Author's note: This is the longest chapter I've ever written. If you're just here for the sex, and I'm just fine if you are... you'll have to skip about 2/3rds of the way down. But if you're here for a story, then, well, I hope you enjoy.

Mal was just reaching for her dress when there was a huge crash outside of her dressing room. She froze.

"It's okay. I've got it!" shouted Carlos. "Please don't kill me!"

Mal started stomping toward the door, obviously not going to let Carlos handle whatever had happened. She stopped when Evie moved into her way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Evie asked.

"I'm going to go find out what happened and then fix it. Because today is going to be perfect." Mal said. "Now get out of my way."

"You're going to go outside in that?" Evie said, pointing to the rather elaborate undergarments that Mal was wearing.

"What's the big deal? This stuff covers more than my bikini does and you shove me into public in that on a regular basis." Mal replied trying to get past Evie. But Evie wasn't having any of it.

"It's just not proper." Evie said.

"Bother proper. Now let me past! I have to see what Carlos broke!"

"Look, if you don't care if the boys see you in your underwear, fine. But what if Ben sees you?" Evie pushed.

Mal looked even more confused. "Still not a big deal. Ben's seen me in less than this. Last night as a matter of fact…"

Evie blushed. "Mal! You promised me you'd stay in our room last night while I took care of all the final arrangements."

Mal rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. But then I started thinking about today and I just had to see Ben."

Evie stood firm. "Well, you can't let him see you now. Not yet, anyway."

"Why" Mal asked.

"Because the groom isn't supposed to see the bride before their wedding!"

Mal laughed. "That's a stupid rule. He's not supposed to see you ever? How would he ever propose?"

"He's not supposed to see you before you get married on the DAY of your wedding."

"Why?" Mal asked again.

"I have no idea. But it's bad luck and so you'd better keep that butt of yours in here. Especially since Ben probably heard that crash too and might be checking it out. So you can't go out there." continued Evie.

"Fine." Mal said. Then she shouted toward the door. "Whatever you broke, you better fix it or replace it Carlos! If you don't, then I'm going to send your mother a boy skin coat!"

She heard Carlos laughing from the other side of the door. That was good because of course she didn't mean it. She was just taking out her nerves on her friends. Today had been a long time in the making and despite all of the careful planning, something was bound to go wrong.

"Well, since I can't go outside, let's get me into this contraption and make sure it still fits." Mal grumbled.

Evie didn't take offense at her masterpiece being called a contraption because she remembered how Mal had looked when she'd first seen her wedding dress. Evie had worked in secret for weeks along with some of the royal seamstresses to put together the perfect combination of princess and punk. It was white. Wedding dresses are almost always white and while Mal normally preferred purples and greens, her wedding was a day to be traditional. Plus her pale complexion on top of the white would be amazing. The skirt was full without being too poofy. The bodice was fitted to her like a glove and made of large sections of white satin. Mal's favorite dragon image had been embroidered on it in silver thread but it was so subtle, you had to know it was there to spot it. Evie had fitted it to her so well that it would have worked as a strapless gown. However, knowing that Mal would probably be nervous and end up tugging it up constantly, Evie had done a simple strap going over each shoulder. The straps were simple because on top of it went a short sleeveless leather jacket done in white leather. To finish it off, she had white ankle boots with a high sharp heel to give it a bit of an edge. Evie had been nervous when she'd finally shown it to Mal but she shouldn't have been. Mal's eyes had gone wide in joy and then she'd grabbed Evie and just hugged her and jumped around the room at the same time. Every bit of work on that dress had been worth it to get that kind of reaction out of her best friend.

Mal got dressed quickly and then did that thing that all brides do where they walk around carefully in their dress trying to make sure that they don't wrinkle it before the ceremony. Evie got into her gown and then excused herself to go check on the boys. She was the maid of honor so making sure everything went properly was part of the job description. It was harder than the Best Man's job. That was Doug and all he was responsible for was making sure that Ben didn't panic and run for the hills when all the wedding hoopla started. Carlos had apparently taken care of whatever had broken because Evie didn't see a sign of a problem as she headed off to check on everything one more time.

