I own nothing.

Chapter 1

Mal's POV…

We lay together in the same spot where we had our first date a little over a year before, my head was on his chest his arm wrapped securely around me, and our eyes stared above us at the sun gently setting. I had never felt so safe in my entire life, but with Ben I was safe. I was secure in the knowledge that he would never let another soul hurt me despite the fact I was the daughter of the world's evilest villain. When we were alone together none of that mattered; when we were alone it was only Ben and me and what we felt for each other.

"You may love him, but he can never really love you. You will never be his queen; his people will never accept Maleficent's daughter as their queen," whispered a tiny sinister sounding voice in my head as it always did when I started to believe even for just a second that he loved me. And I knew it was right, I was the one he wanted now, but he didn't love me. He couldn't love me as a king should love his future queen, or even his future wife. But I would be neither of those. Closing my eyes I felt my heart becoming heavy with sadness, but opening them again I remembered that was the future, now he was mine. He was mine and I would love him, enjoy him while he was. I closed my eyes again letting that sinister voice in my head die away as I reveled in the feel of having him right there with me. After a while I felt him watching me, I looked at him my green apple gaze finding his beastly brown eyes, and we smiled at each other. I nearly missed the glint in his eyes, but staring at him more I saw it. What did that glint mean? It looked like a mixture of nerves and fear and for a second I thought I saw love. But that was impossible that voice returned because he could not love me. Pulling me closer, Ben kissed me then his lips sweet against mine as they molded together, and god how I loved the way he kissed me.

It was times like this that I had hope in my heart. Hope in my heart that he could love me; hope in my heart that he did love me. He certainly kissed me in a way that would draw any girl to that conclusion.

"Stop dreaming little girl! It will never happen even if you told him you loved him right now he would not repeat it. He cannot love you!" screamed that sinister voice again it reminded me so much of my mother. I wanted to tell that voice to shut up, to yell at it in anger that it was wrong, but I couldn't because I knew it wasn't wrong. Ben would never love me. He was still kissing me as this all went through my mind, when my back hit the blanket we laid on though, when he loomed over me looking at me with that same glint in his eyes before attacking my lips once more releasing some of that beast in him I couldn't concentrate on anything, but him letting him deepen the kiss when I gasped. We stayed like this for how long I have no idea, but when his lips left mine to explore my neck I did not complain I just clutched him tighter. I could feel his hands on my waist probably leaving bruises through the fabric of my clothes; I didn't care if he did as he tenderly bit my neck leaving his mark for all to see looking at me only when his name left my lips in the form of a whimper of want. And then the kisses ended, the marking of my body ended, and he was looming over me once more both our hearts pounding as we stared each other down. I wanted to tell him I loved him then, but I couldn't, not until I knew his true feelings for me.

"Ben, what is it? Why'd you stop?" I whispered my hands moving slow like snakes up to grip his forearms the look in his eyes uncertain. I couldn't help, but wonder if this was the moment he would see me as the villain. Was this the moment he would leave me? Ben didn't answer me, he didn't say a word, but then he held my face in his hands. He stared at me his forehead touching mine and suddenly oh so suddenly he was kissing me again slow this time. My hands instinctively moved to rest against his upper back and when he looked at me again there was the hint of a smile on his face.

"Mal?" whispered Ben.

"What is it Ben, you can tell me anything. What's wrong," I said gently stroking his cheek before cradling it in my hand.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong. I just…I need to tell you something," smiled Ben moving to kiss my lips. The silence that consumed us then was as thick as butter and I could hear a ticking clock inside my head as I waited.

"Mal…Mal I…I love you," exclaimed Ben watching me closely for my reaction.

Time seemed to stop in that moment as what he said rang in my ears, he loved me; he loved me just like I loved him. The only thing I could think to do was kiss him grabbing him by the shoulders. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him my fingers in his hair making it unruly, I loved him so much in that moment, I finally knew that he loved me too, it wasn't all something in my head it was true because he had just said so; he loved me. It was like everything was finally falling into place. And I couldn't help, but think that this day would forever be the happiest day of my life.

"Mal? Does this mean you love me too?" asked Ben a hint of a smile on his face then as he looked down at me his eyes searching mine for an answer.

As he searched for my love in the depths of my green eyes, I knew this was the moment; this was the moment to tell him that I loved him; he need to know that I loved him so much and that I never wanted to be parted from him ever. A wide smile appeared on my face as I moved my hands to either side of his neck my thumbs stroking the spot where his pulse beat rapidly. I was still scared and that voice still spoke sinister words in my head, but I chose to ignore it as I gathered my courage around me like a security blanket preparing to tell him those three little words I had feared I'd never be able to.

