It had surprised Maleficent just how much she enjoyed living in Storybrooke.

She had always missed her old fortress and its surrounding property, however, this land had much to offer as well. Storybrooke had amazing views, a lush forest, a breath-taking beach, and of course it also housed her family.

Yet, there was one thing about her new home that she absolutely loathed...the cold.

For three to four months every year, Storybrooke, Maine would be hit by obnoxiously low temperatures. Many days throughout the winter people within the town would wake up to find a fresh layer of snow had fallen, and with it normally came icy roads and sidewalks.

She had seen children, including Henry, and even some adults become thrilled when the first days of winter appeared. All of them playing in the snow, while bundled up so that one could hardly see their faces. They would always be laughing, no matter how cold it got, and she would never understand that.

Maleficent had always hated the cold weather, even if she could not feel it the same as a normal human could. Her dragons fire that was within her kept her rather warm, so her teeth never chattered and she never became ill. However, the cold did affect her in other ways.

Storybrooke was currently into their first few weeks of winter. At first, Mal carried on as if it was any other time of year, but then she began feeling different. She had become quieter and more closed off, even from those closest to her. She could also feel her confidence draining by the day.

Dragons never did well in winter. Their scales would become duller and paler. Their fire, while still burning, would always weaken. Their movements would become more sluggish and clumsy. Even in her human form, Mal could feel her body respond to the cold.

This feeling was not new, of course, it lasted for several weeks every year like clockwork. She would feel herself growing more tired each day and with that tiredness came the unwillingness to speak, most of the time she would not speak unless she had to. She would also shiver every time she looked at herself, not because of the temperature, but because she did not believe she was as beautiful as she had been in previous months.

She absolutely loathed this time of year for making her feel this way. Logically, she knew that she looked the same that month as she had the month before. Yet, it was as if there was a voice in her mind screaming out about every little flaw she had.

Years ago, in the Enchanted Forest, she still felt the effects of winter, yet it was slightly easier to deal with. When the weather began to change she would simply stay in her fortress away from any other being. It was lonely, and the silence did little to help with her dark thoughts, yet she did not have to worry about others finding out about her weakness. That was until Regina came along.

Regina had noticed how the winter affected her lover the first year they were together. She understood what the dragon was going through to some degree. She had issues accepting her own body during her time with the king.

While she never addressed the problem head-on, she knew it would only make Mal shut down even more than she already had, the brunette would do what she could to help the blonde through those difficult weeks.

At first, Mal had turned her back to any comfort her lover offered but gradually gave into the younger girl's soothing presence.

Over time she would even find herself seeking Regina out when she began to feel the effects of the cold. Simply, knowing that she had Regina to curl up against and hold her would help her feel just a bit better. Even without the blonde saying so, Regina always seemed to know what to do and say to make her feel a little stronger. Her lover would lay soft kisses to her lips and then make sweet love to her, letting her know just how gorgeous she was through her brown eyes.

But this year was different. Mal had been attempting and failing, to be subtle while avoiding Regina small offers of comfort. The looks that the mayor would send her, however, told the dragon that she knew exactly what was going through her mind, though she never voiced it. She did not want her newest lover to know.

The three had first made love during the fall, so it was still rather new territory for the dragon. Just the idea of lying with both Regina and Emma would make her nervous, for reasons she could not quite describe.

And she the last thing she wants is for Emma to see her so vulnerable.

She had even taken to staying the nights at her own apartment with her daughter. Lily, thankfully, never felt the full effects of the winter like her mother, due to her not having access to her dragon form for the majority of her life. Maleficent would still use her magic to transport herself to the mansion during the day so that she could still feel close to both Regina and Emma, yet she stayed quiet and still kept to herself.

So now, Mal sat in the chaise lounge by the window of their bedroom, staring outside. As much as she hated how it felt, she had to admit that the snow was amazing to look at.

"If only I could feel as beautiful as the snow falling to the ground," she thought sadly to herself.

"She'll understand if you tell her."

The sudden voice startled her out of her thoughts. She turned quickly to find Regina standing in the doorway wearing a pair of yoga pants and one of Emma's shirts. She must have just changed after coming home.

"I didn't mean to scare you, my cariño," the brunette said softly with a small smile as she walked into the room. She sat down behind Mal and pulled the blonde into her arms.

Mal sat stiffly for a bit before she started to relax in Regina's strong arm.

"I hate talking," she mumbled.

