Here is the next chapter!
This chapter is basically tidbits of Maleficent's pregnancy. The last section of the chapter was added because it felt a little short, so at least it is kept to a consistent length so far.
As I had informed a reader last week, there is an event in here that Maleficent will use to explain a certain situation to their daughter. And Hades and Maleficent will NOT divorce in this story. I have a cute idea of how I'm going to end this story that involves them still being married.
And so people will stop asking: Hadie does NOT EXIST in this story and will not be the twin of Mal.
Enjoy.
News about Maleficent's pregnancy spread quicker than when she became romantically involved with Hades. Within ten minutes of telling her husband the wonderful news, people were constantly congratulating the couple on their pregnancy.
Within a month, quite a few women announced they were pregnant as well, maybe to overshadow the married couple's pregnancy.
To be fair, Ursula already knew she was with child before Maleficent made her discovery. She was trying to work up the courage to tell the three women at the mansion, but then Lady Tremaine had the fairy take the test before Ursula could tell the news. After Maleficent fled the house to inform her husband, Ursula informed the remaining women about her pregnancy.
When Maleficent discovered she ruined her friend's moment, she felt absolutely terrible. Ursula reassured the fairy numerous times that she had no hard feelings. She even joked that their children may have the same birthdays since they only had a week difference.
The next woman to announce she was expecting was Evil Queen, aka Grimhilde. Although she claimed a few months prior that she never wanted children, Grimhilde went on and on about how happy she was that she was finally going to have a child after trying for so long.
Puh-lease!
Maleficent didn't buy the over-rated queen's lies like everyone else. Grimhilde was just jealous that the fairy would have something she didn't again and decided to get knocked up. Although Maleficent was annoyed that Grimhilde constantly took the attention away from her pregnancy, the fairy felt sorry for the queen's child since he or she was conceived out of jealousy, not love.
A week after Grimhilde's public announcement, Mother Gothel revealed that she was expecting as well. Now the two women tried to be the center of attention when there were many other women on the Isle that were pregnant. No matter how many there were, most of the citizens were more interested in Maleficent's, considering she was the only one that was married.
As she approached four months, someone asked what gender she and Hades wanted for their child. Maleficent couldn't answer—
She didn't know.
That night as they were laying in bed, Maleficent was drawing circles on her husband's chest as he lovingly rubbed her ever-growing belly when she decided to bring up the subject.
"Aidoneus?" Maleficent began softly. "What gender do you want our baby to be?"
Hades turned his head slightly to gaze at his amazing wife better. "Why do you ask?"
"Someone asked me this afternoon and I didn't know the answer," she answered almost bashfully. "I'm fine with either boy or girl, but I didn't know what you wanted."
Hades sighed softly, somehow knowing this conversation was going to come up. "A girl," he decided easily. "I have always wanted a daughter."
Maleficent raised her head in surprise. "Really?" She questioned rhetorically. "Why is that?"
The god chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "When Zeus had his son, Hercules was so much like his father. I don't want a child that's like me. I . . . want a little girl, whose eyes light up every time she sees me . . . who smiles every time I do something for her . . . who knows I will do anything to make her happy."
The fairy smiled at her husband's explanation. "Sounds to me like you want to be a good father," she teased. "And you will be, but I can't promise we will have a daughter. I don't know if I can have another child after this one, so I don't want you to be disappointed if we end up having a son."
"I won't be disappointed," Hades reassured with a small smile. "Girl or boy, I will love the child unconditionally, because she or he will be our child."
About two months have passed since their conversation about their baby's gender. Since then, they have tried to make a conscious effort of not referring to the child by a specific gender. Occasionally, Hades would slip up, but you can't really blame him since he has always wanted a daughter.
During those two months, Hades received more letters from his brother than he ever has before. To avoid the fiasco that happened before, he allowed his wife to read the letters. They said the same thing as before: offering Hades his job back since no one else can do it as successfully and fairly as him. Just like before, Hades refused to answer.
In the last letter sent to him, Zeus insisted that they needed to talk face to face or something. Hades can't ignore him forever. They're family.
A week after the god received the message, he and his wife awoke to a webcam setup on a new desk in their living room.
"You should speak to him alone," Maleficent suggested as she slowly put on her slip-on shoes. "I don't want to get in the middle of your disagreement."
"Can't you at least stay in the kitchen or something?" Hades pleaded in a whining tone.
"I can't," she claimed sadly. "Cruella is already on her way to pick me up so we can go to the Tremaine's mansion. Anastasia needs some comfort after losing her significant other and her baby girl."
