Belle awoke that morning peacefully. The sun was shining brightly, she could hear birds tweeting, and she felt so warm. The Queen rolled over and cuddled further into her blankets as she looked towards her husbands side of the bed. It was empty; though, that allowed her to see the clock that sat on his bedside table.

It read: 10:30 AM

Oh my goodness! How had she slept so late into the day? The children were quiet! Wait… the children were quiet. She was sure they'd have been throwing a fuss over a late breakfast. Amelia had also warned Belle about Mal's current anxiety issues, so she assumed she would have woken her up already.

The Queen jumped out of her bed and ran towards the children's guest room.

When she entered, she saw only Carlos and Jane playing with blocks on the floor. They smiled and Carlos walked up to his mother, reaching his arms and grabbing his fists in a request to be lifted.

Belle wrapped him into a hug and realized then that they had already had breakfast, due to the stickiness of his lips. She set the boy down and went searching for the others.

She was in for quite the surprise when she found them, however, because Evie and Jay (along with their siblings and parents) had arrived that morning.

Jay and Mal were running on the steps of the palace, while Evie and Ben sat aside and watched, happily.

"Well good morning, sleepyhead!" A voice said from behind her. It was Cinderella! Belle turned and grabbed the woman into an embrace and just held her.

"It's been too long!" Belle chastised. "Thank you for coming."

Mal was so excited to have everyone around her. She felt safer than usual. Jay had always been her protector, her knight, or whatever you may want to call him. He did anything and everything for her; even if it meant he would be punished or he wouldn't eat.

He was her big brother, and he would never be anything but.

All in all, Mal and Evie had the closest relationship. They lived so close to each other and their parents had become such great friends. She was the one who sat while she mourned her father, and the only one who had heard anything about her time with Maleficent that day.

Carlos was her little brother, she seen him in the same way as she saw Jane. Unfortunately, it had been a bit more difficult to keep the same amount of closeness with him because he was younger. He didn't remember the Isle, or Cruella, and there was a silent agreement between the three to keep him from it as much as they could.

Suddenly, Jay tripped and fell down a couple of steps, bringing Mal out of her thoughts. Her first emotion was fright, but then the giddiness of playtime ramped back up as he pulled himself off of the floor and began to run again.

"Please calm down, Jay." Cinderella said, softly. He made a "harrumph" noise and walked down the stairs to play with Evie and Ben.

Mal suddenly felt a bit of panic, and she could feel her eyes begin to warm - they were beginning to glow.

She walked quickly, but attempted to convey a feeling of calm, towards the bathroom near their room. Her breath began to quicken, and her heart felt as though it was racing and stopping all at once. Why was her heart hurting? Was Maleficent's curse still trapped within her body?

No, her mother had taught her how to come back from this. What did she say to do again?

Mal could feel every shift in the atmosphere. She noticed every change in the light flowing in from the window - every shadow. Her footsteps sounded like thunder.

The girl brushed her rosy cheeks with her finger, a faint smell of lavender in their wake. She opened her eyes and noticed that the plant sitting on the table next to her had died suddenly.

A shrill shriek rang from her lungs.

Being the only one who had heard the then small noise, Jay came running to her rescue. He knocked on the door and called for Mal inside.

"Go away, please." Mal requested.

The boy released a sigh of relief, but continued to open the door. He didn't really care what was on the other side. His sister needed him.

"What's wrong, Mal?" Jay asked, quietly.

Tears poured from behind brown lashes. A small whimper escaping the throat of young Mal, and her knees buckling to the floor.

"I'm bad."

Jay had gone to find Belle moments after he entered the bathroom. He needed an adults help, but not his mommy's, not this time.

He grabbed the Queen's hand and pulled her along with him, not saying a word until they reached the top of the stairs.

"Mal killed your flowers. She's really sad."

Belle quickly moved into the bathroom, picking up the ever small girl inside and pulling her closely. "It's okay, Mal."

Small, pale arms wrapped around Belle's neck, and snot and tears found their way into her neck.

"You didn't do anything wrong." She reassured. "Things happen."

It was nearly impossible to understand the girl between her sobs, and so the Queen carried Mal into her and the King's bedroom, laying on the bed with her.

"I… used… magic." The girl hiccuped.

Belle nodded, showing she understood and had already known. She sighed and grabbed a tissue from the side table.

"Can you sit up for me?" She asked gently. Once Mal had, she cleaned her face and looked at her closely. "How about we breathe together?"

Breathe! That's what her mom had taught her to do.

A small head nodded in agreement. Mal attempted to follow Belle's breaths, but found them to be far too in-between for her little lungs. Her eyes began to feel droopy and dry by the end of their session, and so it was gladly welcomed when the Queen laid her underneath the blankets and rubbed her forehead.

Maybe a nap was just what she needed.

Amelia would have to know what happened today, but Belle felt there was no need worrying her until after she returned. There was nothing she could do, and she knew that Amelia would attempt to race home to be with Mal after a panic attack so severe.

She was calm, and she was safe. That was what mattered. She'd wake up from her nap and be right back to playing with her friends, and that was that.

No, she wasn't going to worry Amelia with these silly details.

Okay, so I know it's been forever since I've updated. I'll try and get better about it. I also know this isn't my best chapter, but I'm definitely out of practice and am so constantly busy with school and work that I haven't had a chance to escape to my fantasy worlds lately.

Hopefully you can enjoy!