There had never been this many people in Jo and Imogen's room before.

Audrey, Lonnie, Mal, Jay, Carlos, Scarlet, Amaris, and Doug were all spread throughout the room, anxiously awaiting the return of Evie and Imogen to hear how the council meeting had gone. Audrey and Lonnie were sitting on Imogen's bed, talking animatedly. Mal, Jay, and Carlos had taken up residence on Jo's bed. Their heads were bent towards each other, their voices not daring to rise above a whisper. Scarlett and Doug sat at the table, playing a game of cards, and Amaris was sitting on the floor by Jo's bed, watching the owner pace back and forth.

"Jo, you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Audrey admonished. "Sit down. They should be back any minute with the good news."

"But what if something went wrong?" Jo asked, wringing her hands anxiously. "What if the council said no?"

"Then we raise hell," Amaris said, a wicked grin curling her lips. "I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find out where they live."

Doug paused in the middle of taking his turn, his eyes going wide. "You terrify me."

Amaris's eyes quickly grew glassy with tears. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"You can take the kid out of the Isle," Jay joked, earning an elbow to the ribs from Carlos. 

But Amaris wasn't even remotely offended. In fact, she preened at Jay's words. Out of all of the VKs, she was most definitely the proudest of her heritage. Jo could never be sure if that was a good thing or not.

"If the council does say no," Lonnie chimed in, today's voice of reason, "they can always propose it again at the next meeting."

"It's easy for you to say that, Lonnie," Mal said with her signature scowl. "You're a princess. You were born and raised in Auradon. You don't know what it's like. Yeah, sure, they can wait until the next meeting. And in the meantime, everyone on the Isle will continue their diet of scraps and trash."

Audrey screwed her face up in distaste. "You guys don't get any fresh food?"

"There's a community garden," Jo explained, "but it doesn't produce enough to feed everyone, and there's not much variety because it's not easy to grow stuff on the Isle. There's the fish, and the occasional bird, but even the animals hardly have any meat on their bones, and there's no livestock."

"Because the Isle was never supposed to be a home," Scarlet said, unusually bitter. "They sent the villains there to suffer for the rest of their days, scrounging on scraps and struggling to get by. I don't know if they never considered that the villains might have kids and start families, or if they just didn't care. Either way, everyone on the Isle is set up to fail."

Amaris's jaw dropped. "Whoa. That's the most I've ever heard you say." 

Instantly, Scarlet retreated into herself. Jo nudged Amaris's thigh with her foot, silently urging Amaris to apologize, but Amaris just looked at Jo like she didn't think she did anything wrong.

"Scarlet's right," Carlos said. "And so's Mal. Things are bad on the Isle, and not bad in a good way. If the council won't let us bring any more kids over any time soon, they should at least make things better for them."

"They should," Jay agreed. "Doesn't mean they will."

Amaris sat upright. "They're back."

Seconds later, Imogen flung open the door. She didn't need to say anything for them to know what the council decided. It was written clear as day on her face. Everyone simultaneously deflated. Jo's eyes filled with tears. Imogen stomped over to her bed and Lonnie and Audrey made space for her to sit. Evie was left standing in the doorway, crying quietly.

"I can't believe they actually said no," Evie said. "I really thought...I mean, we made such an amazing argument and Imogen didn't insult them, not even once!"

"I guess you only get one miracle a day," Audrey teased but they could all tell her heart wasn't in it.

Lonnie picked at her nails nervously. "But you can appeal, right?"

"At the next meeting, yeah," Evie said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

Scarlet got to her feet, leaving her chair open. Evie sat in it and then opened her arms. Scarlet settled into her lap and Evie wound her arms around her, pulling her close.

"Where's Ben?" Jo asked.

"Still at the meeting," Imogen answered. "When we left, he was still trying to get them to change their minds."

"I don't get it," Doug said. "How could anyone be against giving kids fresh food?"

"Because they're villain kids," Mal said bluntly. "And because the villains would get fresh food too. They're obsessed with punishing our parents, and to them, we're just extensions of our parents. For a kingdom that claims to be the good guys, they're pretty fucking cruel."

Jo was still pacing, even as she cried. She couldn't stop. There was something on the tip of her tongue -- an idea on how to get the council to see the importance of the fresh food initiative. She rubbed her face frustratedly. There had to be a way to fix this, and sooner than the next council meeting. If only her brain would work for once in her life.

