Meliorism • Mikaelsons mate

Prologue

A/N: Quite some people have told me they prefer Wattpad over Ao3 for reading and I am willing to give it another go. For those who don't know, I used to upload all my stories exclusively on Wattpad under the name Vanghoegh, until someone falsely reported me of plagiarism, this resulted in getting my entire account taken down. When I tried reuploading the story Lovely here on my second account it also got reported. Meliorism is a story I started way later and I am willing to give it another go. If this goes well I might upload more of my works on here again. 

Here's to trying again! Enjoy and lots of love,

"Momma!"

Maggie crouches down, arms wide and waiting for the impending impact of her daughter. The little girl had no doubt been spoiled with sugar again. "Hi honeybee, did you have fun with grandma?"

"Yes! We made you a picture!"

"Thank you, Emma! That's very sweet of you." Maggie leans back on her heels a little to look at the crayon drawing that was being pushed in her face.

"Yes, Emma has worked very hard on that artwork." Evelyn agrees, finally speaking up.

"Did you thank grandma for your fun afternoon?" Maggie smiles up at the woman. She had been beyond relieved that her mother-in-law had been able to pick her daughter up. There had been a minor crisis at her job, including a lot of vomit, which meant she wasn't allowed to leave her job early.

"I did!"

"Good girl." Maggie beams at her daughter, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before gently patting her bum. "Why don't you go grab your bag?"

"Okay." Emma hums along to something she had heard on the radio earlier when walking back inside the house.

"Here, and I don't want to hear any protests." Evelyn urges whilst grabbing Maggie's hand. She presses a few folded banknotes to her palm before folding the woman's fingers around it. "It's for gas. I would like to see my grandchild more often." She soothes upon seeing Maggie's conflicted expression, one she always pulled when offered help.

"I'm ready!" Emma shouts as she runs to the front door, jacket put on haphazardly, backpack slung over one shoulder. She bumps into her mother's legs and immediately clamps on to stop herself from tumbling over.

"Alright, honey. Say goodbye to grandma."

"Bye, Grams." Emma cheers as she turns around and widens her arms.

"Goodbye, my dear Emmy." Evelyn bends down to engulf her grandchild in a tight embrace.

'Thank you.' Maggie mouths when Evelyn meets her eye. She smiles when she sees her mother-in-law shaking her head, indicating there were no thanks necessary.

• • •

Maggie's eyes find her daughter's sleeping form in the rearview mirror. The little girl was exhausted and usually dozed off during the car ride home, so she wasn't surprised to see her daughter's head lolled to the side, drooling slightly.

The sight made her heart ache a little, especially when she let her mind wander to the chilly apartment that awaited their return. Emma often begged her mother for a garden 'Just like Grandma's', and Maggie managed to distract her daughter from the matter, but the ache of not being able to fulfill her daughter's wish stung.

• • •

"Look at you, all tucked in with Mr. Bee in your arms." Maggie gushes fondly, hands smoothing the duvet.

"His name is Barry." Emma mumbles, a little indignant at her mother's forgetfulness. She had named her stuffed animal five different names already, feeling that the given names didn't represent the bee's personality, but 'Barry' would surely stick, she was certain of it.

"Of course, I'm sorry, Barry." Maggie bends down, pressing a kiss to the soft toy before plopping herself onto her daughter's bed. "Are you ready for your bedtime story?"

"Yes! Can we read the blue one?"

Maggie hesitates for a moment before nodding. She stands on her tippy-toes, reaching for the book she had conveniently hidden out of sight.

• • •

With a sigh, Maggie lets herself plop onto the couch, ignoring the ominous creaking coming from the furniture piece. A rational person would have replaced the antique a century ago, but Maggie had convinced herself that the couch was simply yearning for attention with its soft creaks and groans. Besides that, couches were expensive.

She manages to take a sip from her tea without burning her mouth for once and flips the textbook open.

The dimly lit room did little for her tiredness, but she knew more light would disturb Emma's sleep. With determination and the slightest hint of reluctance, Maggie starts reading.