Here is the next chapter!

Despite the advice given to me by the Guest last chapter, someone confesses their love while the other caves first.

I put a lot of work into this chapter because this was a major step in their relationship, which explains why I am behind in my other stories. I honestly thought I would have to post-pone the update to Wednesday, but I somehow managed to get it done for Tuesday.

I will say a certain object in this chapter will make an appearance more than once in the story. You'll understand what it is once you get to that section.

Enjoy.

Thanks to that fateful night, a new routine formed for every storm that occurred on the Isle. Whether it be a simple drizzle or a thunderous downpour, Maleficent always found herself sleeping next to the god in his bed. Hades made sure to be respectable of her, always staying on his side and never invading her personal space. Just like the first night, he kept an arm around her waist while she always had her head resting on his shoulder.

On the nights that Hades stayed at his lair, Maleficent found herself unable to sleep at night. She would move back and forth from her room to the cot that was left in the living room, then the couch, and then to Hades's bed before returning back to her room. The pattern continued until Hades's return the next morning with the fairy not saying a word about her sudden insomnia.

About six months into their friendship, a massive storm hit the Isle, lasting a little over a week. All of the Isle residents were forced to stay confined to their homes, only leaving for a brief minute or two when the rain let up slightly. Neither Hades nor Maleficent had a problem with that. While the fairy was reluctant to admit it, the god easily confessed enjoying the time spent with her. They spent the week telling stories, making jokes, and just having fun. Maleficent couldn't remember a time where she laughed so much, and neither could Hades.

Due to the severe weather, the two slept in the same bed until it finally passed. That next day neither one could fall asleep. In the middle of the night, Maleficent boldly walked into Hades's room, wordlessly lying next to him on the bed.

Hades chuckled as they fell into the routine that now became permanent. "Somebody's caving . . ." he teased good-naturedly as he held her tighter.

Maleficent remained silent, though the smile on her lips said more than words ever could. It gave Hades a little hope—

Until little buzzards started cawing doubt into the fairy's pointed ears.

The deceitfulness started a month or two later when some of the villains began noticing the friendly couple spending more time together than usual. They were constantly at each other's side whether it be the marketplace, the new Slop Shop, or the docks when a new shipment came in. Yes, the islanders learned about Maleficent's unstable walking a few months prior, but that didn't explain her new flirtatious behavior with Hades. In fact, she seemed to be the center of the god's attention—

And the ladies weren't having it.

A small handful couldn't understand why someone as hideous as the Mistress of Evil would be noticed by someone as handsome as the King of the Underworld. Her hair was a leathery patch of scales that matched her horns!

Or, so they believed.

As days passed, the villagers noticed the god receiving quite a few letters from someone in Auradon; at least one per shipment, maybe more. The first time—when Maleficent had her back facing him—Hades skimmed the letter before ripping it to shreds and tossing it into the sea. Many thought it was suspicious. Even Maleficent, who caught him mid-way through the act, looked surprised by his actions, but never asked who the letter was from or what it said. Hades merely shrugged at what he did, claiming it was nothing important.

The second time he received a letter, Hades immediately ripped it up and tossed into the water without reading the contents. That made some of the villains curious enough to bribe the goblin workers into giving them the next letter instead of the god.

Now the ladies had something to work with.

They waited until they gathered enough evidence and waited until the time was right. That time just happened to be on Hades and Maleficent's 'friendiversary', as the god had called it.

You see, about a week or so before the one year anniversary, Hades insisted that they needed to celebrate. They would cook dinner, exchange gifts, and then spend the rest of the evening watching the royalty in Auradon make a fool out of themselves. Maleficent somehow managed to get the 'perfect gift'—as she called in—in less than an hour while Hades was still trying to make his gift by the end of the week.

For that week, the two went to the marketplace every single day so Hades could find the right components and trinkets for his present. One day he bought small scrap pieces of metal while the next he bought tiny springs, screws, etc. Since he didn't want Maleficent to see the gift, Hades worked on it at his 'secret lair' while she visited with Jafar—mainly because he was the only other person on the Isle that Maleficent truly liked and trusted on the Isle.

On their friendiversary, Hades had yet to complete his gift and Maleficent stubbornly refused to give him her gift. While Hades was putting together the finishing touches, Maleficent reluctantly agreed to spend some time with some of the female villains of the Isle—

And she wished she hadn't.