"We should try bribing the council," Amaris suggested. "You know, stoop to their level."

"As if Ben would ever allow that," Evie scoffed, rubbing Scarlet's back.

"We don't have to bribe them with money," Amaris said. "We could bribe them with baked goods. Specifically, Jo's baked goods."

"Speaking of Jo's baked goods, I could really go for your chocolate chip cookies right now," Jay said. "It's crazy how different they taste here compared to the Isle."

Jo screeched to a halt. Eyes wide, she jabbed her finger at Jay. "Say that again."

Jay looked at her dubiously. "Uh, I could really go for your chocolate chip cookies right now?"

"No, after that," she said.

"Oh," Jay said. "It's crazy how different they taste here compared to the Isle."

"That's it!" Jo exclaimed. "That's exactly it!"

Jay tilted his head, still looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Uh, you're welcome, I guess?"

Jo whirled around, clapping her hands together. "AKs, at attention!"

Doug, Lonnie, and Audrey straightened up.

"How can we help?" Lonnie asked.

"You guys know everyone on the council, right?" Jo questioned.

Audrey glanced around. "Um, between the three of us? Yeah, we do. Why?"

A mischievous glimmer flickered to life in the depths of Jo's eyes. Her lips curled into a smirk, she asked next, "Do you happen to know what their favorite desserts are?"

*

"An emergency council meeting?"

It was lunch the next day, and they were all gathered in the courtyard. Jo had made a bunch of pizzas for them to share because pizza, in her opinion, always had a positive effect on morale.

"You can call one, right?" Jo asked. She was sitting across the table from Ben for the first time in...a while. She'd still prefer to keep her distance from him, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for a good cause.

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I can, but...I mean, do you guys have a new presentation already put together?"

"Mhmm," Evie confirmed with a wicked smile. "It was Jo's idea, actually."

"Jay inspired me," Jo said. "And Mal, too."

Mal nearly choked on her piece of pizza. "What did I do?"

"What you said to Lonnie, about how she didn't get it," Jo said. 

Down the table, Lonnie looked down in shame. Jo grimaced. She hadn't meant to hurt Lonnie's feelings, but Mal was right. Lonnie -- and everyone else born and raised in Auradon -- had no idea what life was truly like on the Isle. How could they? They were practically separate planets, by Auradon's own design. Or, rather, ex-King Adam's design.

Ben frowned, glancing between the VKs nervously. "Didn't get what?"

Amaris grinned viciously. The smudge of tomato sauce on her chin was eerily reminiscent of blood. "What it's like to suffer."

*

Jo was going to be sick.

Just beyond the double doors in front of her was the council. She knew they weren't pleased that Ben had called an emergency meeting, and she knew they were going to be even less pleased when it was revealed to them the topic of said emergency meeting. How could Jo possibly stand in front of them and plead her case without vomiting and/or passing out?

Maybe if you pass out, Ben will catch you in his arms, a traitorous voice in the back of her mind whispered.

You're not helping, Jo whispered back.

"It's going to be fine," Imogen assured her. "You're going to be great."

"And even if you aren't," Evie said, "you still tried. That's more than a lot of people can say."

Evie and Imogen flanked Jo, on her left and right respectively. Mal, Jay, Carlos, Scarlet, and Amaris stood right behind them. Lonnie, Audrey, Doug, and a reluctant Chad were waiting close by for their cue. This was by and large a group effort. Jo's heart swelled with pride. Even if they did fail, they would fail together -- VKs and AKs, arm-in-arm. It was the kind of solidarity she'd never imagined was possible back on the Isle.

Jo stood straighter. If the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and the daughter of Maleficent could work together on a project without killing each other, then Jo could totally nail this presentation and make the council see the error of their ways.

The double doors opened and Jo got her first look at the council. They sat at three long tables arranged in a U-shape. In the middle of the U was a sprawling rug on which Ben stood underneath a glittering chandelier. He looked more like a king than ever before with his hands clasped behind his back and his chin raised just so.

Ben nodded to her. She took a deep breath and walked into the room with her friends on her heels.

"May I present Jolie Beaumont, as well as Evie Grimholde, Imogen Gothel, Mal Bertha, Jay Vizier, Carlos de Vil, Scarlet Delacour, and Amaris Lupin," Ben announced, stepping to the side and gesturing to the VKs grandly.

