Chase the Light (Blair, Brae and Layla)

Ben had been out for weeks though he couldn't make his body respond he was aware of everything that was happening. He wanted desperately to be able to wake up but all his attempts had failed so far. Why could he just wake up. He tried again this time he got his eyelids to flutter but he still could not open them. The blackness evevlopped over agaij he felt like he was drowning in a sea of darkness and he wished he could just breathe. 'Come on respond.' He thought to himself as he got his finger to move slightly he continued to push through yet again another wave pushed him back under into the darkness.

Layla remained by Ben's side, even when Mal went off to visit her mother's statue in the Hall of Villains and she squeezed his hand, hoping for that simple response to make her day. "My King, please...just wake up..." She whispered into his knuckles, his warm skin feeling so strange compared to the lifeless body in front of her. There were moments where she'd fall asleep and forget that he was only in a coma and get scared every time she'd wake up, thinking he had died like her dreams made her think, betraying her. "It's been so long...Silly of me, isn't it? A servant of the king to have fallen in love but then, it's like every fairy tale." She said, her spare hand moving the hair from his face from where his mother kept running her slender fingers to it, trying to feel the warmth to remind her that he was alive. Layla then froze, feeling one of his fingers twitch and her eyes widened, looking around for witnesses and she moved herself, sitting on the edge of the bed. "No, no, try again...you can do it, your highness...You can do it, Ben, please...Do it again." She pleaded, holding his hand to her mouth and she closed her eyes, awaiting for the twitch again. Layla hardly ever spoke his name out loud, feeling unworthy to speak it from her lips when she addressed him. He was her King after all.

Blair barely ever left her brothers side during the time he was asleep, or in a coma which ever you preferred to call it. She had only left to go get a drink for a few moments and when she came back she sighed softly walking to his bed she sat down setting the drink down on the tiny table beside his bed. When she saw Layla she raised an eyebrow. "Layla? What happened?" She whispered and instantly took her brothers other hand squeezing it in her smaller ones. "Did he move or something Layla? Is he waking up?" Her voice filled with hope but also panic, she wanted her brother to wake up so badly and at the sight of the blonde who looked the same she felt like something had happened. Reaching over she ran her fingers through her brothers hair like her mother had many times while she had been here. "Ben...come on, wake up" She whispered softly kissing his knuckles gently.

Ben heard Layla pleading with him to move again. He then heard Blair's voice and feeling their hands on his. He tempted to move his fingers nothing. 'Come on respond to me.' He told himself. Finally he managed to his fingers on both hands so that they wrapped around Layla's and Blair's. He wanted more then anything to wake up though he hoped his small movements for the moment were alright. Focusing some more he tried to twitch his foot though nothing happened. He was soon being swept away in yet another wave of darkness. Though he fought to stay a float he was getting scared that he would never be awake again. Sighing inwardly he forced himself to attempt to breathe forcing his lungs to work made his chest rise slightly then it dropped again. 'Come on breathe!' He said as he got his chest to rise again soon his body took over and he was breathing. 'Alright we are doing good so far.' He felt another wave come on. 'No not today I am not going to allow myself to be taken.' He thought as he attempted himself to move his eyelids again yet they would not move.

Layla looked up, seeing Blair and all she could do was nod shakily, she could feel it in her bones that he would wake up soon and her hand tightened its grip, resting her lips against the knuckles and looked at Ben's face. "He's trying so hard...I just know it. I can feel it." She whispered towards Blair, her tears sliding down her face and falling onto his skin. "You can do it, Ben." She said firmer now, finding no weakness in her tone as she spoke directly to her King and she could feel Lucky, her dalmatian press himself against her foot and whine, begging himself for Ben to wake up. Her spare hand touched at his cheek, her fingertips dancing lightly against the edge before stopping at the corner of his lips. "You can wake up now, Ben...No more playing around. You got people to come back to now, c'mon...No more five more minutes..." She said, a laugh stuck in her throat as she tried to joke because when she first started out as a Royal Advisor, she believed waking him up every day would be the best start but he'd always beg for five more minutes, like every child would but as time went on, she stopped, her affections for him growing too strong that it affected her work. "Just please wake up."