Mal paced around the room trying to settle the butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was normal to be this nervous but she was. Not that she had any doubts about marrying Ben but, well, this was a big and important day. Not only would they be joined as husband and wife but it would finally show all those snippy little girls that she wasn't just some bad girl phase for Ben. He loved her and she loved him. In the common vernacular, he'd put a ring on it… And, since he was King and marrying him made her a queen, he'd also put a crown on it. It was as simple as that.

There was a knock at the door. Mal looked over at it sharply and panicked. She waddled around behind the dressing screen so that no one could see her. While she moved, she shouted at the door. "Ben! I'm in my wedding dress now and you're NOT ALLOWED TO COME IN HERE!"

The tinkling of Belle's laughter greeted her ears. "It's not Ben, dear. It's your soon to be mother in law. May I come in?"

"Of course! Said Mal as she hurried over to the door. Before she opened it, she asked "Is the coast clear?"

"Ben is nowhere to be seen. It's safe." Said Belle. Mal opened the door just enough to let Belle slip through and then firmly shut it behind her. Then, for good measure, she locked it. She turned around to see that Belle had already taken the chair from the vanity, turned it around, and sat down. Mal looked at her in envy. "You're so lucky. You get to sit. I can't. I'll wrinkle." She walked closer to Belle and then for lack of anything better to do, she leaned against the wall.

"Feeling nervous?" asked Belle. "Sorry, silly question. Everyone feels nervous on their wedding day yet for some strange reason, people still ask them anyway. Anyway I figured we should have a little talk before the big ceremony."

"Please…. Not another sex talk. Not today." Pleaded Mal. "Besides, I think you've covered everything that I'm even remotely willing to try."

"Don't worry. I'm not here to talk about that. Whatever you don't know at this point, you and Ben will figure out together. Try not to get pregnant too quickly so you can enjoy some time together but beyond that, do what you will. I'm here because, well, it's kind of traditional for a bride to get some sort of parental advice and your mother is… umm…" Belle wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

"A gecko?" asked Mal quietly.

"Not able to be here." Said Belle trying to cover the awkward moment. "And so I thought I'd try to fill in for her."

"You could never fill in for her." Said Mal. At the hurt that suddenly appeared in Belle's eyes she quickly explained. "That came out wrong. I meant you could never be like her. Mean and evil and such because instead you're so wonderful and kind. I love you and I'm looking forward to being officially related to you. You're already the mom I wish I'd had."

Belle smiled warmly at that. "You're so kind. That's not what I expected to find when you first came to Auradon but I'm so glad that you did come. You've made my son a better man. A better King." Belle went on to talk about her son proudly, as most mothers are wont to do. That gave Mal a few moments to reflect.

Her mother had said that love was weak. And from a certain point of view it was true. She could tell that Belle loved her almost like a daughter and look at how quickly a few misspoken words could cut Belle to the quick. And right now Mal had opened herself up so much that if, for example, Ben didn't show up to the wedding, she would be devastated. Loving someone meant letting down all of your defenses. And that vulnerability could be used against you by someone ruthless enough to do it. But if you were brave enough to love and to trust, well, look at all the things it got you. You got to take care of someone and know that they would take care you in return. You got a future to look forward to instead of a past to regret. And the more you loved, the less you were alone because love created more love and brought new people into her life. She'd never considered that falling in love with Ben meant that she'd get to be a part of the lives of so many more people. From his parents becoming the ones she'd always wanted to all of the friends that Ben had introduced her to, it was beyond anything she'd ever dreamed of Love was powerful because it changed lives for the better. And so, as she'd said so long ago, her mother was an idiot. Maybe her mother would figure it out someday. Mal hoped so. Because hoping for the best was just another part of love. And Mal did love her mother, even if her mother didn't or couldn't love her back.

Mal looked up when she realized that Belle had stopped talking and was looking at her kindly. Mal blushed a little. "Sorry. I guess my mind was wandering a little bit."