Some members of the council actually shrunk back. 

"Oh, for heavens' sake," a wizened old man whose nameplate identified him as Gipetto said. "Is this about the fresh-food initiative again?"

Grumbles rose from the council. It took everything in Jo not to burst into tears.

"With all due respect," she said, taking a small step forward, "you've seen Evie and Imogen's presentation. You haven't seen mine."

"Could this not have waited until the next meeting?" Flora the fairy asked, eyeing Mal with thinly veiled distaste.

"No, it could not," Jo insisted. She turned to Ben. "May I begin my presentation now, Your Highness?"

Ben nodded, smiling softly. "You may proceed, Miss Beaumont."

She bit back a giggle. It was strange, to say the least, to address each other so formally. She realized now that she probably should've curtsied when she came in, but oh well. Too late now.

While Jo stayed rooted in place, her fellow VKs dispersed to stand against the walls like guards -- all except Evie, who stood in front of the double doors with her back straight and her eyes glittering.

"I think I should start by introducing myself," Jo said, clasping her hands behind her back. "As you all know, my name is Jolie Beaumont. I'm a villain kid, yeah, but first and foremost, I'm a chef. On the Isle, I ran a restaurant called Jo's Kitchen. Every day, people would come and I would feed them food I'd made with what little we had. Uma, Ursula's daughter, and her crew would provide me with fish and whatever else they could find. The goblins would pick through the trash Auradon sent us to find ingredients I could use. Sometimes there wasn't enough to feed everyone, so I'd give my portion to someone else. For some of them, it was the only food they'd eat that day."

"There's so little on the Isle," Jo continued. "I'm not sure if you guys realize that. Those scraps we scavenge for, that trash you send us, it's all we have. And I know your stories. I know not all of you had the wealth and privilege that you know today. But it seems you've forgotten what it's like to not have enough. Or maybe you just don't care because everyone on the Isle, they don't matter, right? If they starve to death, well, that's one less bad guy to worry about, right?"

The council shifted in their seats uncomfortably, but all Jo saw was the confusion on Ben's face. This was not the speech he'd approved. Jo was off-script and she knew it was wrong, but the words were just spilling out of her.

"You're supposed to be the heroes," she said. "You're supposed to rise above and be the bigger person. That's what makes you all so much better than us, right? Your kindness and generosity. Your love and your light. And yet you condemn children -- innocent children, who should not inherit the sins of their parents -- to lives of misery. Of never having enough. Of never knowing what food, real food, is supposed to taste like."

She forced herself to take another deep breath -- she was getting too emotional. But how could she not? How could she not look at these people, her oppressors, and not cry or be angry? Because that's what this council was. That's what everyone in Auradon was. Whether they knew it or not, they were oppressors. Especially this council, who denied children fresh food.

"That's the biggest change I've had to adjust to since moving here," she said after a brief lapse. "Everything tastes different. Sweeter, fresher, spicier, juicier...it's incredible. And it's something I should've had all my life."

"Miss Beaumont," one of the men who had fought alongside Lonnie's parents spoke up, "I understand you're upset--"

"No, you don't understand," she interrupted. "But I can help you."

She looked behind herself and nodded to Evie. Evie signaled for the guards to open the doors. Once the doors were open, Evie whistled so loud that a few members of the council winced. Everyone watched as Lonnie, Audrey, Doug, and Chad wheeled in two large carts laden with food, all hidden under silver cloches. The AKs -- including Ben, who strode forward to help -- deliver each plate and a set of utensils to the corresponding council member. When the carts were empty, Lonnie, Audrey, Doug, and Chad wheeled them back out. The guards moved to close the doors, but Evie gestured for them to wait.

"Before each of you is a miniature version of your favorite desserts," Jo explained as the council members lifted the cloches. "I'd like you all to taste at least one bite."

The council members all looked to Ben.

"I personally oversaw the making of the food," he told them.

Jo watched closely as each council member picked up their fork. Some were braver than others -- they stabbed the entire dessert onto their fork -- while others simply cut a little piece off. One by one, they all took a bite.

And one by one, their faces contorted in disgust. They all reached for their napkins and spit out the food.

"What is the meaning of this?" Doc, one of the seven dwarves, cried out.

