I can't believe how many people read the Author's note last chapter. None of you have any idea my cynicism with Author Notes. I'm convinced no one ever reads them and so I refuse to ever do them. Wow.

I am gonna warn you that you begin to see a 180 with the characters here - specifically Mal - due to Deon. So, consider yourselves warned.


One clean beep as she slid her ID through a port on the door. One clean whoosh of air when the doors slid to the side. Four tiny steps into the room before they were closed again and Mal was left standing alone in a tiny four-by-four foot room with half of the room sealed off. The only sound was that of the heat lamp buzzing and the fake stream running.

Mal took a seat on the floor. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn't afraid or nervous. It was just something she'd come to associate with visiting her mom.

Lizard Maleficent was resting on her favorite rock with the tip of her tongue peeking out of her lips. There was a lot of debate about the current mental state of her mother. Some had sworn up and down that the lizard had spoken to them in the early days of her captivity and Mal had thought she'd heard her mom calling for help after being turned into a lizard, but if she could talk, she hadn't in ten years. No one knew for sure if she could hear and understand them, but Mal chose to believe she could.

She cleared her throat to announce herself since the lizard's eyes were closed and then put her hands between her legs to say "Hey, Mom."

Lizard Maleficent did not react to the sound.

Mal had been coming here every three or so months since she was sixteen. She liked to think Maleficent appreciated her dropping in, since there wasn't exactly a line of visitors to see the Mistress of Evil. It had to be pretty dull being here, day after day. She mostly came alone, though once she'd brought Ben in the hopes introducing her boyfriend would coax her mom to say something and Jay, Carlos, Evie, and Jane had all been invited once or twice as well.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while," Mal said. "I, uh, remember how I told you I was having a baby? Well… that happened. I'm a mom now. And, uh, you have a grandson."

She paused on the off-chance Maleficent decided to express some surprise or interest in this statement. Nothing, though.

"It was pretty rough – Ben broke a law and let them put me on opioids just so I could get through the delivery. And I still ended up blacking out once the contractions started."

She dug in her pocket and withdrew a small 3x2 photo of Deon in his tiny suit. On the glass were about twenty other pictures. Things Mal had drawn, an old drawing of Maleficent from Auroria, her wedding photo, pictures of other Isle kids that had come off and things like that. One the floor by the glass was a tape dispenser just for her. She took a bit of tape and put the photo up beside the one of her and Ben with him in his white suit and her in her black dress. Right at Maleficent's eye level.

"Do you… want to talk?" Mal asked. "Has… anything happened? Are you okay?"

At this, the lizard did move, but only to go nearer the heat lamp. Mal sighed. "Well, let me tell you about your grandson. He's small since I had to have him early and at first he had no body fat, but now he's starting to gain a little. We got him an electric blanket since he was always cold and it works great, but he kicks it off every night and then wakes up crying because he gets cold."

She smiled, pressing her fingertips to the back of the photo. "Ben's great with him. Me… not so much, but we spend time together and I take care of him. I'm trying. I think that counts for something. He's a great little kid."

She kept trying. Stumbling through tiny stories about him waking up and holding her hand and his first smile when she'd picked him up and he'd recognized her. He'd smiled for her seven different times. Ben got countless smiles even though he couldn't be around much now that the palace expected him back at work. He claimed he'd gotten "Medical Aide Leave" since she was so sick, but Mal had since found out that Belle and Adam had teamed up to read through as much of the paperwork as possible and then left things in piles so Ben could sign without reading and be done with it. Technically illegal.

In theory, if Maleficent could hear them and if she ever was able to talk to someone from the press, everyone in the palace would be sent to court for everything illegal Mal had told her mom. Did Maleficent realize that? Mal had no idea.

She kept touching the back of the photo from time to time. "Maybe I'll bring him when he's older," she told Maleficent. "It's, uh, a delicate situation… he's the heir to the kingdom. So, you know, Heritage Guard keeps a very close eye on him. But we could make it work one day. Then you could kinda meet him. So long as you don't hiss."

Lizard Maleficent flicked her tongue out. Mal pursed her lips. "Yeah, I know," she replied, pretending Maleficent had said something snarky that Mal could interpret.

The door beeped again and opened. "Well, it's a sound theory!" A man exclaimed. He paused as Mal got to her feet and Mal listened to them straighten up in her presence. It took her a while to turn around without hurting herself.