Belle laughed. "No harm done. I didn't pay much attention to my father when he tried to talk to me about my wedding either. Too nervous. But I'll always remember that he took the time to do it. I wanted to make sure you had that same memory." Belle stood up and looked at Mal. "You know, I wasn't sure about that dress when Evie first showed it to me. It's so non-traditional. But now that I see it on you, I couldn't imagine you getting married in any other dress. You're going to be a beautiful bride, Mal. My son is very, very lucky to have met you. But you have something beyond mere beauty and I love how this dress brings it out. You have fire; the dragon embroidery on your bodice reminds us of that. You're not afraid to be you; the leather jacket shows us that. And finally, those adorable boots. If you'll forgive me the phrase dear, they demonstrate that you're not afraid to kick a little ass."

Mal exploded into giggles at that last remark. "No." she said. "No I'm definitely not afraid of that."

"Good. Don't be. Being a pushover is not a recipe for a happy marriage. Oh, I was wondering. Who did you finally ask to walk you down the aisle?" asked Belle. "I never heard."

Mal grinned. "Well since it's an 'aisle' that I'm being walked down, I decided it needed to be someone from the 'Isle'. Evie, Jay and Carlos are the also closest things I have to family right now but Evie will already be at the altar since she's my maid of honor. And Jay said there wasn't any way he was giving up being a groomsman. He said he wasn't willing to take a chance that he might miss the bachelor party. So Carlos will be giving me away."

"So that's why he wasn't among Ben's groomsman. I'd wondered. Good choice. Again, not traditional, but definitely you. And absolutely perfect. Well, I'd best be off to make sure my son doesn't get lost on the way to the altar."

They heard the door handle rattle and then a quick knock at the door. "Mal? It's almost time. Unlock this door!" It was Evie returned from all of her last minute checks.

"I was making sure Ben didn't come in!" said Mal loudly as she walked over and let her friend in. Belle and Evie had a brief hug and then Belle headed off to corral her son for the last time. After today, that would be Mal's job.

Ben was just as nervous waiting for the wedding as his bride to be was. His dad had already given him a bit of a pep talk but just like Belle had with Mal, he'd given up when it became apparent that Ben wasn't in a listening mood. After pacing for a few minutes, he decided that restless described his mood better than nervous. It has been so crazy getting ready for the wedding. There was always something that needed doing. His friends had been wonderful, especially Lonnie. That girl really should go into Event Planning when she graduated. She had a knack for anticipating problems and solving them before they got a chance to grow. Most of his work had been throwing his royal weight around, so to speak, whenever someone complained about the wedding not being traditional enough And 'traditional' usually just meant that something they'd chosen didn't fit the complainer's notion of what should happen. But this was his and Mal's wedding and they were going to have it the way they wanted.

But all that work was done now and he wasn't exactly sure what to do with himself. So, he paced. First in circles, then lines, and then he distracted himself for a while by walking in a strange zigzag pattern that matched the marble inlay flooring. That was how Doug found him when it was time for him to go downstairs.

"The palace servants are going to skin you if you don't stop scuffing up their floors like that." Doug remarked when he walked in. "They're almost ready to revolt after finding out about all the glitter bombs that we have hidden in the chapel. It's going to be beautiful when you and Mal finally kiss and they all go off but I'll admit that I wouldn't want to clean up that mess either."

Ben smirked. I already took care of that one. Mal agreed to take a few minutes out of our time after the ceremony and banish all the glitter with a spell. That made the servants very, very happy."

"Great solution. I'm guessing Lonnie came up with it?" asked Doug.

"As always. That girl is a genius." Ben replied. "But I still can't stop worrying about having missed something important. This day being perfect is so important to Mal. I don't want to disappoint her."

"And you?" asked Doug. "Is it important to you that the day be perfect?"

"I'm getting to marry the girl of my dreams. That's perfect in and of itself. The rest of the day is just window dressing."

Doug nodded. "Don't worry then. Deep down, Mal feels exactly the same way."

"I hope so. Otherwise she'd going to totally lose it if the roses aren't the exact shade of purple that she wanted. Hey, enough about me. How are you and Evie? Are there wedding bells in your future as well?"

