Mal felt something tug at her insides when her nephew greeted her like that. Nephew. It had been six years since the little monster was born, and Mal still couldn't believe her brother was a father. It was even more annoying that he seemed to be a really good father too. Some sort of storm raged inside of Mal, though she struggled to control it and put on a brave smile for her brother and nephew. The kid reminded her so much of Maribel that Mal thought she was just going to puke on the spot.
"Hi Mikey! AJ." She gave AJ a brief look but only smiled at her nephew politely when she stepped into the house. She looked around as she went to shrug off her sweater. It was such a cozy house, always smelling of food and looking tidy as ever. Maribel was the perfect little wife, the perfect mother with the perfect job. It was enough to make Mal sick to her stomach. They seemed to have the perfect little life here too. Mal was green with envy. "And where's the Mama Bear?"