Two men in lab coats stood in the doorway. One held a clipboard, the other held a single sticky note and a pen. She recognized neither. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Lady M-"

"Queen Mal," The second corrected the first with a firm look at his comrade. "We apologize for interrupting your visit. We weren't informed that you were present."

Mal frowned. Her guards were still standing beside the doors and they were quite clearly official guards. They never stopped the doctors and zoologists from coming and going, but it was odd that these two hadn't noticed the two guards.

"Do you need something?" Mal asked.

The man with the clipboard who'd addressed her as Queen Mal sighed dramatically, tucked the board under his arm, and put his hands into his pockets. "More outlandish theories, I'm afraid. A junior scientist proposed that this may not be the real Maleficent, which is why we haven't heard her speak in ten years."

"You had the same question eighteen years ago," Mal recalled flatly. "I hope you weren't removing her?"

"No, your Majesty," The second scientist said. "Only to compare scales." He displayed the sticky note, upon which was a rough diagram of some of the scales.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here," Mal said softly. "I can tell you with 100% certainty that this is my mother. The lizard still has her underlying magic. I check every time I come in."

The two seemed surprised. "Oh," said clipboard-man. "I… didn't realize you monitored that. Okay, thank you for the confirmation." He elbowed the man next to him. "I told you. Wild theory."

"Yes," The second agreed, sounding a bit angry. He gave her a curt nod and turned away. The clipboard man smiled and inclined his head.

"Have a wonderful rest of your visit, Queen Mal. We're sorry for interrupting."

They shut the door and Mal turned back to the glass with a sigh. "So many people poking you," she mumbled. "Sorry, Mom."

Her phone buzzed with some sort of notification of a meeting and Mal put it away with a small growl. "I think I have to go now anyway. I'll see about bringing Deon later." She put her hand up on the glass. "Love you, Mom," she whispered, then opened the door herself and left.


For every failure of a meeting, there was always family to cheer her up.

"Dibs," Mal declared the moment Deon began to whine through the monitor. Ben had moved first, but sat back with a sour look while Mal pushed all her work to the foot of the bed, to be happily abandoned as she went next door for the baby. Her husband continued muttering under his breath as he laid back against the pillow and continued struggling through the latest drama Arendelle had dumped on him.

She unlocked the door, slipped inside and called "Hello!" to the struggling infant. He'd rolled over onto his face and was now struggling trying to lift his head up to peer around. Slobber dribbled down his front. She wrinkled her nose, picked him up, and began fishing in the crib for his shunned blanket while Deon grabbed her hair and whined into it. He didn't need the blanket as much anymore. It was warm outside and he wasn't freezing to touch anymore. But it was useful to throw over his head for peek-a-boo.

"Why are you crying?" Mal asked. "You just woke up. It's supposed to be happy time." He smelled, so she set him on the floor while she found a clean diaper. She couldn't trust him not to roll off the changing table. He'd already rolled off the bed under her watch.

The bag of diapers was empty, so she canned it and then turned her attention skywards in the closet. A new bag peeked out under five blankets that had been gifted to Deon. Oh dear. This was going to be fun.

She reached, strained, all while Deon continued to whine and moan behind her. "We need a stepstool," she huffed. "I'm not as tall as Dad."

Her fingers snagged the bag and she pulled it. The blankets began to come with, so she stopped and glared. Why was she even bothering with this? "So this task I may succeed, give me everything I need."

The blankets were pushed back and the new bag of diapers floated down from above. Mal turned around, triumphantly, and paused.

Deon had rolled himself back onto his belly, caught one leg under his stomach, and was pushing up like he was trying to sit up. Mal put the bag of diapers behind him and then slowly reached out, took his shoulder, and helped him get his second leg under him. Deon fell back on his butt, sitting up, and immediately stopped crying. He looked very surprised and pleased with the new position. He patted the carpet, reached for his foot, and then looked up at Mal to see what she thought.

"Look at you!" Mal cheered. "You're getting so big!"

Her joy made him bashful. He brought his hands up to his cheeks and looked away, giggling. "You think that's funny?" She asked, and he laughed in response.

The monitor was sitting on a bedside table. "Ben!" she called at it. "He's sitting up!"

It took a moment, but Ben soon appeared in the door, paperwork abandoned, to see. Deon squealed and held his hands up when he saw Ben. "Aah!"

"Aaaah!" Ben replied, sitting down on the ground with his hands out. "You did it! Hooray!" Mal clapped as Deon seized both Ben's fingers and continued his happy screaming. Ben mimicked every sound.

