Hello! Sorry this took a minute! I was woking on my other stories when I thought of this and it poured out like word vomit! Please let me know what you think!

Something to clarif. Harry HAS the job.

Tracie Adams: Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter!

Urmimala Hazra: Yes! Yes he is! I absolutly loathe bullies!

InuKagLove22: We will see... ... ... amd thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter!

shortanamx: I hope you like this chapter!

mewjersey: Yes! Thank you! I am so glad you like this story! Please let me know what you think!

Katie2001: Thank you!

Creator of Magic: Yes! Harry has the job. We are getting closer and closer, and I love each addition when I go back and read them.

brimason0201: Thank you so much! I really love that you like these stories! I will ready your new chapter in the morning and let you know what I think!

Anonymous Reader: I didn't expel them becasue they are too young to understand the severity of allergies. But they will be in the next chapter.

darkpegasuzz: Thank you so much!

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!

ENJOY!!


"Melody! Jackson!" Ben called as he clasped on his watch. "We have to go if you want to be there early!"

Another month had passed, it was a week before the kids would be off for Christmas, and now it was Ben's turn to take Melody and Jackson to Donuts with dad. Melody didn't ask Melody if she wanted him to take her, but he asked her if she would like to go with him. Melody nodded eagerly when Ben had asked her, and she gave him the tightest hug that her little body could give him.

A lot has changed in the month that has passed for Ben and Mal. They had still yet to label what they were. They had gone out on a couple of more dates, shared kisses when they could and before they left the apartment. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, just not officially labeled.

Mal laughed as she watched Ben fumble with his clasp, and finally gave in to help him.

"I don't know how you did this before I was around," she said as she took his hand and clasped his watch onto his wrist.

"Maybe I just wanted you to help," he said, making her look to see the smirk on his face.

She shook her head and chuckled. "You're mad," she said.

"Mad about you," he told her before he gave her a small peck on the lips.

Mal laughed as she looked up at Ben. She didn't mind that they hadn't labeled what they were, but she did wonder what he thought they were.

"Jackson! Melody!" Ben called again as he walked to get his wallet from the end table that was by the front door.

"They're not listening," Mal teased as she took a sip of her tea.

Ben looked at her and then squinted his eyes. "Okay," he nodded. "Be my guest," he offered as he held his hand out for her.

"Melody Beatrice! Jackson Cameron! Get your tiny butts out here before you are late!" She yelled.

Not two seconds later both adults heard the pitter patter of Melody and Jackson running down the hall. They walked into the kitchen ready and with their backpacks on.

"Why did you both come when she called?" Ben asked as he looked down at the two kids.

"Because mommy is scary," Melody said as she grabbed her lunch from Mal.

Mal scrunched her nose at her daughter before giving her a kiss on her head. She looked to Jackson and saw him giggling before she crouched down in front of him.

"Here, sweet boy," she said as she gave him his lunch. She had started to call him sweet boy a couple of weeks ago, and Jackson really liked it. "And don't forget to stay away from the donuts with peanuts on them, mister," she said as she pinched the front of his shirt and moved him side to side.

"I know, Mally," he said before he gave her a hug. "Principal Rogers makes sure that the allergy free food is away from the foods that can touch them," he said, giving her a smile.

After Jackson's incident at school, the principal decided to have an assembly telling the kids about food allergies, and how dangerous they can be. They used what happened to Jackson, with the permission of Ben and Jackson, and told the kids how important it was to know the different types of allergies.

"Good," she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and stood up straight. "Auntie Evie is going to be picking both of you up, and can you guess who is going to be with her?" she asked as she looked over at Melody.

"Uncle Dougie?" Melody asked, only for Mal to shake her head.

Melody stood there for a minute before her eyes widened and she got excited. "Uncle Carlos?" she asked.

"Yep," Mal said with a smile.

"Yay!" Melody said as she started to jump up and down. "Uncle Carlos is coming! Uncle Carlos is coming!" she said over and over again as she jumped up and down. "Jackson! You're going to meet Dude!"

"Who's dude?" Jackson asked.

"Uncle Carlos' dog! He's the best dog ever!" Melody said in excitement.

"Okay," Mal said. "Evie and Carlos are going to pick you both up, and then they are going to take you to Coney Island with Uncle Dougie. Now hurry before you are all late," she said as she shooed them toward the elevator.