"I love you Ben," I whispered my words rushed, but sincere as I smiled up at him.

"You love me," repeated Ben his smile radiant. My smile was just as radiant as I pulled him closer pecking him tenderly on the lips my heart feeling so full in that moment.

"Yes, I love you; I have loved you for so long. I will always love you, but I was so afraid you didn't love me. That you couldn't love me because I would never truly be accepted by your kingdom, but I do love you. Despite what may happen in the future, whether I'm ever your queen, or not I will never stop loving you," I cried the tears gathering in my eyes as I thought of losing him someday to someone more worthy to be his queen. And in that moment I tried to hold in the tears because he couldn't see me cry and once they were at bay I pulled him to kiss me once more. I never ever wanted that to be a reality; I never ever wanted to let him go.

He said nothing in response. I wouldn't really let him as I kissed him over and over again; I was content to get lost in him. Now was not for contemplating the future, but for celebrating our love. Our tiny moans filled our lover's lane as he deepened the kiss my fingers still in his hair making it stand on end and in that moment I wanted to freeze time so it would always be like this. If it stayed like this we could forget it all, we could forget that he was king, we could forget that I was a villain; we could forget that we would never be together like true lovers would. He would never be my husband, I would never be his wife; someday another would come to take him from me no matter how much we loved one another. None of that mattered; we would have to savior our time together while we had it. Part of me knew when the time came I would fight for him, but I knew I would lose. Despite it all, I would lose, and probably be sent back to the isle. But I knew I would still fight for him because he was worth fighting for.

"This isn't going to be easy. You loving me, me loving you; no one will ever accept it. Someday we will be forced apart because despite how it may appear your kingdom will never accept that you love me," I whispered breaking away from his lips then not looking at him as I spoke. It wasn't until I was done speaking that I kissed him again as if to reassure him that I did love him very much.

" I love you," we breathed together our lips barely parting as he laid down once more my head on his chest listening to the soft thump of his heart, but then he made me look at him his fingers moving like a gentle hairbrush through my hair.

"You're wrong. My kingdom will accept you, they already accept you, and they do not care about whose daughter you are. No one will ever take me away from you I won't let them. To take me away from you would kill me," whispered Ben running his fingers through my magenta colored hair still.

"That's very sweet, but it's a lie. No matter how much we both pretend that everyone is accepting of my friends and I they are not. They only tolerate us for your sake, but if you ever made me your queen, or tried to marry me they would not accept that. Someday you will need to take a queen and that queen will not be me," I whispered holding back tears once more. I hated him just a little bit then for being so naïve, for not being able to see behind the smiles people gave to what really lay beneath it all, and even when my heart wanted to believe him it just couldn't.

"In their eyes I will always be a villain even if I have committed no crime against them. I am my mother's daughter, that will always make me a villain in their eyes, and nothing you do can ever change that," I exclaimed watching as he shook his head in denial of my words. The tears I held back became too much in that moment, I couldn't stay there any longer, and jumping to my feet I ran from him. I couldn't hold back anymore, I was always being so strong, but even I had those moments when I needed to breakdown. I could hear Ben calling after me as I moved briskly out of sight of the enchanted lake and him, but I ignored his pleas to come back I needed to find someplace far from here to cry where no one would see me.

"Mal, please come back," screamed Ben after me. I could hear him screaming for me, but I still wouldn't stop. I was already crying my tears for what the future would hold for us and he could not see them. He could not see me cry, he could not see me as the fragile little thing I truly was; he must always see me as strong. But I couldn't run away from him it seemed because soon I felt his arms around me drawing me to a halt as he swung me around to face him.

"Mal? Don't run away from me, please talk to me so we can get through this together. Please don't be afraid to cry and tell me how you're feeling. I love you Mal; I only wish to make you happy," whispered Ben his voice stern yet urgent as he kept a tight hold on me so I couldn't run anymore. I looked at him, there was no use hiding my tears from him anymore, he had already seen them as much as I wished he hadn't, but now I didn't hold back as I let everything loose. Ben only stared at me at first as I stood before him openly crying for the first time and as my whole body shook from beneath his hands he pulled me close letting me cry without a word. And I let it all out then, my tears for what the future had in store for us, and when I finally had the strength I looked at him. I looked up into his eyes only to find he was crying too. He was crying because I was crying and that only made me love him more.