Jo smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps I wasn't clear. Those are miniature versions of your favorite desserts -- prepared as I would have had to prepare them on the Isle, due to lack of fresh food, ingredient variety, and other limiting factors such as whether or not my oven worked that day."

Evie whistled once more. The AKs returned with two more carts laden with food. These plates were not topped with cloches. Mal, Jay, Carlos, Evie, Scarlet, Imogen, and Amaris stepped up to clear away the plates of Isle-style desserts. The AKs set down new plates of food for everyone. Except Ben -- Jo personally handed him his clocheless plate and a fork.

Ben's face lit up. "Is this pecan pie a la mode?"

"I even made the ice cream from scratch," Jo said, grinning much wider now. She gestured to the council grandly, bouncing slightly on her heels. "Please enjoy your favorite desserts as they're meant to be prepared."

The council waited and watched as Ben took his first bite of his slice of pecan pie. The dreamy look on his face was enough to convince them to give these new plates a try. Jo was practically vibrating watching as they all took their first bites and immediately, their entire demeanor shifted. Shoulders sagged with relief. Eyes closed to savor the taste. Appreciative sighs fluttered from lips.

Once they knew the desserts weren't another cruel trick, there was nothing to stop them from absolutely devouring everything on the plate. Jo was successfully fighting the urge to squeal and jump around like a child at the circus, but she couldn't hide the brilliant smile or the thrilled twinkle in her eyes. They loved her food. They loved her food. They loved her food!

"To be clear," Flora said, dabbing chocolate from the corners of her lips, "you made this food, Miss Beaumont?"

Jo nodded, feeling like she was about to burst with joy. "Yes, ma'am. Making food that brings people joy is my absolute favorite thing to do. I promise you, I nearly cried while making those Isle-style desserts. It was such a betrayal of my chef ethics."

Ben stopped staring at his plate like he was considering how inappropriate it would be to lick it (and how much he truly cared) to smile at the council. "Actually, Jo -- Miss Beaumont was hoping to open a restaurant in Auradon called Coup de Foudre."

Gipetto smiled fondly. "Was she?"

"That's not what this meeting is about," Jo said hastily before Ben could derail the conversation any further. She knew he was just trying to help, but she had a point to drive home. "Do you understand now, what's it like? The Isle-style desserts -- that's all most villain kids have ever known. That's the best food they've ever had. Don't you see how sad that is? How does it not break your hearts?"

Shame washed over the council like a tidal wave. Some even averted their eyes.

"I understand our parents have hurt you in the past," she said, and she was openly crying now, "but that doesn't mean we don't deserve good, happy, healthy lives. The fresh-food initiative, yes, will also benefit the villains you locked away, and I'm sure none of you are thrilled by that idea. But more importantly, it will give kids on the Isle the chance to experience food as it's meant to be experienced. And it would go a long way toward stemming their hatred of Auradon and its people."

Flora took a deep breath. "VKs--"

"Are the monsters you made them," Jo interjected. Her voice cracked. "You've given them every reason to want to burn Auradon to the ground all while pretending you have the moral high ground. If you're truly the good people you claim to be, you'll pass the fresh-food initiative right now. And you will stop sabotaging King Ben and Evie's every attempt to make things better for the people of the Isle. Otherwise...how are you any better than the villains of your stories?"

She wiped the tears from her face and bowed slightly. "That's all I have to say."

Ben looked around the room and cleared his throat. "Shall we vote?"

One by one, the members of the council nodded.

"All in favor of passing the fresh-food initiative, say aye," Ben said.

"Aye!" the council chorused.

Ben bowed his head, trying to suppress the dorky smile she knew and loved so much. "It's unanimous, then. Starting tomorrow, the Isle of the Lost will receive weekly shipments of fresh food." He clapped his hands together. "Meeting adjourned. See you next month, everyone."

*

The celebration took place on the lawn.

Jo offered to cater, but they all insisted she'd spent enough time in the kitchen for today (as if that were even possible) so Audrey treated them all to sushi. Dessert was on Lonnie -- she'd ordered two cakes, one of which was congratulatory and the other consulatory. They ate both regardless. Jay, Carlos, and Mal supplied the drinks -- none of which were stolen, they promised. Imogen set off homemade firecrackers, and everyone danced to a playlist Scarlet had made for the occasion as day turned to night.