The fairy had been eating stale popcorn while laying on the love seat in the living room of the Evil Queen's castle when the interrogation began. Mother Gothel sat on one side of the couch while the Queen of Hearts sat on the other side. Evil Queen sat in her own chair close to the center of the room because she has to be the center of attention, except for right then.

"So," Evil Queen began, "what did you get Hades for this so-called 'friendiversary' he's been raving about?"

Maleficent somehow managed to hide her smile as she quickly fed herself a small handful of the delectable treat. "Secret," she insisted, "but I think Ai—Hades will be so excited that he will tell everyone on the Isle, maybe even everyone in Auradon if he could."

"Do you know what he got you?" Queen of Hearts wondered.

The fairy sighed. "I wish I did," she admitted. "He's been so on edge and secretive lately. This gift is stressing him."

"Are you sure it's the gift?" Mother Gothel questioned. "What about those peculiar letters he's been receiving for the past few weeks?"

Maleficent shrugged carelessly. "He says they aren't important," she recalled. "After the first one, he immediately trashes the next—"

"What if he doesn't?" Evil Queen speculated. "After all, the letters are from his brothers in Olympus."

The fairy tilted her head curiously at the accusation. "How would you know that?"

"We convinced a dock worker to give us one," Mother Gothel declared with no remorse. "Hades's brothers gave him a very tempting offer. For all we know, your 'gift' could just be an excuse for him to get everything ready for the agreement."

Maleficent didn't like the sound of that. Taking another bite of the snack to calm her nerves, she interrogated, "What agreement?"

"To leave the Isle of the Lost." Evil Queen gasped in mock surprise. "He didn't tell you? His brothers promised to get him off this dreadful prison so he could go back to ruling the Underworld."

The fairy adamantly shook her head in denial. "That can't be true," she argued. "He hated ruling the Underworld because he felt exiled from the other gods. He could only go to Olympus twice a year."

"How else would you explain his abnormal behavior?" Mother Gothel probed. "Admit it, a silly gift for a ridiculous anniversary isn't enough."

Maleficent remained silent for a moment or two. Although she didn't want to believe it, it did seem somewhat plausible. If she had been offered such a deal, she wasn't sure what she would do. Aidoneus wouldn't leave without her . . . right?

"I'll ask him tonight," the fairy determined unsteadily. "He won't lie to me."

"Of course he will!" Evil Queen shouted insistently. "He's a god! They lie and scheme to get what they want. They make mortals feel as though they are important to them before using them for their own selfish needs. Once he's done with you, he's going to toss you aside like garbage. But what else would you expect from living on the Isle of Leftovers for over a year?"

Maleficent narrowed her eyes as she stood from the couch with the bowl of popcorn still in her hand. "You've forgotten something, Grimhilde," she claimed. "I am not a mortal."

Out of spite, Maleficent slammed the bowl to the ground, shattering it into pieces and scattering the popcorn about. "I'm a wingless fairy," she declared. "And I will not allow myself to be betrayed again!"

Without another word, Maleficent stormed out of the castle with a new burdening weight on her shoulder. She couldn't believe she was being tricked again.

Or is she?

Hades arrived at the fairy's home a little later than expected. Maleficent was already dressed for bed in black cotton shorts and a black tank-top when the god rushed into the room with a bag of groceries in his hand.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he apologized profusely as he began placing the slightly spoiled food on the counter. "Your gift took longer than expected to finish and I had to bargain with a merchant to lower the prices on the fresher food. Give me twenty minutes and I'll have dinner ready."

Maleficent nodded absentmindedly, as her mind was on other things. Hades obviously noticed her odd behavior. "Everything alright?" He questioned as he began to prepare the meal. "You're acting quiet."

She hesitated for a moment before voicing, "Aidoneus. . . when were you going to tell me . . . about the deal?"

Hades turned toward her with a curious raise of the eyebrow. "What deal?"

"The one you made with your brothers," she explained as she rose from her seat. "They are going to take you off this dreadful island so you can rule the Underworld again."

The god sighed as he set down the kitchen utensils. "Someone stole one of the letters, didn't they?"

"So it's true!" Maleficent exclaimed dramatically. "You really were going to leave without saying anything to me."

"I wasn't going to!" Hades denied vigorously. "Why would I want to leave?"