"You're so silly," Mal laughed. "Both of you."

Ben was fighting a losing battle between wanting to pick Deon up and not wanting to pull him out of his newfound position before photos existed for him to brag to everyone. Unfortunately, his hand was being held captive and he couldn't reach his phone.

Mal scooted over and reached under Ben's arm to tickle his side. He jerked back, laughing, lost his balance, and face-planted. Him yanking his hand back had pulled Deon too. Mal picked up the baby, laughing before he could begin to whine again, and set him on Ben's shoulders as Ben was recovering. "You're so silly," she laughed. "So silly!"

"I wanted a picture," Ben whined. "That was the first time he'd ever sat up, Mal!"

Mal laughed. She was busy holding Deon's hands while he laughed and kicked against Ben's shoulders. "Silly," she told him. "That's you. Prince Silly."

Ben reached up, took Deon off his shoulders, and then set him back up on the floor carefully. Deon was confused – why weren't they playing with him anymore? Mal pulled Ben's phone out of his pocket and offered it to him when Deon was sat back up again. "Perfect!" Ben declared, kissing her cheek. "Okay Deon, look at Dad!"

"Ahya-ay-ha!"

He picked up his foot and tried to fit it into his mouth. "No," Ben shook his head while Mal started to laugh again. "No, no, different pose, please."

"But Dad…"

Ben sighed, sick of Mal's goofy attitude, and scooped her up to be in his lap. He put his head on her shoulder and let her look at the photos he was taking as he took them. Mal settled for making goofy faces at Deon to get him to focus and smile.

"So," She said, settling her hand on Ben's leg. "How long until we have to baby-proof everything?"

Ben hummed his happy hum against her back. "I can't wait to baby-proof everything."


"You are so cute!" Belle exclaimed, holding Deon up over her head. "Yes, you are!"

"You are so spoiled," Mal said, glancing up from the law she was trying to rewrite. "Yes, you are!"

Deon laughed. He didn't know what they were saying. He only knew it was all good things and they were trying to make him smile.

"You're not spoiled! Don't listen to mom! Your dad was so much more spoiled when he was your age…"

"You're spoiled and rotten and angsty…"

A beeping sound filled the room. "He's mine now," Adam declared. "Timer's up, Belle, hand over the baby."

Mal watched Belle switch her son to Adam and returned her gaze to the smallprint in front of her. "I hate paperwork," she grumbled.

"At least you're not schedule-coordinating," Ben grumbled back from beside her. He, too, was looking longingly at Deon. "I vote we quit in an hour for… public support petitioning."

"Is that code for clogging up the internet with pictures of the baby?"

"Would you rather do paperwork?"

The two exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes at each other. "We should hire someone to do this for us," Mal said. "Half the country thinks they could do a better job anyways. I bet we could even find someone to do it for free."

"Especially these… jerks from the Knights for Freedom," Ben grumbled. Mal frowned and peered over while he punched in appointments into his phone.

"Are you dealing with them now?"

"No. They sent me an email a half-hour back." Ben set his phone down and pinched the bridge between his nose. "Auroria… they got elected into Audrey's city council. She can't stand them, but the people love them. They're very good at being where the trouble isn't."

"They're in Auroria too?" Mal's frown pinched deeper. The Knights for Freedom hadn't gained as much traction since Deon had been born. Something about a royal baby made people adore monarchs. But their people-rule-people and minimalistic government ideas continued to grow despite the fact the kingdom was returning to peace and nothing bad had come out of the palace in months. They were in Cinderellasburg, Charmington, Corona, and now Auroria. They gave fiery speeches when public support for the royals was bad and gave out donations and gifts when support was good. Slowly creeping up in the world like dandelions through the sidewalks.

Mal had mixed feelings about them. She agreed that high-society was often too far away from normal society to be able to relate to them and wouldn't have a problem if she and Ben were given less to do so that the people could govern themselves. Or even if Ben resigned – one of their more drastic ideas – and they could be normal public officials with 9-5's. But the Knights, the more power they gained, the more sneaky they became with saying what they wanted. Who would make decisions? The same courts they were overthrowing. Who would maintain the laws? The same people who wanted to change them. What would happen to Ben and the royals? Well, nothing had been said, but the longer the silence was drawn out, the more sinister the implication.

Mal had had people try to kill her before. Ben had too. Everything about this group had warning bells going off for both of them.