Jo was lying on a picnic blanket, hands folded on her stomach, stargazing when someone lay down next to her.

"You were incredible in there," Ben said softly.

"I cried," Jo said with a grimace.

"You were passionate," he corrected. "And your argument was well-articulated. You called them out on their bullshit and blew their minds with your amazing baking skills."

Jo couldn't help the giggle that left her. "I can't believe how much they liked my food."

"Why wouldn't they? Your food is absolutely amazing, Jo. You're amazing."

Her face was burning. Trying desperately to change the subject, she cleared her throat and said, "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Gorgeous," Ben agreed.

She turned her head to look at him, but he was already looking at her. He had the softest expression on his face. Somehow, her face burned even hotter. He was going to be the death of her if he wasn't careful. She could already see the headline now: Villain Kid Spontaneously Combusts After the King Looked At Her Too Long.

He shifted closer to her. "Jo, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away," she said around the lump in her throat.

Ben reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Do you, um, like being my friend?"

Jo furrowed her brow. She shifted onto her side to look him in the eyes. "Of course I do. Our friendship means the world to me." 

Something about his expression made her think that was the wrong thing to say. He shifted onto his side too. "You've been avoiding me."

It wasn't a question. Not even an accusation. It was more of an observation than anything. Yet guilt still flooded Jo's veins. How could she possibly explain to him that her avoiding him had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her being a stupid little hopeless romantic? She couldn't tell him how she felt. It didn't matter if he felt the same way or not -- which he definitely didn't -- because they would never work. They could never work.

"I'm sorry," she said after a brief lapse into a strangely comfortable silence. "I'm really sorry, Ben."

"I forgive you," he said without a moment's hesitation. And so matter-of-factly too, as if there were no other possible outcome. "I've missed you."

Her heart panged in her chest. Without thinking, she reached out and cupped his cheek. He leaned into her touch almost instinctively.

"Do you believe in true love?" she blurted out. She swept her thumb over his cheekbone, over and over again.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Do you?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But I want to."

He smiled at her. "Do you know what I want?"

She swallowed hard. "What do you want?"

"I want..." He trailed off. His eyes were shining. His gaze flickered to her lips. Just when she thought he was going to say something stupid like, 'I want to kiss you,' he said, "I want to go the Enchanted Lake with you."

"That sounds nice," she said, feeling both relieved and disappointed. "Maybe we could go on Saturday."

"Saturday sounds nice." His eyes fluttered shut. "I'm tired."

She didn't stop stroking his cheek. "Maybe you should go to bed."

"Don't wanna," he mumbled. "Wanna stay here with you."

A flurry of butterflies fluttered in her stomach, swirling as if caught up in a tornado. She pulled her hand away. "I bet if you ask very nicely, Jay will carry you to bed. Or maybe Lonnie."

But he was already asleep, his breathing even and his lips slightly parted. He looked so peaceful that she couldn't bring herself to wake him. He needed the rest anyway, as evidenced by the dark circles around his eyes. She stayed there with him for a few moments, watching him sleep. He was so beautiful.

Reluctantly, Jo got up and found him a blanket. Kneeling beside him, she draped it over him and adjusted it to cover his best. Then she did her best to tuck him in. She leaned over him and pressed a featherlight kiss to his temple. He sighed happily in his sleep.

"I love you," she told him.

Then she got to her feet and rejoined the party.

*

i stayed up until almost 7 am writing this. sorry it took me so long and it's so messy and mostly unedited, and i have no idea when the next chapter will be out, but thank you for loving this story and loving bolie almost as much as i do. i know it's been two years, but i could never truly abandon this fic. jo and her friendship with imogen and her relationship with ben all hold too special a place in my heart for me to ever turn my back on them like that. it make take decades, but i WILL finish this fic, and i hope you're all along for the ride.

p.s. it probably goes w/o saying, but rise of red isn't canon in this fic. sorry glassheart shippers but my girl scarlet delacour came first

p.p.s. not to be a bitch but commenting "please fucking update" does not, in fact, make me want to update. i wrote this chapter in spite of that comment, not because of it. i get wanting a new chapter, but please remember that i'm a human being and i write these stories for free. demanding things from me is rude and unnecessary. please be kinder in the future, or i might actually stop writing this fic permanently as a "fuck you." consider yourselves warned :)