Watch and Learn

Chapter 14

Ben and Mal ride on Ben's scooter on a road through the woods. Mal adjusts her grip as she held onto Ben and Ben seemed to sit up straighter. After a few minutes, they walk along a bridge, laughing and generally having fun.

Belle couldn't help but smile at the sight of her son enjoying himself on his date. While she wished that he hadn't told his security to take the day off, it was clear that he was more free than he'd been in the castle.

Not for the first time, Belle wished Ben hadn't been born a royal and could have moments like this without the fear of someone causing him harm.

"Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone," Ben asked.

"Um...my middle name is Bertha," Mal told him.

"Nice," Audrey smirked. She would have reacted more but her mother was giving her a fixed look.

"Bertha?"

"Yeah."

"Bertha."

"Please keep repeating it Ben. It just sounds so much better when you say it multiple times," Mal said, rolling her eyes.

"I'd never heard a middle name like that before!"

"Your middle name is Florian and you thought mine was bad?!"

"You said it was your mom being really, really evil!"

Adam/Beast shook his head. "Son, just stop. You're digging a hole you can't get out of."

"Just my mom doing what she does best. Being really, really, evil. Mal Bertha."

"Mine's Florian."

"Florian?"

"After my father," Adam/Beast said with a sad smile, remembering the man.

"We almost made it Maurice, after mine," Belle chuckled. "However Ben Maurice didn't have the same ring to it."

"Yeah," Ben chuckled.

"How princely. Oh, that's almost worse," Mal said with a chuckle.

"I mean, you know, it's better than Bertha. But it's still not..."

Ben leads Mal down a wooded hill; Mal has her eyes closed. It's clear that this is meant to be a surprise.

"So it's clear you meant it to be a surprise," Rachel said, "but you think you could have told Evie your plan? Cause those shoes are not meant for traipsing over rocks!"

"Yeah Ben," Kitty nodded. "I know shoes and those are not the best for what you had planned date wise. Especially since I know that lake has a better path not five miles north of where you were walking."

"I wanted it to be romantic," Ben shrugged.

"You can do that and still give a girl some warning so she has the proper outfit," Jamie said. "What?" She asked as she saw all the shocked looks. "I may be a tomboy but even I know it's important to dress nice for a date!"

"Besides, high heels in a rocky terrain is ridiculous," Julia finished up, causing Ben to groan.

"Watch your foot," Ben told her. "Yeah. Are you good?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Now step up. There you go. You ready?" Ben asked, as he held her in his arms.

"Mm-hmm."

"I just want to point out that takes a lot of trust," Carter called out. "Hence why my first date of choice is video games and popcorn."