A warm hand covered hers. "It'll be fine," Ben said. "Don't worry about it. We're keeping an eye on them and I have people in the system trying to get more information."

Spies. Espionage. That was how far the problem had risen.

Mal's phone buzzed on the table and Ben released her hand. She turned the screen over. The message was from Carlos. "Hey," he said. "Jane and I just found out we're chaperoning a school dance on Deon's B-Day. Is it okay if we come by and leave earlier?"

Mal frowned. "Ben and I haven't talked plans. I don't know what we're doing yet," she said.

It took a moment, but then Carlos asked: "He didn't pass his plans along?"

"Ben," Mal said aloud. "What did you forget to tell me?"

Ben looked up. "I forgot to tell you something?"

She put her chin on her hand. "Something about Deon…"

"I tell you everything about Deon!"

"You mentioned it to Carlos…"

Ben's expression turned sour. "Well, I suppose I forgot to tell Carlos to not tell you."

"Wait, what?"

Ben pulled out his phone to send a single angry emoji to Carlos. Mal glimpsed a returning question mark before Ben shut it back off. "So… I'm planning a party."

"With who?"

"Just a few people."

"A few people as in 'our friends' or a few people as in 'royal society'?"

"Just friends!" Ben said. "I mean… I figured there'd be people who'd call in or whatever the day of, but it was just friends and I was going to keep it in one of the meeting halls. Small. Honest."

"How come I wasn't invited to plan his birthday party?" Mal asked. She stuck her lower lip out and watched Ben's resolve crumble further.

"I wanted to surprise you…"

"Why do I need to be surprised for our kid's birthday?"

"I wasn't going to surprise you the-day-of. I was going to wait until you realized it was coming up and started to freak out about your lack of plans, and then I could surprise you and say 'Mal, I already got this'." Ben folded his hands atop the table with a sigh.

Mal felt a cloud descend upon her mood. She opened her phone back up to stare blankly at Carlos's text and then swiped down to try and hunt something down. Ben continued talking. "I thought it'd be cool to just have everything taken care of and-"

"That's the cake I was going to order ahead for him," Mal interrupted, setting her phone down. "It's got reese's on the sides. You like them, so I figured he'd be a fan."

Adam and Belle both leaned across the table while Ben deflated like a whoopie cushion. Mal let him take in the baker's website, the blue frosting and the colorful balloons before she went out and opened her notes list, revealing a list. "I haven't ordered anything besides my present for him, because I wanted to get your input."

Adam put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "This is the part where you either hit your knees or run for the hills," he said.

"Listen, I know you're like… award-winning parent and everything," Mal said, putting her fingertips to her head. "But it hurts my feelings you assumed I'd forget and decided to do it yourself instead of, you know, trying to remind me first."

"I messed up," Ben whispered.

"A little," Mal agreed. "So, what have you already done that I didn't get to help with?"

Ben ran a hand through his hair and then picked up his phone. "I'll text you what I've got," he muttered. "It's not tons. I've only been planning for about two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Mal repeated.

Ben shrank further. Mal shook her head and looked away. She held her hands out toward Adam for Deon. "Can I see him a moment?" she whispered. "I'm going to take a break. I'll be right back."

Adam waved goodbye and then passed Deon into her arms. He took hold of her hair and then pulled his face into it. His little thing he liked to do. "Let's go get some toys," Mal whispered. "Let's go play. Okay?"

"I sent those," Ben whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't share them before. I'll make it up to you."

Mal hummed. She was still a little hurt about it, but it wasn't that big of a deal. She kissed Deon's forehead and they went out into the hall together to go hunt down some toys for him.

She let him pick out four or five in his room and they sat together on the floor. He babbled – papa-papa and mama when trying to get her attention – and they played peek-a-boo together. Peek-a-boo was a mystery to Mal. Why was it so funny to him? Who invented this game? He knew she was still there, why did it matter if she covered her eyes for a few seconds?

Ben made his way back down when he wasn't so embarrassed he couldn't see her. She didn't hear him come in because Deon's alphabet toy was blaring, but he did and so he waved and said "Da!" When Ben was near enough, Deon seized his pant leg and tried to pull himself up. Ben picked up the baby and sat down beside her.

Mal tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sometimes I think I'm not loving him right," she said.

Ben gave her an odd look. "I don't see it," he said, pausing to consider the idea. "What do you mean?"

