Chapter 38

Seeing the look in her godmother's eyes, Aurora lifted an eyebrow and immediately approached her. The horned fairy hesitated for a moment before leading the trio back to where she'd set up temporary houses for the displaced humans. The young blond was devastated when she learned what had happened to her people, and when she saw Martha, she immediately moved over and hugged the older woman. The two of them moved off to the side to talk, and Maleficent moved over to stand next to Diaval, magic simply rolling off her in waves. He reached out and laid a gentle hand on her lower back, trying to calm her the best he could.

"He will pay for this….I'm going to destroy that bastard."

"Maleficent…."

A soft growl escaped the horned fairy, but the moment she heard the soft giggle of her son, cradled in Diaval's free arm, a smile wound onto her face. The man offered the baby to her, and she immediately took him, her wings folding around both of them to ward off the slight chill in the wind.

"He's so perfect."

"And here you didn't think you'd be a good mother."

A soft chuckle escaped Maleficent and she leaned over, kissing his cheek before turning her eyes back to the Moors' newest residents. Leaving his mate with their son, Diaval wandered over to see if he could help with anything. It wasn't long before everyone was settled, and the horned woman moved back to the nest to feed her son. The sound of wings overhead caught her attention and she turned her eyes to the sky, watching for the source of the sound, only relaxing when her mother descended and sat on one of the branches of the tree.

"I flew over Aurora's kingdom….it's in complete ruin. Those people are lucky they escaped with their lives."

"I know. Many of those people have become like family to me….I know it's killing her to see them like this…"

"Your father and I are going to do what we can to help, but if he's as strong as we think he may be…"

Lilly stopped her thought as Aurora entered the small clearing, apparently not knowing her godmother was in the tree, and sat down, sobbing. Maleficent felt her heart break, and once her son was finished eating, her mother gladly took him. The horned fairy flew down and immediately sat next to the blond, pulling her into a gentle hug, allowing her to cry into her shoulder, magic rolling off her in comforting waves. The two of them sat like that for close to an hour, the blond letting all of her emotions escape her. Once she was fully calm, Maleficent walked with her back to the cottage, the pair stopping along the way to check on the impromptu residents of the Moors.

"What are we going to do, godmother? Our home is gone..."

"Don't worry, beastie...we'll help you re-build once this monster is gone. I promise."

With a heavy sigh and a nod, Aurora moved back into the small cottage where Phillip and Celine were waiting. When the horned fairy returned to her tree, Diaval was just arriving as well, looking exhausted.

"I did what I could to help them with whatever they needed...but dear lord am I tired."

"I would imagine. Get some sleep, I'll take over, if my mother doesn't mind watching our son for the night?"

"Of course I don't mind, dear. Go do what you were meant to do."

With a small smile, Maleficent moved towards the area she'd dedicated to the displaced humans, however, once she was out of sight, she took to the sky and flew towards the ruined kingdom. Landing in what used to be the center of the village, she winced at seeing the damage up close and personal, slowly picking her way through the rubble of houses, looking for anything that could be salvaged.

"This...this is worse than I'd feared..."

A soft mewling sound suddenly caught the fairy's attention, and she turned, watching as a dirty, yet alive, cat clawed its way out from under a piece of fallen stone. Moving over, she picked the little white cat up and gently brushed the dust from its fur.

"It's alright, you're safe now."

The little animal meowed and settled into the woman's arms, purring loudly, peering up at her with bright yellow eyes. A small smile curled her lips and she lovingly scratched the top of its head, continuing her walk through the village. After a few hours, she'd gathered a handful of items to try and return to the people, and flew back towards the Moors, cradling the little cat firmly in her arms. Once she landed, she immediately made her way to the small group of homes, trying her best to see if anyone recognized the items, and cat, she'd returned with.

"Snow! You found my kitty!"

Turning, Maleficent knelt down in front of the little boy who'd come running up to her when he heard the meow from her arms. Pure delight was on his face as she held the dirty cat out to him, and he took it, immediately cuddling it close. An older couple came up behind him and knelt, pulling their son into a hug and petting the cat as well.

"I'm afraid he's a bit dirty..."

"He's alive, that's all that matters! Oh thank you!"

After getting attacked with a hug from the young boy, the horned woman made her way back to the tree, situated her son in his nest, and laid down next to her mate. Even in his sleep, the former raven turned and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. A soft chuckle escaped her, and before long, she'd closed her eyes and fallen into the arms of sleep. Neither she nor Diaval witnessed the figure slipping from the Moors and moving back towards the ruined village and castle.

In the remnants of Aurora's castle, a large winged figure sat cloaked in shadow, his eyes faintly glowing blue as he watched his spy enter. The man knelt down in front of the male fairy, and began relaying information. When he spoke of Maleficent's son, a sick smile grew on the face of the fairy in question.

"Her son...if I can't take /her/ out...I can take the one that's closest to her heart."

"Sire...do you really think killing a baby is the best way? I mean...you could just as easily poison Maleficent herself."

"True, I could, but her magic is so strong it would simply heal her. By taking that which she holds dear, I will wound her in a way that will /never/ heal."

The male fairy reached into a pouch at his side and threw a vial of clear liquid to the one kneeling in front of him.

"Take that and do as you've been told. Pour the substance onto the child's clothes, and it will absorb through his skin."

After a moment of hesitation, the man bowed his head and moved back to the Moors, clutching the small blue bottle in his hand. Stealthily making his way through the forest, he reached the base of Maleficent's tree, and slowly began to climb up towards the nest. Carefully, he uncorked the small bottle, and after a bit of hesitation, tipped it and emptied the contents onto the sleeping Raegan's clothing. Just as he put the cork back in, Diaval shifted in the nest, spooking the man, causing him to fall from the tree, his hand bumping the side of the nest and waking the baby. As soon as he started to cry, Maleficent woke and pulled him into her arms, gently shushing him, Diaval waking soon after.

"Now what's all this about, hm? What's gotten you so worked up?"

"Is he alright?"

The horned fairy nodded, and smiled when their son began to quiet, cooing softly and reaching up to grab at her hair with a grin. Diaval chuckled and reached over, gently stroking his son's cheek, watching as he fell asleep again, and his mate returned him to his bed. The two of them settled back down as well, Maleficent resting her head on her mate's chest, yawning. The former raven smiled and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes again as well, the pair falling asleep within a few minutes. Down at the base of the tree, the assassin relaxed and made his way back towards the camp where he was staying. The pair of fairies laid sleeping next to their son, neither having a clue as to what had gone on only moments before they'd awoken to tend to him.

AN: HEY GUYS! I'm back! I'm SOOOOO insanely sorry this story has been on hiatus for so long, but I've finished school, and am now one step closer to becoming a paramedic! I'm also in a healthy relationship with my wonderful girlfriend, and my muse finally bugged me to finish this chapter and post! I don't know how much longer I will continue THIS story, but fear not, as I will more than likely be writing a sequel once it's done! Enjoy, and as always, reviews make me a happy wolf!

P.S: I know I'm evil. Please don't be too angry with me :( This will play a major part in later chapters!