44

It turned out Margot didn't even need to wait two full days for her friends to come looking for them, as the very next evening, she ran into them on her way back from buying supplies for herself and Mal.

"Evie? Jay? Carlos? What are you guys doing here?" Margot wondered as she saw her old friends waiting outside Mal's hideout.

"Gogo! We were so worried!" Evie exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug, which Margot gladly returned.

"I'm fine, Evie, don't worry. Great, actually."

"We're here to convince you guys to come back." Evie said in a firm voice.

Margot tilted her head confusedly. "But... I was already planning on coming back. And, I'm working on convincing Mal too, but she won't be convinced if she's not given the freedom to make her own choice."

"We thought... you weren't coming back, you know, cuz of the thing with Ben." Carlos said in a dumbfounded voice, staring innocently at his friend. Margot took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Does everyone already know about that?" Margot shook her head, rubbing her temple with her fingers. "Not the point. Didn't you guys read my note? Where I said I was accompanying Mal and getting data for the Isle program and you should pick me up in two days?"

"If you're really here just for data, where is it then?" Jay challenged. "Show it to me, Gogo."

"I..." Margot blushed under the scrutiny of her friends. "I can admit I had other reasons too, but I promise I really was gonna come back after two days! I just needed to figure some stuff out."

"And what if you hadn't figured it out in two days?" Evie asked, reaching out to hold Margot's hand. "We couldn't risk losing you, Gogo. You or Mal. We're family, right? We stick together."

Margot squeezed Evie's hand apologetically. "Sorry, Eve. I'm... I'm coming back, I promise. I had the realizations I needed, and I understand things now."

"Ok, good. Now we just have to hope Mal will agree too." Evie said, smiling slightly.

"Give her time, guys. She's been struggling, and it'll take a lot for her to change her mind." Margot warned, her eyes narrowed concernedly. "I'm guessing Oliver's up with Mal and Ben stayed home?"

"What, no, Ben's right he-" Evie cut herself off as she looked around, finally noticing that the boy was missing. "Ben?!"

"You guys did not lose Ben! Evie, oh my God!" Margot exclaimed in horror as she looked around the alleyway, seeing nothing and no one. "Ben!? Ben! Where are you?!"

Silence. No matter how many times she called for him, there was no response.

"One of you tell Mal and Ol that Ben's missing. I'm gonna go find him." Margot glared at her friends with ice in her eyes as she pointed at them. "And don't even think about letting Oliver out of your sights now that you've lost the king!"

Jay whistled as she marched away with her head held high, each step more determined. None noticed her hands beginning to shake from terror.

"Man, Gogo's sure gotten good at giving us orders." Jay said as she disappeared into the shadows.

"She's a true Queen." Evie said proudly.

Margot burst into Ursula's Fish and Chips with no hesitation as she immediately found the person she was looking for.

"Uma! It's been a while!" Margot gave the girl a quick hug as she joined her table. "I'm so sorry that I'm coming here for a favour after all this time, but the others stupidly brought King Ben to the Isle and lost him, and now we have no idea where he is. I promise I'll owe you one if you can help me."

Uma blinked twice, raising an eyebrow at the curly-haired girl. "I'm sorry, I don't know any Auradon girls."

Margot's hopeful expression faded and her eyes turned cold as she stared down the girl she had once been friends with. "Uma, please. I know I haven't been as good a friend to you as you've been to me in the past, but I need to find Ben."

"I'm not helping some silly king from Auradon. Besides, you have bigger problems than that." Uma warned her, chuckling at Margot's confusion. "It's almost 6pm, Mother Gothel's gonna get here soon."

Margot flinched, but her eyes remained steely. "That's fine. Ben's my priority right now. I'll do whatever you want, I'll speed up your invitation to Auradon. The Isle program is going too slowly as is."

Uma scoffed. "Listen to you. I've watched the news, Gogo. You've had the king wrapped around your finger for months, and still, not a single other VK has been brought to Auradon. You're such a damn hypocrite."

Margot paused. "I've been doing my best. There's no point rushing the first group if it means the rest won't be able to come."

"You know what it sounds like to me?" Uma asked with a scowl. "Excuses."

"Maybe. I think of it as being meticulous and methodical."

"'Meticulous and methodical'." Uma mocked. "How pretentious."

"Uma. I'm being serious right now."

"So am I, Gogo." Uma smirked then, looking over Margot's shoulder. "Well, it looks like both your problems just walked through the door."

Margot spun around in her seat to see Ben being walked into the restaurant by both Gil and Harry, and she was proud to notice that Harry had a black eye and Ben had bleeding knuckles. Unfortunately, few could fight Gil's pure strength, and being double-teamed left Ben with little chances.

"Ben! We've been looking for you! Are you ok?" No matter how poised she had become, Margot couldn't ignore the rush of relief she felt when she saw him as she ran over, checking him over for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mar, are you ok?" Though he was clearly concerned for her as well, Margot could still see the remnants of disappointment from her words lingering in his eyes. He was still upset.

"I'm fine, Ben, I promise." Margot sighed. "Evie shouldn't have brought you here, I told you all I was coming back."

"But how could I know that for sure, Mar?! How could I risk never seeing you again when it's my fault that—!" Ben stopped himself mid-yell.

Margot almost cried at the conflicted, forlorn expression on his face, feeling as if she'd kicked a puppy. "It's not... it's not your fault, Ben. I just needed to figure things out."

"But, if I'd only noticed that you were feeling pressured, I could've..."

Reaching up, Margot covered his mouth with her hand. "Stop talking, Ben. You are the last person at fault. I was the one freaking out and being insecure, and if I wanna point fingers at anyone for that, it'll be at my mother for abusing me my whole life."

A familiar tut was heard and Margot felt her body freeze at the sound. "Almost a year without my daughter, and this is what she's saying behind my back. Margot, dearie, I just can't imagine what I could've done to make you hate me so much. They've turned you against me there, my beloved daughter."

Both your problems just walked through the door. That's what Uma had said.

"Hello, Mother."