"You… love him with this really pure, blinding love and I kinda feel like I'm… pretending." She brushed her hair back again, mostly to avoid his gaze. "I mean, I'm not. I love him. But I don't love him as well as you do. And I feel guilty that he doesn't have a mom who's as awesome as his dad."

"I didn't mean to make you feel like that," Ben said. "You are fantastic. I love seeing you with him. And when I was going to surprise you-"

"In general, Ben," Mal sighed. "I try, but I don't feel good enough."

Ben set Deon down and took her face. He drew her in, kissing her cheek and putting his forehead against hers. "I love you," he whispered. "What you do is more than enough for me. And there's no one else who thinks you aren't doing enough."

Mal put a hand to his chest. She glanced to Deon, then focused on Ben collar as she swallowed. "I… I love him, Ben. Do you know that?"

"I know it."

Her hand shook against his chest. "I… I was thinking of quitting my birth control."

Ben leaned back, processing. She glanced up, watched him think, and was shocked when his face went red.

"Are you crazy?" he demanded.

"I just… I know it was awful last time, but-"

"Awful?" Ben repeated. "Awful? Mal, we can't have a safe baby. You can't carry another baby to term. Not that you shouldn't – you can't! This is literally your life on the line!"

Tears filled her eyes. "I know, I know, I just…"

"The only reason we have Deon is because we put you on a tube!" Ben yelled. The volume shook the room. Deon began to cry. Mal picked him up and he seized her hair and hid his face in it, crying. Ben tried taking deep breaths while Mal closed her eyes with the tears sliding down her cheeks. She hugged Deon as tightly as she could bear with her stomach clenching up.

"I don't understand," Ben hissed after several minutes of deep and ragged breaths between the two of them. "You hated being pregnant. Hated it. Couldn't we talk adoption instead?"

This was true. Mal couldn't stand being pregnant. She hated the way her body didn't feel like it was hers. But she loved Deon and the way he looked like her and Ben and how happy he looked with her and Ben.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Ben demanded when she refused to agree or disagree. She shook her head and held Deon tighter. His little breaths warmed her neck. Her silence only riled him.

"I cannot believe you," he said and stood back up to take his leave. "This is – you are – that's practically life-saving medicine, Mal."

She turned her face away from him.

"Whatever. You do what you want but I'm not having any more children with you."

"You love children," Mal said softly. Her voice shook. She wasn't scared of him, but fighting was still stressful.

"I'm not killing my wife!" Ben yelled – the loudest he'd gotten yet. Deon started crying again, holding onto her for dear life. Ben started crying above her – that was how bad this was – and quickly left without seeking comfort from them. Mal clutched Deon as hard as she could and refused to let go until long after he cried himself to sleep.


A cluster of balloons. Little games everywhere. Empty soda cups and abandoned, scraped-clean cake plates.

Jian and Josh were sat on the floor on a blanket with Deon, who had half his slice of cake left and was smearing the frosting on his pant leg instead of experimenting with the taste. He was such a curious kid – always wanting to see what he could do with things. Anything he could draw with and anything he could use to cover or bury stuff was always a favorite. Blankets, dirt, paint… all favorites.

Evie helped Emily, wailing, to the bathroom to try and clean off her face. Carlos and Jane were long gone and their opened present sat beside the others. It had been mostly ignored in favor of the white wrapping paper, which Deon had spread out on his lap and then put several hap-hazard handprints on before Mal had snapped a photo and sent it off.

Ben collapsed beside Jay on the couch and the two shoved each other back and forth before Jian saw Lonnie walk by, started to whine, and Jay had to pick him up to calm him down.

Deon picked up a fistful of cake and tried to smear it on his leg. When the crumbs went all over the floor, he frowned. "Uh-oh!" he called. "Uh-oh!"

"Uh-oh?" Mal asked. "Uh-oh, what a mess!" She stuck her tongue out at Deon. He grinned bashfully, decided the cake wasn't that big of a problem, and returned to playing with it. It was a big mess, but she figured she could shake it all out, throw everything into the washer, and it'd be fine.

"He's such a cute kid," Evie laughed. She guided Emily back towards the door and held her jacket up for her to put her arms in.

"You headed out?" Mal asked.

Evie took Emily by the shoulders to zip up her jacket. "I am. I've got an early day tomorrow. Emily, say goodbye to your friends."

Emily raised a hand. "Bye!" she called. The three on the blanket waved back.

Evie wrapped her arms around Mal. "Goodbye," she whispered. "I love you a lot. Congrats on Deon turning one."