"Someday, I think. But both of us are content to take things nice and slow. Neither one of us is planning on having to fall in love again in this lifetime so we thought we'd enjoy every single moment of it that we could."

"That's a good way to think about it. Mal and I might have taken a bit longer at things if I wasn't King. But being King means that there's the always that pressure to produce an heir… and a spare or two. Mal and I figured that it was about time to get that all started. I've always wanted to be a dad and Mal, well, Mal wants to become the mother that she never had. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Doug snorted. "I'm sure it will be. Especially the making the babies part…"

They were both laughing at that last comment when a servant informed them that the guests had arrived and the wedding was about to begin. The two of them walked downstairs and joined Ben's parents outside the chapel.

Ben looked over at his parents. From the look of love and support in their eyes, he knew that they didn't even have to talk. He walked over and held out his arm for his mother. Just as she took it, he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. They just stood there together until it was time for the doors to open and for them to go inside.

A servant had also let Mal and Evie know that it was just about time for the service. After a few minutes, they heard the music start in the chapel. Than meant that Belle and Adam were escorting Ben to his place for the wedding. Evie checked Mal's dress one more time and brushed away a few invisible specks of dust. Then they went out to the vestibule to join the remainder of the wedding party. Doug looked nervous in his tux but calmed down when Evie walked over and slid her arm through his. Lonnie was paired with Jay. He was showing off and trying to make her laugh. Lonnie just rolled her eyes but something in her smile said she wasn't quite as immune to his charms as she'd previously claimed. And Carlos, and also Dude who was wearing his own little tux, were waiting to escort her. Mal had never even considered trying to separate them. She could tell how proud being part of the wedding was making her young friend and she was happy that she'd made it happen.

Finally it was time. The remainder of the wedding party marched in, leaving just Mal and Carlos (and Dude…) to make their grand entrance. The music changed and Mal took a deep breath. Then the doors opened and she walked down the aisle to the sound of bells.

She didn't remember a lot about what happened during the rest of the afternoon. She did know that Ben almost fell over when he saw her in her dress. Her new father in law had cried straight through the ceremony while Belle tried to shush him. Belle had looked a little annoyed but Mal knew it was only because Belle had wanted to be the one that cried. She eventually gave in and cried along with him. But they were happy tears so all was well in Mal's wicked little world.

She didn't remember saying the vows. She remembered fumbling the ring onto Ben's hand and him sliding hers on smoothly. And she remembered their first kiss as husband and wife. It was passionate and gentle and, well, like she'd finally found a real home that no one would ever be able to chase her out of. She had a feeling that while some of the other memories of the day would fade, that one would stay with her for the rest of her life.

She did not remember one single minute of the reception. She knew it had happened. She knew they had eaten and danced and celebrated with their friends. But it had all blurred together into one big feeling of happy. And that was just fine with her. She came back to herself when they were walking arm in arm toward Ben's rooms. No, not Ben's room's… Their rooms. They were married and they were together.

Evie was waiting up there for her. She whisked Mal away for a few minutes and helped her change out of her elaborate dress. They'd decided that asking Ben to figure out all of the ties and stays holding it together wouldn't really have been fair. He still had trouble unhooking Mal's bra strap and in his excitement, Evie had been a little afraid he'd just start ripping. Mal had kind of liked the idea of Ben ripping some clothes off of her but had agreed it would be a terrible shame for that to happen to the beautiful dress. As Evie hurried herself away, Mal slipped into a white silk nightgown. It was all she was wearing. She picked up her perfume bottle. A tiny bit on each wrist. A dab behind each ear. A spritz in the air to walk through. Then, felling naughty, she put one last drop on her fingertip, hooked it under her nightgown rubbed it against her sex. Perfumes always worked the best when they were warmed up and that part of her was just about on fire right now.

She walked into the bedroom to find Ben wearing pair of silk pajama pants and no shirt. She approved because it meant she could see his arms and his chest. So strong. So protective. And so totally and completely hers now. He was sitting on the couch looking very nervous. His eyes were darting everywhere in the room except toward the bed. Mal smiled. Love weak? Not a chance in Hades.