Both kids rushed to the elevator while Ben tailed behind with Mal.

"Hey. They both got kisses. Where is mine?" he asked as he turned to Mal.

She chuckled and shook her head before pushing up onto her toes and pressing her lips to his. He prolonged the kiss by holding her chin in place, and they broke apart when they heard a sigh. They both turned to see Melody and Jackson looking at them with gross looks on their faces.

"Ew," Melody said, making the adults laugh.

"Alright," Ben said as he walked over to the elevator. "Jackson, press the button," he said.

"You, Jay, and your dad are still coming here for lunch?" Mal asked.

"Yeah," he said as she turned to her. "And Blue too."

Mal's eyes widened. She had heard some stuff about Ben's new coworker, but never met him. He was a mystery to Mal. She only knew his nickname. Not even his real name, but she didn't care. She was just happy that Ben was getting along with him.

"Aah, finally getting to meet the mysterious Blue," Mal said, making Ben laugh, "I'll head to the farmers market and pick up a loaf of that sub bread your dad likes," she said.

"He'll be over the moon," Ben said as he stepped into the elevator with the kids. He turned and looked at Mal who was smiling at the three of them. "I'll see you at lunch," he said.

"Bye," Jackson and Melody said as they waved at Mal, making her wave back until the door closed.

Ben and the kids traveled down the elevator, and to the parking garage. He buckled up both kids and was excited to be taking them to Donuts with dad, and he was hoping this was not the only one he would be taking Melody to.


Mal was walking home from the farmers market when her phone pinged. She walked into the coffee shop, pulled out her phone, and saw that Ben had sent her a picture of the three of them from Donuts with dad. Mal smiled at the picture. Ben was sitting on a short stool so he was the same height as the kids. He was laughing and smiling, while Melody was on his right and Jackson on his left, and both kids were smiling with colotale on the corner of their mouths and donuts in their hands. The picture was one of Mal's new favorites and she couldn't wait to send it to Belle and Evie.

"Hey Mal," Jane said, making Mal look up from her phone. "Are we getting your usual London fog?" she asked.

"Please," Mal said with a smile as she pulled out her wallet.

"No," Jane said as she held her hand up to Mal. "Your money's no good here," she said.

"Jane, you have to let me pay at least once," Mal said.

"My shop. My rules," Jane said, making Mal laugh. "So what do you have planned for the day?"

"Nothing really," Mal said. "Ben, Jay, and Adam are coming for lunch, so I went to the farmers market to get Adam's favorite bread."

"He'll love it," Jane said with a wide smile.

"Yeah, and they are bringing one of the new workers," she said.

"Really?" Jane asked. "Ben hates new coworkers," she said.

"I know, but he seems to be getting along with this one," she said as Jane gave Mal her tea. "Then Evie is going to pick up the kids after school, take them to Coney Island with one of our friends and her boyfriend Doug, and knowing her, she is going to keep them for the night," she said with a chuckle.

"Oh, so you and Ben will have the place to yourself," she noted as she raised her eyebrows at Mal.

Mal shook her head and laughed again. When Jane had found out that Ben and Mal were admitting their feelings for each other she was over the moon. She never told either of them that she was watching when Ben had done her interview, and she saw the connection they had.

"Yeah, maybe we'll have dinner and watch a movie," Mal said. "Oh, and we are having dinner with my friends tomorrow," Mal said, remembering that she was going to ask Jane if she wanted to join. "Jay and Lonnie are going. Would you like to come?"

"Sure," Jane said. "I would love to. What time?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. It's Saturday and Ben is off," she said. "It's going to be at Ben's, but I'll send you a text later tonight and let you know," she said.

"Okay," Jane said. "Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Just your appetite," Mal said. "I'm going to be cooking so you don't have to bring anything, but I have to run to the deli before Ben and the guys get there and wonder where their sandwiches are," she said, making Jane laugh and wave to Mal as she walked out of the cafe.


"Hey, Princey," Harry said as he peeked his head into Ben's office.

"Hey, Blue," Ben said as he looked up from his phone.

"What are you looking at?" Harry asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs in Ben's office.

"I'm just texting my girlfriend," Ben said, but widened his eyes when he referred to Mal as his girlfriend.

"Ah," Harry said as he rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. "In love are we?" he asked jokingly.

