Love Blooms (Jane/Carlos)

Chapter 7

Carlos and Jane both broke out into smiles. Carlos threw his arms around her and spun her around in joy. Jane let out a squeal at the motion. The crowd cheered for them and both could see their friends celebrating. Jane blushed seeing the crowd's attention and buried her burning face in Carlos' shoulder. He looked to Fairy Godmother. She sent him a smile and a small nod. He smiled back at her.

A few minutes later, the crowd was back to their own activities and Jane and Carlos had thanked their friends multiple times. The couple had sat themselves down at a table, relishing their time together. Fairy Godmother smiled, seeing her daughter's bright, true smile for the first time in weeks. She slowly approached the couple.

They looked up at her. She gestured to the empty chair next to them. Jane looked unsure but Carlos nodded, allowing her to sit. Fairy Godmother sighed before speaking, "I have to apologize profusely to both of you. I didn't know how deep your feelings ran for each other and you have to understand that..."

Carlos cut her off, "Fairy Godmother, I understand why you did what you did and what you wanted for Jane. Trust me when I say that Jane deserves nothing less than being treated like a princess every day of her life." Jane smiled and blushed. She took his hand in hers, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But you have to understand how much Jane really means to me."

"And I do. Now." Fairy Godmother assured. "I haven't seen Jane smile so bright in weeks."

She smiled at her mother. Carlos sighed and Jane felt him tense up slightly. She looked at him, concerned and confused. "Fairy Godmother, I think you, both of you, deserve an explanation."

"An explanation?" Jane repeated.

"For that morning." Carlos said. Jane's eyes widened, knowing he was talking about the morning they were caught.

"Carlos, you don't need to..." Fairy Godmother started.

Carlos cut her off once again. "I want to. I think you both deserve to know why I was there." He took a shaky breath and Jane squeezed his hand, giving him her support. "I wasn't lying then. I came to her because I was on the brink of an anxiety attack. All the VKs have been through trauma because of our parents. Some of us more than others." Jane's heart shattered at the thought of what Carlos was put through on the Isle. "Because of that, we all have some form of PTSD. It's gotten better since  we came to Auradon but that day... was a bad day for me."

Jane lifted her head and kissed him on the cheek. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to." She said quietly.

He smiled slightly at her. "I'm fine." He responded. She nodded and rested her head back on his shoulder. He turned back to Fairy Godmother. "That night, I had... a nightmare. It was about all the torture my mother had put me through. Except, it was her putting Jane through the torture." Fairy Godmother let out a gasp. Jane's eyes widened and she squeezed Carlos' hands out of fear. "I couldn't stand to see Jane put through what I was. It was like I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Carlos' voice cracked and so did Jane's heart. She ran her thumb over his knuckles, whispering, "I'm right here. You're safe, we're both safe."

He took another shaky breath. "When I finally woke up, I couldn't figure out if it was real or not. My mind started going haywire thinking Jane really was being tortured by my mom. I knew I shouldn't have gone to her room but seeing her was the only way to calm myself down. I needed to see her."

Carlos turned his head and kissed Jane's forehead. He smiled at the lilies blooming again. Fairy Godmother smiled at the pair. "That's true love." The two looked at her. "If your greatest nightmare is her in danger, even without the lilies, I would know it's true love." She reached over and clasped Jane's free hand. "I'm so happy for you, dear one."

Jane gave her a smile with tears shinning in her eyes. "Thanks, mom." 

Fairy Godmother stood up and kissed Jane's head. "And Carlos, you'll be happy to hear that Ben and I are working towards bringing your sister to Auradon. If all goes as planned, she should be here by the summer." She told the white-haired teen.

Carlos perked up and Jane's heart swelled seeing the joyful expression. Summer was only a couple of months away. He would be reunited with his twin in no time. "Thank you so much, Fairy Godmother! You have no idea how much that means to me and how much it'll mean to Corinne!"

Fairy Godmother smiled and squeezed his shoulder before walking away. Jane smiled at Carlos. "I'm so happy you'll get to see your sister again!" She told him.

He smiled from ear to ear. "I can't wait for you to meet her. She's gonna love you." He pressed his lips to hers. Jane felt her heart flutter like a hummingbird as she responded to it. The familiar heat and sparks filled their entire bodies. For even just this moment, everything was right with the world.

*******

And for the next almost two months, everything was right with the world. Jane and Carlos were back together and happier than ever. With a little meddling, courtesy of Mal and Evie, Jay had finally admitted his feelings for Lonnie and asked her on a date. It was the perfect fairytale happy ending. But all the AKs and VKs knew that the ending was just the beginning.

It was a little over two months later, the VKs and their significant others, minus Ben, were sitting at lunch, talking and laughing with each other. Suddenly, Ben came over with a smile on his face. "What's going on, Bennyboo?" Mal teased.

Ben shook his head and chuckled. He sat next to his girlfriend and turned to the group. "I have an announcement that I want you all to hear first." The group looked at him curiously. "We're finally starting to bring over more VKs from the Isle." A gasp went through the group. Carlos sat up a bit straighter. Ben's smile fell a bit. "I'm sorry, Carlos. Corinne won't be in this group." Carlos' face fell and Jane wrapped her arms around his waist tightly.

"What do you mean 'in this group'?" Jay questioned.

"Well to appease the public, we're only bringing over one or two at a time." Ben explained. "Without a record of Corinne, it's a little harder but she'll be here." Carlos nodded, understanding. "This first group has two. Dizzy." Evie perked up and clapped happily. "And Samuel, son of Scar."

To be continued...