter. Even on fall nights like these.

Audrey thought he was insane.

It helped a bit - coping with the distance and with his job and the daily grind of things. Things had gotten better over the years. He hadn't seen Mal since he'd left (which might have been for the better) but he and Evie had exchanged letters off and on for about four months after he'd left before they'd both gotten too busy to keep up. He still heard about the VK's when they requested additional help from Auradon, but things were smooth-sailing now. They didn't need his help.

Ben rolled over in his bed. The other side was, of course, empty. Ben had told Audrey about two months after arriving that he was going to move back into the master bedroom and that redecoration would be coming with him. He'd arranged for her to keep all her things - her favorite rug and limited collection of bath bombs, among other treasures, but she'd been so furious she'd moved into a separate suite next to Belle's rather than room with him. Her room was decorated to her tastes, and Ben wasn't going to force her to change that. He knew this whole thing had been a shock for her. Still, her hate bit at him. When they had married, he had pictured falling asleep beside her. Waking up and kissing her hair until she awoke with a smile on her face. Children - plural. But Audrey wanted none of it. And he couldn't hold anything against her.

He rolled back onto his back - why was he so sleepless tonight? It had been a rather relaxing night. He and Belle had eaten together and read while Audrey dined separately in her room. Audrey had come down to help him put Belle to bed - which was an improvement, and one he was pleased to see. She even checked that Belle had brushed her teeth before they'd turned off the light. Still, she had gone back to her room without saying much to him.

Ben wished his brain would shut off.

He tossed back onto his front and shook his pillow twice before burying his face into it. For a moment, he imagined it was a rolled-up fur jacket instead and the cut of the wind felt sharper, but then the silk of the bedsheets brought him back to the palace.

Something fell in the next room over. Ben sat up, blinking. There was a shuffling sound - someone had tripped over whatever had been disturbed. Was it Belle, trying to sneak into his room? Ben swung his feet over the edge of the bed, found his slippers, and got to his feet. He walked to the door, opened it, and peered outside.

The culprit froze in the center of the room, over the blanket basket that had been kicked from where he and Belle had accidentally left it earlier. He stared at Ben. Ben stared back. In the distance, Ben thought he heard a familiar, firm voice telling him he should call the guards now.

Because the culprit had flaming blue hair.

Ben cleared his throat. "Can I help you?" he asked slowly, taking in the fact that this man - this god - was standing in his living room. This villain who should be on the Isle right now.

Hades blinked, looked over his shoulder, gestured to himself, and exhaled. "Your majesty," he coughed and cleared his throat. "I am… sorry to disturb you."

"Oh, no, I was awake," Ben nodded. He let his hands drop from where they had remained on the doorframes. "I thought you were…" Actually, it probably wasn't best to draw a villain's attention to his daughter. "Nevermind."

Hades leaned down and propped the blanket basket back up before hurriedly stuffing all that had fallen out of it back in. He cleared his throat but said nothing. Ben decided to ask again.

"Is there… a reason you're here? Something I can do to help you?" The hairs on his neck were starting to fall again. Hades didn't seem intent on hurting him, at least. And prior experience with the children of the villains had taught him that negotiations were easier if you offered to do something without charge. If Hades was anything like the kids, he'd be wary of debt and insist on repaying any favor.

Hades seemed surprised he was being regarded so kindly despite the situation. He straightened up and stared. Ben ran a hand through his hair so he wasn't standing awkwardly and then gestured to the couches around Hades. "Here," he invited. "Have a seat. Do you want me to send for something?"

"No," Hades declined, though he took a seat. Ben walked over and sat on an adjacent couch. He took a deep breath and then began to speak.

"So… you're here in my living room in the middle of the night… and there's nothing you need me to do for you?"

"I'm here for information," Hades replied stiffly. "I'm not here to… threaten you or…" he exhaled. "I, uh, was going to sneak in and sneak out without taking anything."

Ben clasped his hands together. "Well, what were you looking for?" he asked.

Hades shifted. "Well… a few years ago, I don't know if you know, there was a group of kids that left the Isle of the Lost. They came to Auradon… wanted to strike out by themselves."