Hades nodded slowly in understanding. Sadly, Anastasia suffered a miscarriage the day before when she was barely a month away from having her daughter. A week before, her significant other—someone she truly loved—died in his sleep from a hereditary illness. They could only pray that Anthony didn't inherit it. . .
A car horn blared outside, making Hades tense up. "Cruella better slow her ass down when your riding with her," Hades warned cautiously. "I heard she crashed her car chasing those Dalmatian pups. I'm surprised it's on the Isle in one piece!"
"She'll be careful," Maleficent reassured with a small smile. "She promised me yesterday she will drive slowly so I won't get sick or hurt our baby."
The fairy kissed her husband's cheek to calm his growing nerves. "Just talk to him," she insisted. "You're brothers. Nothing bad can come out of it."
Giving her husband one last kiss in 'good-bye', Maleficent left to comfort a grieving mother, leaving Hades all by himself.
Sighing softly, the god took a cautious seat at the brand-new desk filled with expensive electronical equipment that magical appeared overnight. If anyone on the Isle knew about this . . .
As if on cue, the computer monitor powered on, revealing someone Hades hasn't seen in almost four years.
"Zeus," Hades greeted with a slight nod of respect. "What do you need, Brother?"
"For you to rule the Underworld again," Zeus answered, getting right down to business. "The gods have taken turns judging the dead, but it has taken too much time to reach a decision that is fair and correct for each individual soul. The Underworld is backed up with restless souls. We need you back."
"I don't want to go back," Hades argued, his temper already spiking higher than usual. "I am enjoying my life here on the Isle of the Lost."
"But you never get to see the sun."
"I couldn't in the Underworld," Hades retorted bitterly. "Here I have a wife, who is pregnant with my child. I won't let them be condemned to a life underground like I used to be. However . . . I will make a deal."
Zeus raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I'm listening."
"I will judge the souls here," Hades bargained, "using the webcams that you're using to speak to me. This way I can stay here with my wife. But that is only on one condition."
"Which is?"
Hades leaned forward to appear more like a leader. "My child," he began, "will they ever go to Auradon?"
Surprisingly, Zeus chuckled at the question. "I should have known you would give up your freedom for her," he mumbled. Smiling at his elder brother, the King of the Gods answered, "Yes, in a little over sixteen years, she will be going to Auradon."
Hades perked up at the revelation, picking up a certain pronoun his brother used. " 'She'?" He repeated optimistically. "You mean . . . !"
"Congratulations, Brother." Zeus smiled even larger. "I know you have always wanted a daughter, so I will let you in on one more detail about her future."
Hades tilted his curiously. "What kind of detail?"
"Keep this between yourself and your wife," Zeus warned before he announced, "When your daughter is engaged to a king in Auradon, she will be the reason the barrier comes down from the Isle."
That night, when Maleficent returned from a sorrowful visit at the Tremaine Mansion, Hades retold the conversation he had with his brother. The fairy's whole demeanor brightened at learning the gender of their child.
But after she dressed for the night, Maleficent noticed her husband sitting on his knees outside on the balcony with his head down and his hands clasped together.
Leaning against the entrance to the balcony, she rubbed her pregnant belly as she teased, "I didn't know gods pray."
Chuckling softly, Hades stood as he revealed, "I was praying that our daughter wouldn't be born with wings."
That surprised Maleficent more than she realized. Blinking to snap out of her daze, she wondered, "Why would you pray for such a thing?"
"So what happened to you will never happen to her," Hades explained as he was within arms length of his wife. Placing a loving hand over his wife's enlarged stomach, he stated, "I want her to be raised knowing love, not hatred."
"That will be a hard thing to do since we live on an island filled with villains," Maleficent commented sternly. After a moment, she smiled warmly, "But since we love each other so much, it won't be hard for her to know she is loved. Though . . . we need to give her a name. Since you've wanted a daughter, I guess you can name her."
"I already have the perfect one in mind," Hades reassured. "She will be named after her wonderful mother."
Maleficent raised an eyebrow. "You don't want her to have wings, but you condemn her by giving her my name?"
"Then how about an abbreviation of your name?" Hades suggested. "Something you like."
The fairy pondered on the idea for a moment or two. "Mal," she determined. "That way she doesn't have too much of my name."
"Then it's settled!" Hades cheered with a small. "Although, I think I will call our baby girl . . . Mali."
As you probably guessed, next chapter Mal will make her grand entrance.
What do you think? Be sure to leave a review and I'll see you next chapter!