Once We are Descendants

Chapter 76: Truth and Lies

Jane and Carlos step out into the sunlight and feel the warmth on their skin. Jane inhales the clean air and sighs in happy content.

Despite being literally realms away from her parents, she cannot deny that the town had a great 'home' feel to it and gave you the impressions that you had lived here all your life. The people were friendly, and the world moved at its own pace that was calming and almost encouraging her to stay longer.

She and her boyfriend sit on the side of the building, partially shaded the overhead awnings. She reopens the book and begins to read its contents for further information about travelling through portals, as Belle had requested.

"Good call on coming outside," she comments.

Carlos looks on in the distance, seeming to not have heard her. She notices an expression of worry on his face... he looked even a little afraid of... something, but she wasn't sure what it could be.

She nudges him gently with her elbow to bring him back to the present moment.

"Huh? What?" he says practically jumping from where he sat.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"I'm fine," he says dismissively, trying not to draw attention to the contents of his pocket.

"No, you're not," the daughter of Fairy Godmother says, knowing much better. Sometimes it seemed that she knew Carlos better than he knew himself.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that... ever since we came to town, you've been really jumpy and scared... like you're afraid that something is lurking around the corner waiting to get you."

"Really? I haven't noticed."

"Well I have, and so has everyone else."

"It's nothing," he lies, wishing Jane would stop prying into his life.

She doesn't need to know what I'm doing... She has her alternate parent here (Fourth Wall Break: We know from the tv show that Jane's mother from this realm was killed by Rumple, but Carlos doesn't know that and Blue can act as a surrogate mother to her). She's had a great life with her mom and family... she'd always gotten what she wanted and never had to go through what I have... Thank goodness she hasn't but... I want a mother... I want a family-related by blood, is that too much to ask? What if I blow my only chance by screwing this up?

"Carlos..." she says. She cups her hand against his cheek and guides him, so they are eye to eye with noses barely touching. His dark brown eyes meet her blue ones and he feels himself melt into a puddle. Her sweet face, while serious, left him weak in the knees and his heart pounding against his chest. "Please, don't keep secrets from me..."

The hint of sadness in her voice forces him to his lip to keep himself from crying too. The son of Cruella hated it when she was sad, it broke his heart but he couldn't let her know about this secret. She'd hate that he was back to his old ways of stealing and then tell him that he's sabotaging their way back home to Auradon. She'd also think that he was insane for trying to bring back the dead...

Fear begins to grow in the pit of his stomach, a fear that she would break up with him over this and he couldn't lose her... she was the only girl for him. It hurt to keep this to himself and he knew his friends would say the same thing. He didn't want to go home, not yet, if he had the chance to meet this mother and maybe make an actual connection with her. He doesn't understand it and there would be no way to explain it to anyone. He just needs this and then they can go home.

His mind races to think of something to say as Jane seems to be waiting for an answer.

"Sorry, Jane... it's just... all of this has been so hard. The new world, the parents, the siblings, the places we're staying; it's all been a little too much for me to handle." He tries to sound as sincere as possible, make her believe that this was the reason that he was so distant. "I guess I've just been walking around town, trying to get used to the place and sort of process everything... I'm sorry if you've felt like I'm ignoring you, I'm not, I've just had a lot on my mind... like you have..."