"Thanks, Evie," Mal said. "Get home safe. Send me a message if you need anything."

The two left. Mal began gathering up paper plates and plastic utensils, but Ben quickly got up when he saw her start. "Don't hurt yourself," he said.

She couldn't bend over or anything, so Ben gathered the things on the ground while Mal skirted the couches and tables quickly.

"Do you need help?" Lonnie called. "We can help."

"Here," Jay said, setting Jian down and picking up Deon instead. "Let's get this rascal clean. C'mere."

Deon wailed. "Dada! Da!" He cried.

"I'm not a stranger," Jay sighed.

Jay and Lonnie wrestled Deon out of his cake-y clothes and then set him on the carpet to gather up the blankets. Deon used the coffee table to pull himself to his feet. "Ma!" he called, reaching for Mal. "Ma!"

"I know," Mal said. She bent down, minding her back, and picked him up. "Lots of people today, huh? You aren't very social." Deon put his face in her hair. Mal whined. "Don't get cake in my hair." She pulled a few strands away and sighed at the blue frosting."

"Shampoo well spent," Ben said, appearing over her shoulder. "Come on, Prince Silly. Let's clean your face." He whisked Deon away, holding him over his head, and took him to the bathroom. Spaceship noises floated back as the two flew away.

"Well," Jay said. He and Lonnie picked up a twin each. "We'd better be off too before it's bedtime and then we're really in trouble." Lonnie hugged Mal with one arm and Mal hummed against her shoulder. Then, she looked up and met Jay's eyes. "Ta-da," he said. "One year down, fifteen to go."

Mal laughed. "We're halfway there," she said. "When Ben's not king, we'll have to take everyone to Motuni to celebrate." She wrapped her arms around Jay and took a break. He still smelled like leather and smoke – Isle smells – after all these years.

"Well, thank you so much," Mal said. "For coming and for everything. It's always nice for me to be with people who like me, you know."

Jay laughed. "Yeah," he agreed. He tilted his head and squinted at her. "Listen… I just want to make sure… are you and Ben okay? No one… trying to kill you at all?"

Mal blinked. "To my knowledge, we're fine," she said. "I mean… it's not like we'd… announce we're going somewhere unguarded in the paper, but we're here. We're safe."

"Okay." Jay exhaled. "I just… there's been some crazy things the last few years. I feel like we're… overdue for an accident. And with those crazies in town…"

"Who?" Mal asked.

"The Knights for Freedom," Lonnie said. "We have a group of them in the Imperial City. They're definitely… modern. But we worry for you and Ben's job and your safety and everything."

"They're… bold," Mal decided. "Have they made any threats against anyone? We've been trying to see if they have any plans, but so far they just seem, well, bold."

"Yeah, they're just dramatic," Jay said. "But we'll keep an eye on things for you. Stay safe."

"You too," Mal said. "We appreciate you being ears for us, but stay safe. Don't be stupid."

She opened the door to let them out, cooing at the babies as they were escorted out. She waited until they got into the elevator at the end of the hall and then shut the door.

Back on the table and tucked beside the radio was a thick eleven-by-eleven book tied shut with cord. Mal pulled it out and picked it up. She turned around with it as Ben reappeared from the bathroom with the baby. "Did Jay and Lonnie leave?" he asked.

"Yes," Mal said. "Just us and the baby now." She kissed Deon's cheek and handed the book to Ben. "Trade you," she said as she took the baby from Ben.

"What's this?" he examined the leather spine for a label.

"I… uh… arranged a sort of present? But for you. Consider it a slightly early birthday present." Mal picked a spare blanket of Deon's off the couch and took a seat on it. She dropped the blanket around his shoulders and rubbed his back while Deon yawned and leaned into her. His tiny body was warm against hers.

Ben took a seat beside her and untied the cord binding the book closed. He pulled his leg up onto his knee to balance the book against and then cracked it open. On the first page was the first photo of Deon taken after he was born. His eyes were closed and he was crying. In purple, Mal had written his birth weight and length and his full name. Benjamin Deon.

Ben's face split into a smile.

He turned pages, stopping on every photo to run his fingers across the images of his son, himself, and Mal together. Coronation day. Lazy days together. Him laid back in his crib asleep. There wasn't any shortage of moments.

"I like this," Ben whispered softly, smiling at a photo of Adam holding Deon above his head. "Thank you."

"It's a little collection of his first year," Mal said. Deon began to yawn, so she shifted him so he could lie his head on her chest as she watched Ben look through his new present. "I know you like pictures, so I put them all together."