"I know," Ben nodded. "They were led by three girls. They went to Charmington, and that's where they were found."

"Are you holding them, then?" Hades asked.

"No," Ben shook his head in response. "They live out west now. They have their own lands and everything. I set the land aside for their use."

"You did?" If Hades was surprised at first, it was nothing compared to now. "Well… that's wonderful. I, uh, didn't expect that." He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, see here, I had one of my kiddos leave with that group and I've always worried about her a bit… I wanted to drop by and see her and… maybe not get sent back to the Isle."

Ben paused and furrowed his brow. "Well," he began, "These kids were specifically fleeing from parents. If I send you over, how do I know-"

"I'm not an abuser," Hades replied flatly. "I don't have any proof, but I'm not. I didn't even get to raise my kiddo - her mother was a bit of a freak. But I watched over her until the day she was gone - and I don't want to be part of her life if she hates me - I just want to make sure she's taken care of and happy and everything."

Ben nodded slowly. His brain felt a bit foggy from the surprise, but he understood. "Okay," he agreed. "I can arrange for that."

Hades blinked in surprise. "You can?" he nodded.

"Sure." Ben shrugged. "I'm the King - I can do whatever I want. And if you want to see your daughter, then you can see your daughter." He stifled a yawn - of course, he'd feel tired now - and then squinted at Hades. "One question: how did you get out?"

"Well, I used the old machine the kids left behind and figured out the code to flip it on and from there, I just used my powers to open the barrier."

"How long ago?" Ben asked.

"Two days, now," Hades shrugged. "I went to the underworld to see if I could see where she'd gone from my realm, but I couldn't. And then-"

"Sorry," Ben interrupted. "Two more questions, please. One, how did you get out without being seen, and two, did you happen to open the barrier near the old Port de la Grande?"

Hades stared. "Yes…" he trailed off. "I used my helmet of invisibility."

Ben pressed his lips together. "Did you close the barrier after you left?" he asked. "Because we have a gaping hole underneath that port that we can't close remotely."

A color spread into Hades's cheeks. "I… meant to close it," he stammered. "I musta… not understood the machinery or something - you can't close it?"

"It must have been broken when you came through." Ben ran a hand through his hair. "There's a large hole… at least twenty feet across."

"Twenty feet?" Hades echoed. "I didn't do that. "I slipped through in about three feet." He chuckled nervously. However, this did nothing to console Ben.

"Well, then it must be getting wider," he reasoned and got to his feet to pace across the room. "I'll have to call Chad… let him know. I don't suppose there's a way you can fix it? Yes, I thought not. Well, I'll still help you get to the West if you want. I believe there's some sort of spell that keeps some people out… we can send you with a carriage with our ensign and you'll be able to get in with that."

"That would be wonderful," Hades agreed, relaxing a little though he still looked a little embarrassed. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sorry for the barrier."

Ben waved him off. "We'll get it worked out," he assured him, then paused to yawn. "So long as Maleficent doesn't figure out it's there, we'll be fine." He braced his hands on the back of the couch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's getting late. If you want, there is an empty suite across the hall that should be maintained. You're welcome to have it for the night and in the morning I'll have horses and a carriage prepped to take you to the West."

Hades stood up, still looking a little lost. "Wait," he requested, holding up his hands. "Is… is that it?"

Ben tilted his head. "Unless you need anything else?"

"Well…" Hades trailed off. "Do you offer to send everyone who breaks into your suite across the country?"

"To be fair, you're the first time this has happened, and I'm not sure it'll become a trend." Although he had offered the group of people who had kidnapped him on a diplomatic trip a kingdom of their own and ditched his family for two months to support them, so he didn't exactly have a great track record for dealing with wrongdoers. Oh well.

Hades stared at him as if he was unsure he was speaking with the right person. Ben ran his hands up and down his face and yawned. "Let's talk more in the morning," he decided and then turned to walk back into his room. He listened briefly to see if Hades would say anything, but no further comment was added.

He shut the door to his room again and, after a few moments, heard Hades leave.