She walked over to him and drew him to his feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His hands fell to her hips and gripped her firmly. When the kiss ended, they just enfolded themselves into each other's arms and, for a little while, danced together to the music playing in their hearts. There were no missteps. Nothing was out of time. Finally, Ben pulled himself away just a little bit to look at his beautiful wife.

"That dress was…" Ben trailed off.

"I know. I had a similar reaction when Evie first showed it to me. She's a wonderful friend."

"Yes she is." Said Ben. "But tonight is about you."

Mal shook her head. "Tonight is about us. Only us. Not you, not me. Us together."

"I love you. You know that but I just have to tell you again." Ben said, gazing at her.

"I love you too." Replied Mal. "And I know what love is now."

"Are you ready?" asked Ben quietly. "I mean, are you ready to…"

Mal nodded. "I'm way past ready. I want you. I want to be with you. I want you in me. Please, please, please, make love to me."

Ben picked her up and carried her to the bed. When he arrived, he realized he had a bit of a problem. He put her back down on her feet for a moment with an apologetic look, pulled all of the covers out of the way. He went to pick her back up but she stopped him for a moment. After a deep breath, she reached up her arms and pushed the straps of her nightgown out of the way. It fell to the floor with a slight rustle of silk. She was completely nude before him.

Ben looked at his beautiful bride. He'd seen her naked before but not quite like this. Usually it was glimpses in the dark, not offering herself fully in the light of the candles that burned around the room and scented the air with beeswax. She was a little thing, his wife. Her makeup was gone. There weren't any fancy clothes or hairstyles anymore. It was just her. This was just the real Mal standing before him. Her skin was pale and just a little bit goose bumped. Her beautiful purple hair flowed over one shoulder. She had small but proud breasts with nipples that had already hardened, either from the cold or desire, he wasn't sure which. Her figure narrowed as he looked farther down, first seeing the divot of her belly button and then the small patch of purple hair that covered her pussy. Then his eyes followed her long legs all the way down to the ground. Sparkly green nail polish winked up at him. He smiled. Even her toes were cute. When his eyes made it back up to hers, he found that her initial vulnerable stare had transformed into something different. There was a happy little fire in those eyes of hers. And also, a little bit of hunger.

"Like what you see?" she asked drily. He nodded and stepped forward to embrace her. As soon as he got close enough, Mal's hands pushed his pajama pants off of his hips and they fell to the floor just as her nightgown had. She had a brief glimpse of his cock already jutting out hard for her. Unfortunately, he was still moving and the pants around his ankles caused him to trip. He tumbled forward. She tried to catch him but he was too heavy and so the two of them collapsed together onto their bed.

Ben tried to apologize and then, realizing that Mal was fine, started to laugh instead. He shoved the misbehaving pants off of his feet and started kissing her. First her lips. He spent a lot of time just kissing his new wife. Mal appeared to have no problem with that at all, moving her arms up and down his body while they kissed and then burying them in his hair. Ben branched off to kiss her cheeks, her earlobes and her neck. He got an occasional twitch or giggle out of her when he reached a particularly sensitive spot. Then he started farther down her neck, nuzzling underneath the jawline and into the hollows beneath her ears. There were less giggle now. They had been replaced by tiny little moans. His hands were as busy as his lips, traveling up and down her body. First a stroke across her breasts that finished with a little tickle of one of her nipples. Then down her sides and across her waist. Down the outside of her leg ran his fingertips, always teasing, always playing. Then across her knee and back up her leg. This time on the inside of her thigh. Even though this wasn't the fist time he'd touched her pussy, he still paused for a moment in anticipation. Then one fingertip started to tease up and down her lips. She was already wet and opened up to his touch. He dipped a little bit of that wetness out and spread it around her clit, rubbing little circles. Then it traveled down to her opening and started flick in and out. Just barely inside and then just barely out.