Ben reached the end and shut the book with a smile. He draped his arm across Mal's shoulders. "I love it," he said. "It's kind of a miracle."

"A miracle?" Mal asked with a smile.

Ben stared at her until her grin began to fade. His fingertips settled on her arm. It was as if he couldn't rip his gaze away.

Mal swallowed. "Ben, I'm fine. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Ben nodded slowly. "It's something I just have to get used to thinking again," he whispered. "We had lots of close calls." He finally managed to look down at Deon and moved closer to them, almost unconsciously.

"I know it wasn't ideal then," Mal said. "But it's better now. I can protect him. I can protect you. I can protect myself, if need be. And we're safe. No one's coming for us."

"I know," Ben whispered. "I know." He leaned against her. His exhale was hot on her neck. "But it's scary to think back, a year ago, when I didn't know if you'd make it every night you did."

He found her hand in her lap. "There was one night I was listening to you breathe, and this was when I decided to tell the doctors to switch your medicines, when I thought I hear you drop off."

Mal furrowed her brow and looked up. "You mean… I stopped breathing?"

"I thought you did. It went super shallow. For a few minutes, I thought you were gone. And I was… terrified, Mal." He laughed a little against her cheek, but it was shaky and cold. "I didn't make that clear to you before but I need you to know that you're my soulmate. My true love. And I don't want to try anything that hurts you that bad… that's that dangerous… I'm scared."

Mal squeezed his hand back. "I get it," she whispered.

Deon sighed in his sleep in her arms and they both looked down. Ben chuckled softly and the mood was broken. "Happy birthday, bud," he whispered. "We're glad you're here safe."

"We'd better get him to his crib," Mal said. "Come on, let's go."

They turned out the lights and left the room to be cleaned up later. Mal carried Deon wrapped up tight in his blanket, fist against his cheek. Ben coiled an arm around her waist as they went.

Mal turned what Ben had said over and over in her head. She'd scared him and hadn't even known. But there was still that little wish in her. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince Ben soon, but maybe one day she could bring him around.


"Do you think the white is too much with the gold and blue?"

"It may be, dear. Maybe in smaller amounts, but then-"

"To be honest," Mal sighed. "I wonder if a party is the best thing to have for the anniversary this year. I had this idea – what if we cancel the ball and had a city festival instead? It'd be less expensive and more people could come and attend."

Belle gaped for a moment and then shrugged. "Well, it's certainly worth a thought," she said. "The anniversary gala is a bit of a hassle and sometimes can be a bit… tedious."

"Maybe I've been listening to that new group speak too much," Mal said. She swept a few files off her desk to take to the filing cabinet and opened the window for more light on her return. "I just think… all these parties and things… they're so hard to plan and take up so much time… I'd rather just join with the city activity coordinator since they celebrate Auradon's anniversary anyway and then sponsor a community event rather than something specifically for the high class."

"It's not a bad thought," Belle agreed. "I think they're right too. You, Evie, Jay, and Carlos have always pointed out how we like to, uh…"

"Celebrate yourselves," Mal finished. "You congratulate each other on being masters of the universe. And you do it a lot. Cotillions, coronations, christenings… so many c's…"

"Well, ask Ben about it," Belle said. "The parties do help some of the more… materialistic royals feel appreciated, but if you were to cut back on the amount of things you're expected to do by changing them or handing them off… you might be able to help Ben more with his workload and slowly whittle things down to a manageable level."

"I like that idea a lot," Mal laughed. She found a pen and began to take notes on the corner of the paper. "Of course, it won't be that easy, but-"

The alarms began to blare in the palace. Mal dropped her pen as her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She didn't touch it. The guards opened the door, entered, and began to lock it from the inside, securing the window and doorway. The monitor on Mal's desk began to wail. Poor Deon. Palace lockdowns were no way to be waken up from a nap.

It was a relatively short lockdown. Only five minutes, later, the alarms ceased. Ben heard Ben get Deon in his room. While he calmed the baby down, Mal finally addressed her guards. "What was that?" she asked. "Who was it?"

But Belle had already done the math. If Deon was asleep and Ben had gotten him and she and Mal were together, then only one other person could have triggered a household emergency. "Where's my husband?" she asked.

"We're awaiting answers now," Vanessa replied. "But we can escort you anywhere you want now."

"Take me to my room," Belle demanded firmly.

