Mal took a seat on her boyfriend's bed. He locked the door behind them to give them the privacy they needed.

" You know if we have problems it's better to talk about them " Ben said " It helps, I promise "

" Good to know " Mal noted

Ben sighed. Mal was well guarded and wouldn't let her walls down for anyone. Even Ben. It hurt him to think that Mal was struggling and wouldn't bear to tell anyone. The last time this happened, she left him and Auradon to runaway from her problems.

" Mal, I'm not blind " Ben started " I know something's not right, I can see it in your face "

Shit

" Ben, please stop worrying " Mal reassured him

" I can't until you tell me what's wrong, don't you trust me? " Ben sighed

" Of course I do " Mal stood up

" Are you okay, Ben? "

Ben took a deep breath.

" No, I'm not Mal. This is hurting me. You have been avoiding me for weeks and I don't know why. If I'm honest I've never felt so distant from you than I do right now, I don't know what's going on and I am unable to do anything about it. I'm powerless. I'm not a mind reader. I can't even attempt to fix anything until we talk about whatever is going on " Ben said nearly breaking down in front of her.

Ben had never been so vulnerable. In fact she had never seen him so upset before. She felt guilty. He was so upset because of her.

" Please Mal, tell me what I can do to make it better for you " Ben held her hand in his " I can't lose you "

" I don't want to lose you either "

Mal paused for a moment.

" The truth is ... "

This is your chance. Just say it. Two words. " I'm Pregnant ". Its about time. You can't hide it from him forever. He will find out. Don't doubt that.

" I'm just tired, it's been a long couple of weeks. I'm sorry if you thought I was avoiding you " Mal lied

Ben nodded. Mal knew he didn't quite believe her but he accepted the lie anyways.

" Oh don't worry, do you want to stay the night? I've missed your face "

" O-Okay " She hesitated

Crap. She just kept digging herself deeper and deeper into this mess. Why did it have to be her?

Ben changed the topic and it was nice to get her mind off the thing that was currently growing inside of her which once the news got out would cause a lot of problems. She already knew she would get thrown off the council.

She missed Ben. It was hard avoiding him for the last number of weeks.

They were currently lying in Ben's bed. Ben had his arm wrapped around her. Lucky for Mal, she was too early in her pregnancy for Ben to notice anything.

" Mal? " Ben asked breaking the silence

" Yes? "

" I love you " He replied " More than anything "

It was his way of saying " I know you aren't ready to talk yet but when you are, I am here to listen ". She didn't believe she deserved his love after how she had treated him recently.

" I love you too "

The following morning, Mal bid her goodbyes to Ben before heading off on her scooter. Today, she was finally seeing a doctor. Not one from Auradon. People in Auradon were gossips, everyone in the kingdom would know by noon if she stayed here. She also had to change her appearance and name just in case. She told Ben and his parents that she was seeing a friend but she never specified who. Nobody questioned a thing.

" Bertha? Hello I'm Doctor Alex. How may I assist you today? " The doctor greeted the young girl with a smile.

Mal didn't even recognize herself. She used a spell to her appearance temporarily until she returned home to avoid pictures of her being plastered all over the tabloids. She know had dark almost black hair. Her eyes were a bright blue and her skin had a slight tan. Nobody would suspect a thing.

" Hi, I may be pregnant and I would like to confirm this first and have a quick check up to make sure the baby is okay " Mal replied

" My pleasure, right this way Bertha "

An hour or so later...

Mal was indeed pregnant, not like she had any doubts. The slight bump and the morning sickness was a big enough giveaway. The doctor confirmed she was twelve weeks pregnant and her due date was in the middle of January next year. The doctor also performed an ultrasound and Mal stared in awe at the tiny photograph. Mal also heard the heartbeat for the first time, this made everything so much more real.

Mal sat in the waiting room just looking at the picture of her unborn child. The woman next to her watched her in awe. Mal felt somebody watching her and turned and met the gaze of the woman sitting next to her.

" First time? " a slightly older woman asked

" Yeah " Mal responded with a chuckle

" I'm Lynn " she introduced herself and shook Mal's hand.

" M-Bertha " she corrected herself

" Nice to meet you "

" you too " Mal replied

" I'm pregnant with my second child so if you have any questions feel free to ask " Lynn smiled brightly

Mal paused.

" How old were you when you had your first? " Mal wondered aloud

" I was sixteen actually, the father left when he found out and I haven't heard from him since. Now I'm twenty two and engaged to the love of my life. I'm a firm believer this was all meant to happen to me " Lynn explained

" You raised your child on your own? " Mal asked

" Yeah, I mean my friends and family helped to some extent but the father wasn't in the picture, he hasn't met her actually and he won't be meeting her either " Lynn said

" I'm eighteen and I don't think I'm ready for it " Mal admitted

" Does he know? "

Mal shook her head.

" He has huge plans for the next few years and this will ruin it all. I can't do it to him "

Lynn looked at the young girl and pulled her into a tight comforting hug as if to say I'm here for you even if nobody else is.

" Go " Lynn said sharply

" What? "

" Start Fresh without him. Create a life for you and your baby away from him " Lynn smirked mysteriously

" He never has to know "

" I don't want to hurt him " Mal thought aloud

" Do you love him? " Lynn said boldly

" Of course. I wouldn't be stressing about this if I didn't " Mal sighed

" Okay then leave him, let him go. If you really love him you won't drag him into this mess "

Part of Mal was confused why Lynn was so invested into making her leave Ben. She had been in the same position as her before, so she must know what she is talking about, right?

" Bertha? You need to put the child first, if you think he won't be happy about it, don't give him a chance to. You will find someone like I did and he is not it "

" Okay if you think it's the right thing to do... " Mal hesitated

" Believe me, I'm right and you will see that one day "

Mal continued to talk to the woman about her story so far until it was time for Mal to leave. What Ella had told Mal was sitting in the back of her head. Maybe she was right? Soon she arrived back at Castle Beast.

" Mal? " Her boyfriend called out

ANLynn will become a major character at one point whether it's for good reasons or not... only time will tell