Blair looked at his hand and she gripped her brother's hand tighter. Leaning down she rested her hands and his against her forehead shaking ever so slightly as she listened to Layla. "Come on Ben, this isn't fun anymore" She whispered softly and looked at her brothers eyes. "Wake up Benjamin, it's time to get your sorry ass up" She didn't care if she sounded rude as she spoke, she wanted her brother to wake up. "Wake up, You can't afford to sleep in anymore you have a kingdom to run remember" She whispered and leant down kissing his cheek gently. "You're making everyone worry and I'm pretty sure Layla is about to cry so hurry up you lazy ass, Don't make me go get a bucket of water" She joked softly as she rested her head beside her brothers, never once letting go of his hand.

Ben began to see the light under his eyelids. He forced his tongue to move to make sure he wasn't dreaming this. 'It moves that is good.' His eyes opened finally though they closed quickly the light was so bright. A few minutes later he opened them again blinking a couple times to focus the light was still bright but he wasn't going to close them again he was afraid if he did he would slip back under. He was scared that the darkness would take him again he wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't going to fall back into the black not today not ever. He went to talk though his throat was so dry that he could not get his voice out. He tried to clear his throat but it wouldn't clear. Finally he managed to cough slightly. "Hey..." He managed to say after a few minutes.

Layla watched him, seeing his eyes flicker and open and her heart stopped, seeing those blue eyes she had missed so much before he shut them again, nodding her head towards the nurse who dimmed the light for him just a little. Pleased with the light, she looked back at Ben's face and fought the urge to touch his cheek as if trying to see if it was real that he was waking up and then his voice hit her. "Ben..." She breathed out, still sitting on the edge of the bed and she fell onto his chest, hugging him closely. It was the moment she did this, did she realise she must've stepped over a line and fell back, startled by her lack of composure and as the tears rolled down her face, she bowed her head. "I'm so...thankful that you awoke, my king...Y-Your parents will be pleased..." Layla stopped herself from saying how sorry she was she shouldn't save him, and how much she missed him and closed her eyes, smiling sadly.

Seeing his eyes open Blair dropped his hand and covered her mouth crying in pure relief that her elder brother was awake. Seeing Layla fall back she gasped softly, "Layla for once in your life stop treating us as your bosses, you were just as worried as I was. Sit your blonde ass down and just...don't turn into the cold assistant," She whispered softly watching the blonde before looking back at her brother. Sitting on his bed she leant down hugging him as she shut her eyes, "You made me worry Ben, you made me think you were gonna leave. I'm not done with you yet" She laughed lightly trying to make herself calm down but failed just burying her face in her brother's chest slightly. "We aren't the children of Sleeping Beauty so don't go sleeping for that long ever again" She whispered looking up at her brother.

Layla let her head fall, ashamed of herself as Blair scolded her and she nodded with tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Sorry, M'L-...Blair." She corrected herself and took Ben's hand once more, lacing their fingers together as she laughed softly at Blair's reaction to her brother's awakening. "Now, that'd be awful. Seeing as he dated Audrey..." She joked, beaming towards the Windsor siblings and stared at Ben's face. "Don't you dare scare me like that again...There's no way in hell I'm going to even find a better job than this!" Layla said, grinning happily even if the tears made her look so incredibly sad. She'd knew that Mal would come to claim him and she was scared of that, scared to see their love in front of her own eyes but she forgot it for now, just sinking in the fact that her King was alive and well.

Braelynn walked in and smiled at Ben "Hey there Sleepy head. Heard you were awake. Dont worry. I was consoling youre terrified girlfriend. i told her you were awake and she will be by later. She sends her love of course. But there is no way Im doing what she asked me to do. Thats just gross." She said with a small laugh "But do not worry, She will be here soon. She wanted to give us some family time before she came to see you." She said as she sat down beside Ben and kissed his forehead "We were all worried about you." She said pushing some hair out of his eyes "Dont ever do that again. Am I clear?"