Mal stood in the nursery of the castle holding her precious son in her arms gently rocking him to put him down for his afternoon nap. It had been almost a month since his birth and Mal's near death experience. The past month had been filled with joy, laughter, tears (mostly from Clark) and sleepless night (from both Clark and his parents. But Mal and Ben wouldn't trade it for the world. The both dearly loved their son. Mal placed Clark in his crib and just stood there gazing at the miracle she and Ben had created.

"Why didn't you tell me I had a grandson Punkin?" Mal gasped and jerked around at the sound of her mother's voice. "Mom? What are you doing here?" Mal question her mother. Mal placed her body in front of the crib ready to protect her son if her mother came any closer. "Relax dear, you're dreaming. Almost ten years of being locked up give you time to practice. I still can't change back. God ol' Fairy Godmother made sure of that. But, I can still talk to you, and eventually others in their dreams. Your child is too young for me to get to now, but in another four or five years he should be fair game." Maleficent sneered. "You will not try to contact my son and turn him evil!" Mal yelled at her mother.

"I'll be in his dream Mal, you can't protect him there!" Maleficent roared. "Yes I can mother, I can have you killed, and then you can't hurt anyone anymore!" Mal spat back. "Really Punkin? You would kill you own mother? The person who loves you and raised you and gave up everything for you?" Maleficent said faking kindness.

"You never gave up anything for me, you never raised me or showed my any kindness, and you damn sure didn't love me!" My roared. "I will do anything and everything that I have to do to keep you away from my son. And I am going to be the mother that you never were. He is going to love me, and not fear me. I will teach him how to be good and happy that love is not weakness." Mal told her mother.

"All these years here have made you soft, and weak. What happened to the nasty little girl I raised back on the Isle?" Maleficent asked Mal. "She grew up into a good woman. I'm not who I was when I was sixteen mom. I have learned so much. And more than anything I have learned that you are nothing but a mean, bitter, lying bully and I never want to see you again." Mal was right up in her mother's face

"Fine, but I will be back Punkin, you haven't seen the last of me!" and with that, Mal shot up in bed and ran to go check on her son. Clark was fine, fast asleep in his crib.

Ben came up behind her and put his arms around Mal. "You okay honey?" Ben asked her. "Yeah, my mom came to me in a dream and she said some awful things and she said she was going to try to turn Clark evil in a few years." Mal had tears falling.

"Hey, look at me." Ben said turning Mal to face him. "I'm not going to let that happen. She can't turn back human. She can't hurt him or us." Ben kissed the top of Mal's head. "But she can get into my dreams, and in a few years, his." Mal told Ben. "I want her gone, gone for good. I want my mother dead." Mal said to her husband

Ben pulled Mal from his chest and looked her straight in the eyes "Are you sure Mal, and you really sure because I know you are upset and afraid right now. If she is killed, you can't take it back." Ben asked Mal. "Yes, I don't want to take any chances of her ever hurting us again." Mal said strongly.

"I'll talk it over with my parents and Fairy Godmother for the best way to make it happen." Ben said to her. "Just, when you do it, make it quick. I don't want her to suffer. This may be mean, but I don't want it to be cruel." Mal told Ben. "Okay" He replied. "Let's go back to bed now." Ben took his wife by the hand and they walked back to their bedroom. Mal looked back to just check on her son one last time. She knew she was making the right decision. Maleficent could gain more power in a few years and she could cause some real damage. Mal couldn't let that happen. She had worked so hard to have the life she did, and she wasn't going to let anyone talk it away from her.

Mal and Ben laid back down in their bed. "You okay?" he asked her. "Yeah, I'm fine." Mal told him and she snuggled up next to her husband. "Okay." Ben casually replied as he wrapped his arms tighter around his wife. Soon Mal feel asleep next to him. Ben couldn't imagine what Mal was going through. He knew she was a tough girl, but he never imagined that she would take such steps to protect no only their son, but also him.

Mal was a fighter. She had been through so much in such a short time. More than anyone should ever have to go through in a life time. But that was what made her so special. Mal never gave up and she never gave in. She fought tooth and nail and worked hard. She had a fire, a passion unmatched by anyone in the kingdom. Mal was fire and ice, Heaven and hell, yin and yang, a mystery wrapped up in a thriller, she was something else, and Ben wouldn't have it any other way. He never would have dreamed that almost ten years ago when he brought those four villain kids over from the Isle, and he met that purple haired spit- fire, that she would be tucked up against him in his bed with his ring on her finger and their child in the next room. Sure his fair-tale wasn't like his parents, but he sure did love it.