There was a possessive quality not in Ben's touch which made Mal ache for something to really push inside her. He was hers. She wanted to truly be his. That dynamic only worked if it was balanced and something in Mal knew that Ben truly making love to her was the thing that would cement them together forever. Her hands moved blindly over Ben, searching for what she wanted. She felt the strong muscles in his arm tense and relax as he moved his hand on her labia and her clitoris. Then her fingers found his flat stomach and moved down it, still searching. Finally she found his penis. It was already hard and as her fingers trailed over the tip, she felt a little bit of his pre-cum leaking onto her fingertips. She rubbed it around the head of his cock and was rewarded when it made him twist a bit in desire. Her breathing quickened when she realized what they were about to do. They'd waited until tonight to go all the way. All the nights of getting so close and not truly finishing were over. She'd expected to be scared but she wasn't. Not even a tiny bit. This was what was supposed to happen. It was time.

She scooted herself underneath him, spreading her legs so he lay between them. They kissed again for a while like that, enjoying the feeling that there wasn't anything separating them anymore. Then Mal felt Ben start to move against her. She even felt the head of his cock tickling her labia before his stopped.

Ben stared into the beautiful eyes of his wife. He wanted to make sure that he didn't miss one thought that went through her mind and her eyes were a window into her soul. "Are you… Do you.." he asked, not quite able to say the words.

Mal nodded. "I'm ready." And she snaked a hand down and gave his dick a little rub. "And so are you."

"Protection?" asked Ben. "They guys at the bachelor party gave me some condoms…"

Mal shook her head. "I'd already decided that I want you like this. Just us, together. If a child comes from tonight, then I'll welcome it with joy. And if it doesn't then we'll just have to practice some more."

Ben grinned. "Something tells me we're going to keep doing this whether you get pregnant or not."

"Not something! Someone! Me! I'm telling you that. We are definitely going to do this a lot!"

"So, you're really ready? Not just to be married, not just for us to lose our virginities, but for, well, everything that comes after? Life? Family? All of it?"

"Completely, totally, 1000%. But enough talking. More doing!"

They resumed kissing but now when Ben's cock brushed against her, it wasn't just accidental contact. After a few such attempts, Mal reached down and guided Ben into position. She rubbed him up and down against her wetness to make sure that he was sufficiently lubricated. Then she moved him back down to the entrance to her vagina and pulled at him a little bit so he'd get the idea. They locked eyes again as he started to push inside. There was maybe a tiny feeling of tearing as she felt him fill her up but nothing of consequence. And when he'd bottomed out in her, he gave this little growl that made Mal feel wild. That was followed by a sudden worried look in his eyes. Mal almost melted inside. Even now, feeling things, well feeling her, in ways that he never had before and his first thought was being afraid he'd hurt her. She pulled his ear to his lips because she was afraid anymore more than a whisper would spoil the moment. "I'm fine love. No pain. And you feel so wonderful inside me. So just take me. Please take me. Let loose that beast inside."

Ben started to push in and out of her. And it made kind of a small squishing noise when he pushed in extra hard that normally would have had Mal laughing her head off. But not tonight. Tonight it was just a reminder of how real what they were doing was. It wasn't some story or some sort of fairy tale. But it was both of their dreams come true. And then Mal lost the ability to think for a while as she gave herself to him.

There was more growling at some point but later Mal was pretty sure that it had been her and not him. That certainly matched up with the fingernail scratches that she'd dug into his back. But back in the moment, Mal just let herself feel. Soon she felt Ben start to quicken his pace and his breathing got ragged. Which was perfect because quicker and harder was what her body wanted right now. She wrapped her legs around him as he drove in again and again. After a few more pushes she fell over the ledge into her own orgasm. She screamed her triumph to the heavens above. Moments later, she heard him cry out as well and maybe even felt his cock pulsing inside of her. Her own pleasure hadn't stopped so she wasn't completely sure but it didn't matter. They were together. They had done it. They were one.

Ben collapsed just to one side of her and pulled Mal tightly into his arms. They both whispered endearments at each other. They each told the other how much they loved them. But to be honest, words weren't needed for them to understand how the other person was feeling. The strength of their love radiated out of each of their hearts, showering the other person with happiness.