Regina placed a soft kiss on the head laying on her shoulder, knowing what she meant. The brunette still remembered learning that Mal simply preferred to stay quiet during the winter, only speaking when it was necessary.

If she talked her voice would convey her self-consciousness, her weakness. Plus, during this time of year, she simply did not have the strength to open her mouth most days.

"I know," the mayor whispered, "and I won't talk to her about it until you do, but she knows something it wrong Mal. She thinks that it's her."

Mal turned her head to look at Regina with a scrunched brow.

"She asked me this morning if I knew why you seemed upset. She wanted to know if she had done something to make you start shying away," Regina's heart panged at remembering the look on Emma's face, the same look she had herself when she spent her first winter with Maleficent. She had thought the same as Emma had until she noticed that Mal was at her worst on the coldest of days.

Wordlessly, Mal slowly blinked. After so many years together, she knew Regina understand what she was asking. "What did you tell her?"

"I said that you don't like the winter," Regina shrugged. "She didn't like that I was being so vague, but I told her you'd talk when you felt ready."

Mal turned to the window once again, simply staring out at the snow.

"She loves you Mal. She won't judge you for feeling this way."

Still, the blonde stayed silent.

"I won't tell her about this, but Mal, I know how much better it makes you feel just to be held like this," she squeezed the dragon's waist. "I also know that it will never help you feel one hundred percent, but think how you would feel if you had both of us to lean on, both of us to hold you and keep your mind with us.

She nudged the blonde until she turned back to face her so that she could give her a small sweet kiss. Regina took the small smile Mal gave her in return as a small victory.

"And for the record," Regina looked directly into Mal's blue eyes, "you will always be breath-taking to us Maleficent."

The look in her eyes said that she did not agree with what her lover had said. However, she still closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of being in Regina's arms. That's when she knew the mayor was right about one thing, she would love to have Emma to hold onto her during these days as well.

A few minutes passed before Mal finally spoke slowly and in a small voice, "I'll try...to talk to her soon."

Regina smiled and kissed the blonde's forehead before laying her own cheek against Mal's hair. That was all she could ask for. Now she just had to hope that both her lovers would be okay.

A couple days had passed since Regina and talked to Mal. She had been trying to show a bit more affection to Emma, such as giving her quick kisses and allowing her to nuzzle her once or twice, just to show her that nothing was her fault. Yet, she still had not told the sheriff exactly what was currently going through her head.

Whenever she would try, those voices that lived in her brain during the winter would tell her that Emma would judge her for being weak, or worse, that she would agree with her dark thoughts.

When Mal had arrived at the mansion that day, she had wandered through the large house to find that she was the only one there. The dragon headed toward the bedroom to change her clothes. She had been wearing mostly sweats at home since winter started, but that day she put on a tank top and a pair of shorts.

Once dressed she stood in front of the full-length mirror. She had, finally, felt herself adjusting to the weather a bit more, which was why she had the energy to go to work that day, but there were still dark thoughts swimming through her head.

She wondered what the other blonde would think if she saw her at that moment. As she looked at herself in her mirror, her eyes zoned in on what she dubbed at the 'problem areas.' Mal ran her hands over her thighs, which were slightly larger than either of her lovers, her stomach which still held marks from her pregnancy even after all these years and then over her chest which was flatter than she desired.

"What do Regina and Emma see in this?" she thought silently with a watery frown on her face.

The dragon was so focused on her reflection she did not hear the door being opened. She jumped when she felt the sheriff placing her arms around her waist and giving her bare shoulder a soft kiss. Mal immediately stiffened at the contact.

Emma's eyes had a worried look when she felt Mal's reaction and instantly loosened her grip, yet did not let go.

"You okay?" she asked in a whisper as she leaned up to place her chin on the older woman's shoulder.

"I...," her voice cracked from lack of use, "I'm fine Kitten." With that, she stepped out of Emma's hold and crossed her arms in front of her in a vain attempt to cover herself.

"No you're not, but that's okay," she tried to give her lover a soft smile before clearing her own throat. "Regina told me about how you don't like the cold, and I think I may have figured it out from there. More or less anyway.

Mal adverted her eyes from the green ones in the mirror and stayed quiet.

"Do you remember when I told you about my past? Like when I was a kid?" she paused until she saw Mal nod. "I...I had a lot of issues back then. More than any kid probably ever should. I didn't have anyone I could trust, I was living in a constant state of fear and loneliness. But one of the worst things I have ever felt was when I looked at myself and hated what I saw."