"Mal, please talk to me; let us work this out together," exclaimed Ben finally taking my hands in his our heads touching once more. But still I said nothing, what was there to work out? We had no choice in some matters in life that was just the way it was. I had no choice in loving him, he had no choice in loving me, but we also had no choice in the fact that we could never be together until death do us part like most couples. We were destined to be apart that was just the way it was. I thought I had cried all the tears my body could hold, but I was wrong because at that thought I cried more. My heart was breaking and there was nothing I could do to mend it. Even as he crushed me to him once more his arms holding me to him with all his strength I cried more because I loved him more than I had ever loved anyone and I knew the battle I would fight to be with him was a losing battle. Wrapping my arms around his middle I buried my head in his chest feeling as he only held me tighter kissing the top of my head.

"I love you Mal, please, please, don't cry," cried Ben his tears making his voice crack. Looking at him then as we stood there crying together our tears covered both our faces like a veil. I hated myself for causing those tears, but at the same time they warmed my heart. Here we were standing here all alone crying and I couldn't help, but think that this was one of those moments. This was one of those moments like every moment I would have with him that I would never forget.

"I have to cry love does that sometimes. I love you so much, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but they will never let us. There are higher powers, people who will keep us apart, and the thought of it just breaks my heart," I exclaimed fisting my hands in the silk of his shirt. He was mine, he was my love, and yet at the same time he wasn't. Someday I would have to watch him with another woman, a woman his parents picked for him, a woman who would never love him the way I did, and I would be forced to live my life loving him. I would live a life loving him, but never having him. As I continued to cry, Ben stood there with me in his arms, he appeared to be processing everything I had said, and finally he looked at me. The look in his eyes was determined, so determined that for a moment it gave me hope, but only for a moment. And then he made me look at him my face in his hands as he peered into my eyes.

"Don't you think that way. Have a little faith in my love, in our love because we will be together. I love you Mal, I couldn't give a damn what the kingdom thinks, I love you; I don't want to spend a day without you. And if these higher powers as you say want to break us up they'll have to fight me off because it will take an army to take me from you," growled Ben a hint of the beast he held on a tight leash inside himself coming out to play as he suddenly scooped me up into his arms holding me possessively. We simply stared at each other than as he held me refusing to let me go the brown of his eyes changing to a deep dark black that turned me on in so many ways. He was my beast, my love, my man, and I loved him so much even if deep down I would never believe what he said until it was a reality. He dried my tears then I dried his, our eyes never strayed from each other, and then pecking him teasingly on the lips we stared at each other once more.

"No more doubting us, or the love we have Mal. As long as we love each other we will have our happily ever after. Together we can survive anything thrown our way. Right?" whispered Ben giving me a questioning look our heads touching as if that would allow him to read my mind. Looking at him then, I wasn't so sure if what he said was possible, but I wanted it to be. I wanted us to fight for our love and it made me smile that we would fight to be together, together. It only made me love him more and kissing him with so much heat I nodded feeling as his grip tightened around me. He didn't put me down and something told me he wouldn't until he absolutely had to.

"We will fight to love each other together," I whispered gripping the silk of his shirt as I pulled him into yet another heated kiss feeling as he nodded in return. Still kissing me, he started to walk further down the path that led back to school and I silently wanted to tell him to stop, but I couldn't. We couldn't stay there forever, eventually we would have to go back to face the world, and the thought that we would face it together filled me with confidence. Confidence for the future, now I thought maybe there was a chance that we would win, and maybe we would be together until death did us part. When our lips parted, I laid my head on his shoulder; my mind was filled with so many conflicting thoughts now. And even worse that voice was still speaking inside my head trying to make me doubt everything he had said, but I drowned it all out choosing to focus completely on him. When I did that that voice was nearly nonexistent.

"Ben?" I breathed so low I was surprised he heard me the first time.

"Hmmm," breathed Ben his lips moving to kiss my forehead his arms still holding me so tight I couldn't help, but feel so safe. I had never felt safe before, but he changed all of that.

"I love you," I whispered placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you so much," I continued placing a kiss on his lips this time. It was quick, but it stopped him in his tracks. He stood there with me in his arms, he was just staring down at me the cutest most heartfelt smile on his face, and finally as we stood there in the middle of our path he kissed me. This kiss wasn't quick like mine had been; it was passionate and the kind of kiss that lit women on fire. And it lit me on fire in that moment.

"I love you too," smiled Ben moving to continue kissing me as he started to walk still carrying me in his arms. He carried me all the way home and I couldn't help, but think that as long as he was by my side this place would be my home.