It was quiet and tense on the ride home. Lily sat in the back with a small bag full of the things that she couldn't leave behind. Emma stared at the bag; it was smaller amount than the stuff that she had brought with her when she'd gone to Storybrooke herself.

Lily glared out the window like she held a grudge on the world. Emma tried to keep her eyes on the road. She couldn't shake that this might be a bad idea, Lily was still angry; the people that she was going to call her parents were strangers to her. Emma knew how that felt, she knew about that anger. That fear and mistrust that came with the questions about why she was given up. That question if maybe there could have been another alternative, could their parents have kept them?

And even when the logic was set in, and she knew that they'd made the ONLY decision they could, that anger didn't go away. Feelings weren't logical, but they hurt and that didn't just disappear when you learned how much your family loved you.

They passed the town border, Rumple held out the scroll so they could get in no problem. Emma looked over at him as he fidgeted. He must have questions for Lily. He and Maleficent would want to know about her life. But Emma knew from personal experience that Lily would want to avoid that. She wouldn't feel comfortable with these strangers that lost her as a baby.

Rumpelstiltskin had texted ahead when they were coming back. They were going to meet in front of the diner, Mal and Rumple were going to get to know their daughter…and the other wives were going to be eased into everything.

This might be a long afternoon.

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Maleficent had thought that they might be gone for days at least, trying to convince her to come with them; That Rumple was her father, that a magical town of fairy tales existed and she was as good as a lost princess…..

But it hadn't taken days, they were coming back, Mal was confused at why it was so easy. Rumple hadn't really gone into detail on his text. He told her that he'd explain everything to her when they got back. He didn't feel that it was something they talked about on the phone. He just said one thing other than they were heading back.

She looks like you

Maleficent stood there with the others. The whole family had turned up. The other wives, Baelfire, Henry….though her comfort levels at this plummeted when she saw the Charmings mingling a bit away from everyone.

"They have a lot of bloody nerve," Cruella hissed and looked over, "And this is coming from me, who also knows I have a lot of bloody nerve saying it."

They stood in awkward silence together as they waited. Finally after what felt like an eternity, that familiar yellow bug pulled down the street. Maleficent went to grab Regina's hand. Regina tightened the grip as the car pulled up in front of them.

Rumpelstiltskin got out first; he went to open the back door. A brunette stood up. Maleficent stumbled for a second as she memorized her face. It was harsh, angry; she looked older than what she should. Like her life was so much harder than what it should have been.

Maleficent made such a point of not glaring over to the Charmings at what they took from her. Lily looked over though, Maleficent saw the anger in her eyes, the bitterness of what her life had given her. Maleficent knew that one very well.

29 years, she lost 29 years with her baby that she would never get back.

She didn't want to waste any more.

"Maleficent," Emma came up to the other side of Lily, "This is Lilith, your daughter."

Maleficent was careful not to embrace her. Lily was giving the aura that she didn't want physical contact. She was already uncomfortable at the amount of people crowding her.

"This is Baelfire, he's your brother," Rumpelstiltskin nodded to his own son, who looked more awkward than anyone there, "Henry, he's both your brother and your nephew….that…we'll explain that one later. And these are my wives; Cruella, Belle, and Regina."

Lily blinked, "The Evil Queen."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "Yes, we're quite the group of misfits."

Henry watched her carefully, "Can you really turn into a dragon."

"Let's not overwhelm her just yet, buddy," Baelfire said.

"Let's get something to eat instead," Maleficent told them, "We….reserved the diner for the day. Let's just relax and talk."

"What about them?" Lily gave a death glare to the Charmings.

"Lily," Snow started, "Lily, we just wanted to say how sorry we were that we did what we did."

"Which thing," Lily demanded, "You forcing your daughter's darkness on me, stealing me from my mother, or ensuring that I was separated from her all my life?"

"Maybe we should just go inside," Emma started.

"You falling through that portal was an accident," Snow pleaded.

"Everything else wasn't," She said.

"That's enough," Emma raised her voice, "Just….you guys go inside. I need to talk to my parents."

There was some standing around, but everyone reluctantly started towards the diner. Maleficent hung back, a little aways from them so Emma could have her privacy. She was quiet as she talked to them, they started to argue, but Emma was firm and finally they started to go. Emma watched them leave, turned around, and stopped when she saw her, "You heard all that."

"I didn't hear anything," Maleficent told her honestly, "I gave you your privacy. I take it you're not an advocate of them joining us?"

"Figure it's probably not best to put them in the same room with a mother and daughter dragon duo, one of which wants her revenge and can't control her power just yet," Emma looked back towards them and then looked at Maleficent, "I know you just got your daughter back and I know you want to spend every waking moment you have with her, but I want to know something.

"Alright."

"Lily wants her revenge. It was….I was very reluctant to bring her over the border because she was threatening my parents. Do I have to worry about…you wanting that too now that you have her?"

It was an honest worry, an understandable question. And years ago, Maleficent might have given Emma reason to be scared that something would happen. But she had grown now, she liked to think. And she had an example to be to the other wives and to her daughter, "I think…..they already paid a great price. They lost their daughter almost as long as I lost mine. I'd say that justice is served. I'd say that since you gave me her back, I'll do what I can to make sure your parents live in peace"

Emma looked so relieved and Maleficent could say that after all this, it'd been the first time that she found Emma attractive. Before, Maleficent thought Emma too young. She was 28 while most of them were older. She'd understood why Rumple would want to marry her though, who wouldn't want to marry the savior? Especially one as conventionally pretty as Emma was. But Maleficent thought she was too closed off at first, too impulsive, and the relationship with Baelfire and then his father was hard for her to get past, she'd realized.

But she'd found herself softening to Emma without even realizing it. Because with Emma, there was a desire to make this whole thing work. To have a functional marriage with what hits world called plural partners was a hard thing but Emma was determined to make it work. Maybe not just for Henry's sake, though that was part of it, but because she genuinely wanted to be a part of it and make it work.

Maleficent…was peculiar about her attraction to women. She, like Regina, leaned towards men but she was open minded. She just didn't find many women attractive. Regina had been different at the time. Regina was different now. But the other wives, she found herself drawn to as well. They were strong women in their own right, and she considered herself married to any of them as she did the husband they shared. She certainly wouldn't kick them out of bed if they were open to it.

Cruella might be a bit towards a fling more than an actual relationship though. They were on their way to forgiveness, but she wasn't ready yet.

But she'd worry about that later, she had her daughter to focus on and she stayed behind for Emma's assessment, "Tell me about her."

Emma hesitated, "Rumple could give you a better review than I could, I imagine."

"He loves his kids no matter what, he's hardly unbiased."

"Neither am I."

"You're less so. I want to hear what you have to say."

Emma hesitated, "She's angry. I know that'll be expected but it's different than all that, She knew about all of this, about all of us."

Maleficent blinked, that was unexpected, "How?"

"I have no idea, she hasn't divulged that yet."

"What do I do then?" Maleficent asked, "I don't want her to think I'm too cold if I don't act affectionate and I don't want her to think I'm too soft if I do what I want to do and hold her. What did you want?"

She didn't like looking this weak in front of Emma, Emma was the youngest wife, but Maleficent needed to know what she was getting into. IF it was anyone that would know, it was Emma.

"I'm not sure there was anything my parents could've done that would've been considered okay right after they woke up. That anger just….it's there, it takes time. My advice would be to ease her into it, and don't get upset when she lashes out. This is a complicated situation and it takes time."

Maleficent nodded, she imagined it would be easier said than done though, "Alright."

Emma sighed, "Let's get to it then."