Slowly, Mal turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Really?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah. Most days I would even dress in the dark so I wouldn't have to see it because if I did, it just reminded me..." she tried to swallow down the old emotions that were racing through her. "It would remind me that beauty was just one more thing that I didn't have."

Mal finally turned to face her fully with her arms still crossed, "How did you..." she trailed off, not finding the right words.

"I found Neal. He was the first person to actually say that I looked good. I didn't believe him, of course, but hearing the words and seeing that he was being honest...that meant the world to me. And after awhile, I finally started to see it myself. I had flaws, Hell I still have those same flaws and more, but I've learned to look past them. There are some days that all those old feelings come back to me, then I see how you and Regina look at me. It doesn't make the thoughts go away completely, but it definitely makes me feel better about what I see in the mirror.

She reached out placed a hand lightly on the older woman's cheek, "I know me saying this isn't going to help change what your mind's telling you right now, but you are beautiful Maleficent. When I look at you and Regina...I have no freaking clue how I got so lucky to be with not just one, but two gorgeous women."

Emma's voice dripped with sincerity as she spoke. It was that sound that made Mal begin to relax. She leaned forward and allowed herself to be held in Emma's arms again.

"This...this always happens for a few weeks every year. I never understood it, but...it's just hard to talk, hard to think right, sometimes even hard to move. "It was the most she had spoken in weeks and her voice cracked as she went on, "No matter what I do...I can't get my mind to shut those damn thoughts off." By the time she stopped, her eyes had begun to fill with tears.

"That's why we're here for Mal," Emma leaned up to kiss her forehead and wipe her tears. "Regina and I will always be here to hold you and to help drown out those thoughts."

Despite her lover wiping the first ones away, Mal's tears continued to flow until she was softly sobbing on Emma's shoulder. Emma kissed her cheek before leading her over to the bed. The sheriff sat against the headboard and the dragon laid on her stomach in between Emma's legs.

Emma held her lover as tightly as she could as the older woman cried into her neck and shoulder. She continued giving Mal random soft kisses on her head and also rubbed up and down her back. When the tears finally began to die down, she tilted the dragon's face up to give her a deeper kiss.

"I love you," Emma whisper when she pulled back to rest her forehead against Mal's. "No matter what happens or what your brain is telling you, you can always come to us Mal. We will never turn our backs on you and neither would Lily or Henry for that matter. We will always be here for you.

"I'm still getting used to having a whole group of people to lean on," Mal said with her voice still in a whisper.

"Yeah, it took me awhile to get used to it too. But I did, and so will you Beautiful."

Mal's eyebrow raised at the name.

"Just making sure you don't forget that no matter how you're feeling, you'll always be beautiful to me Maleficent."

For the first time in weeks, Mal smiled widely.

"You two certainly look cozy."

Both blondes turned towards the doorway to see Regina walk through. She walked around the bed and slid over to sit against her headboard on the other side of Mal. She was happily surprised to see that both her lovers wore matching smiles, "What's going on?"

"I'm feeling a little bit better," Mal spoke up a bit more as she turned toward the brunette who had curled up against Emma so that she could place her arms around both of the blondes. "You were right, Poppet, this does feel better. Being in both of your arms."

"Told you so," Regina smirked as the dragon rolled her eyes. She chuckled softly as she kissed Mal softly.

As soon as they pulled away, Maleficent moved to kiss Emma as well. "I love you both," she said while snuggling deeper into their hold.

"We love you too Beautiful," Emma said as both she and the brunette tightened their arms around the dragon.

Regina smiled up at Emma at hearing Mal's new pet name. She knew that hearing it would help lighten the dragon's mood in future winters.

Several minutes of comfortable silence passed before the sheriff spoke up, "How do you guys feel about a cozy movie night? We can poof the TV in here so we can cuddle in front of the fireplace."

"Sounds good to me, Baby."

"To me as well," Mal looked almost shyly at her lovers, "but could we go out for a little while first? Perhaps to that restaurant on the other side of town?"

That suggestion made both Regina and Emma's faces light up.

"Of course we can Beautiful," Emma grinned.

"Good. Just let me change," Mal crawled over Regina and went over to the walk-in closet.

Emma and Regina smiled when they noticed that the dragon did not close the door to change. Mal may not have been feeling exactly like her old self yet, but thanks to her lovers, she would get there sooner rather than later.