They locked up the office and headed down the hall. Got in the elevator and began to head to the floor where Belle and Adam lived. When the doors opened, there were people in white blocking the doorway. Doctors and nurses – about five in all – were wheeling Adam on a stretcher towards the wide elevator. "Oh, Adam!" Belle exclaimed.

Mal jumped out of the way to let the doctors pass. Belle stayed in the elevator as they wheeled him in and the doors shut. Oh no. Oh no. She fumbled for her phone and raised it to her ear without dialing before she remembered how to use it.

The phone rang twice and Ben picked up. "Are you alright?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Ben…" Mal kept her voice gentle. "Something's happened to your dad. I think he's on his way to the hospital."

Ben's breathing felt like it was shaking her brain. "Where are you?" he asked.

"Their floor. Elevator's in use. I'll come up and-"

"No, Mal. Stay where you are. I'll come to you and we'll go together. Be there soon."

She shut off the phone and leaned against the wall, trying to calm her racing heart. Vanessa and one other guard waited beside her for orders. She had none to give. Nothing to do but wait.

It took only about two minutes before the elevator doors dinged and Ben appeared with his own guards. His identity was concealed by a hat and a jacket. The baby was covered by a blanket. Mal got the hint. One quick spell and her hair looked brown instead of purple. All ready to go out into public.

The guards drove them down to the hospital. It had been a long time since Mal had been out of the castle. A long time since she'd visited the hospital.

"It'll be alright," she whispered to Ben before they turned into the parking lot.

"I think he'll be alright," Ben whispered. "He's a tough guy. It might have just been his blood pressure."

The waiting room was empty, but one lonely chair outside the room they were led to contained Belle, sobbing. Ben took her shoulder and bent down beside her. "Is he… still here?" he asked.

Belle hiccupped for breath. "Barely," she said. "He's going in and out. They think he's going to fade out."

Mal set her hand on Ben's shoulder. His face was dark, stormy. He looked to the door. "Can we go in?" he asked.

Belle shook her head.

Mal turned Ben toward her and put her hands up on his face. Trying to tell him that, for whatever it was worth, she was there. Ben closed his eyes to breathe and rubbed Deon's back slowly.

It was eons before one lonely doctor opened the door with a swallow. "I've done what I can, but he's too weak," he said. "You should come in now, so your family can be together."

Belle was led in first, crying, and went to Adam's side. She took his hand and squeezed it. He was hooked up to a breathing machine and so pale he looked like paper, but he squeezed back softly. "I love you," Belle whispered through her tears.

Mal's hands shook.

Adam looked up and saw Ben holding Deon. He patted a space on the bed. Ben pulled the blanket down and put the toddler onto the spot. Deon grabbed the edge of the bed curiously. Adam reached out and held out his hand. Deon took his fingers. Adam let him hold them for a few seconds and then traced Deon's cheek and looked up at Ben.

Mal almost didn't want to bear the witness of it.

Ben sat down on Adam's other side with tears filling his eyes. He put his hand on Adam's forearm and forced a smile. "I'm here," he whispered.

Mal took up her position at Ben's side, peering down at Adam and watching the baby to make sure he wouldn't fall. Adam traced her face with his eyes and she imagined a smile on his face.

"Pa-paw," Deon called and laid down on Adam's arm. "Pa-paw." Ben turned away to wipe tears away while Adam traced Deon's cheek again.

"You've been a good man to me," Belle whispered. "So good. And you were a marvelous king… fine father… you've made us all proud."

Adam nodded softly behind the breathing tubes.

Ben put a hand on his dad's shoulders. "I don't want you to go, but if you need to… we'll be okay, dad. We'll be okay."

Belle reached across the covers with her spare hand. Ben took it and squeezed hard. Adam nodded again and his countenance changed. He relaxed, taking them both in, and Mal imagined she could see that soft smile once again.

He did not fade off then. He stayed awake as the day bled away. Belle and Ben whispered stories to him – tales of enchanted castles and childhoods, forts and sanctuaries and stories of funny misunderstandings. The baby nodded off on Adam's arm but the three adults stayed awake and with him for the few short hours he had left.

Former King Adam passed away shortly before dinnertime, almost two years from the first of his heart problems. Beloved King, husband, father, and grandfather, surrounded by everyone important to him as he breathed his last.


Bit of a shorter chapter. I have laid everything out and it's looking like there are two left. If you like happy endings, you may want to consider not reading past this chapter. Things will get ugly in the kingdom next time around.