"Why would you want to stay?" Maleficent challenged as she crossed her arms stubbornly. "There's nothing for you here! You might wait another day or so for me but—"

"I LOVE YOU!"

The fairy's mouth zipped shut at the declaration. She had nothing to say. She didn't know what to say. No one has ever said such a thing to her before . . .

Hades sighed softly to release some of his frustration. "I love you, Maleficent," he repeated slowly, yet sincerely. "The only way I am leaving this island is if you are going with me; not before. No agreement—sworn on the River Styx or not—will ever make me abandon you."

The god sighed once again as he ran his fingers through his hair angrily. "I'm gonna stay at my lair tonight," he announced. "Maybe some time apart will help you realize how much I truly care for you."

"Aidoneus. . ." Maleficent trailed off, still speechless.

"That's my name," he chided sarcastically. "Only you can call me it. Now you know why."

The fairy held her breath as she watched the retreating figure of the god leave her makeshift castle. Once he was out of sight, Maleficent collapsed on the couch, screaming at the top of her lungs as the tears streamed freely down her cheeks. All of her sorrow emitted into the air with each painful cry.

Having her wings forcefully ripped from her body was nothing compared to the pain of watching him leave. . .

About ten minutes after Hades departed, the sound of rain pounded the tin roof. Only a sprinkle, Maleficent reassured herself. Nothing to worry about. Of course, the fairy thought too soon. Some time after, the light shower turned into an immense downpour, almost worse than the one a few months prior.

Raising her knees to her chest, Maleficent wrapped her arms around her legs, slowly rocking back and forth on the furniture to soothe herself. With every flash of lightning and boom of thunder, she flinched in fear. She never realized how much she truly feared storms. If only Hades was there . . .

Surprisingly enough, with her pointed ears Maleficent could clearly hear the front door cracking open over the heavy shower. Turning her head slightly, she didn't bother hiding her shock at seeing Hades walking through the opening.

Hades rolled his eyes as he softly closed the entrance behind him. "Like I'm going to leave you to face your fear alone."

Slowly making his way to the fairy, the god crouched before her. "It's our friendiversary," he reminded with a small, kind smile. "We have presents to exchange and we can't let them go to waste."

Maleficent nodded slightly as she adjusted herself, so her feet were touching the ground. As the god used her legs as better support, she insisted stubbornly, "You first."

Chuckling at her persistent behavior, Hades reached into his pocket before revealing the thing that took up all his time that week. Maleficent tilted her head curiously as she gently took the object into her frail hands. The gift was a small black mechanical wind-up bird. When activated, the trinket flapped its wings as it waddled in place.

"It's a crow," Hades explained softly. "You lost your friend, Diaval, over a year ago. I wanted to make you something to help you remember him, so he wouldn't be forgotten. I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner."

Lip quivering at the thoughtful gift, Maleficent wiped away an emotional tear that absentmindedly fell without her wanting it to. "Thank you so much," she mumbled almost incoherently. "I love it. . ."

Delicately placing the precious gift on the seat beside her, Maleficent took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. . .

"Close your eyes," she instructed softly. "I want to keep you surprised."

Obediently the god closed his eyes, half-expecting to move so she could get up. Hades didn't expect to feel the fairy wrapping her arms around his neck or the brushing of her lips against his in a tender, yet somewhat shy kiss. Although he absolutely enjoyed the incredible sensation, Hades reluctantly pulled away as he opened his eyes.

He couldn't believe the faint timid smile on Maleficent's lips. Or the way her eyes were lit up with such happiness that he never seen before. Or the way her whole posture changed to accommodate the new territory.

"Malef . . ." Hades began almost sternly. "You didn't have to do that for me."

The fairy rolled her eyes playfully. "I wanted to do that ever since you mentioned getting a gift for one another. I can't believe I waited an extra week."

Hades perked up. "You mean . . . !"

"I made up mind," Maleficent revealed. "I want to give us a chance."

With her smile growing brighter, she declared, "I love you, Aidoneus."

Hades couldn't decide what was better: hearing the woman he loved say she loved him or the way she said his name with the declaration of love. As he internally debated the subject, he stole a kiss to contain his excitement, causing the fairy to squeal at the sudden action. His life couldn't get any better.

Although . . . there was one last thing he has always wanted.

But she would have to wait until after his new relationship grows into something more . . . permanent.

Think you know what Hades wants? Be sure to leave a review and I'll see you next week!