"Maybe… I don't know," Ben said.

Harry flipped the frame on Ben's desk and saw a picture of Melody and Jackson at Disney World.

"You got some cute kids," Harry said as he flipped the frame back over. "Why no pictures of your lass?" Harry asked.

"Because she is too pretty for all of you to see," Ben said as he looked at Harry.

"Well, I'll be meeting her in about… what?... an hour?" he asked.

"Maybe sooner if Jay would hurry up," Adam said as he walked into Ben's office.

"I am literally right behind you," Jay said as he walked in right after Adam. "I would give you the same amount of sas that I give Ben, but you're my boss."

"I know, but you weren't faster than me, and that is saying something, and good. It feels good to be king," Adam said, making the three men laugh.

"Okay," Ben said as he turned off his computer. "Do we all want to go in my car?"

"I'll take mine and follow you there," Harry said. "I have to make a stop at my apartment before we come back," he said, making Ben, Jay, and Adam nod. "But, I was wondering if I could have a talk with you after we are back?" he asked as he looked at Adam.

"Yeah," Adam said. "Sure."

The ride back to Ben's was quick, but that's because he lives 30 minutes away from the firm. Harry followed Ben and they rode up the parking garage and parked next to Mal's car.

"I hope you have cookies in that penthouse of yours," Jay said as they entered the elevator.

"If we do, I told her to hide them," Ben said, making Jay look at him with a stunned look on his face. "Because they're mine."

The elevator door opened and the smell of cookies slapped the four men in the face.

"She made them," Jay said as he ran into the kitchen.

They followed Jay, and when they walked into the kitchen they saw that there were four plates with a mini sub sandwich on each with pickle spears, and chips on the side.

"Is that…"

"Yeah," Ben said.

"She went to the farmers market just to get your favorite bread."

"I love her," Adam said as he picked up one of the plates and started to eat.

"Where is she?" Jay asked as he stuffed two cookies into his mouth.

Ben looked around and saw her wallet and keys sitting on the counter, and then saw her shoes under the table by the door.

"She may be doing laundry," he said. "She wears her headphones when she does it. I'll go look for her, so she doesn't get scared if she comes out here."

Jay and Harry grabbed a plate and then sat at the table, while Ben went to find Mal. He walked to her room and she wasn't in there, but then heard a soft singing coming from Jackson's room. He walked to the room and when he looked inside he saw Mal sitting on the small desk chair, folding Jackson's laundry. Her back was to him and he didn't want to scare her, but he had to get her attention somehow. He walked up behind her, and lightly tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump and turn in her seat.

"Oh," Mal said as she took one of her headphones out of her ear. "Sorry. You scared me."

"It's okay," he said as he smiled down at her. "I didn't mean to scare you, but I had to get your attention."

"Understandable," she said with a laugh as she continued to fold Jakcson's laundry.

"How is your day so far?" he asked as he leaned against Jackson's dresser.

"It's fine," she said. "I went to the farmers market, went to the cafe. Oh, and that reminds me. I invited Jane tomorrow night," she said. "I hope you don't mind."

"No," Ben said as he shook his head. "Jane is like my sister. I was going to text her later anyway," he said.

"Okay, good," she said. "Oh, and Evie already called and asked if both Jackson and Melody could spend the night," she told Ben. "I told her that I would have to ask you first," she said.

"I'm fine with that," Ben said. "That means it's just going to be the two of us?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said as she nodded her head. "But I can go to Evie's too, if you want some alone time," she said in a teasing voice.

"Ha ha," Ben said, mockingly. "You're so funny."

"I try," Mal responded with a shrug. "So what do you want for dinner?"

"I don't know. I haven't even eaten lunch," he told her.

"Well, go and if you think of something let me know," she told him.

"Are you coming?" he asked. "Blue is here."

"I'll be there in a bit," she told him. "I'm going to finish folding Jackson's clothes, and then I have some kitchen towels to fold," she said as she pointed to the basket with towels.

"Okay," Ben said as he pushed himself off the dresser. "Oh, and I told Blue that you were my girlfriend."

Mal looked up and was with a curious look on his face. She was surprised to hear that, not that she minded, but that he actually called her his girlfriend.

"I see," Mal said as she continued to fold the laundry. "That's a change," she said, peeking up at him.

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

Mal shook her head. "No," she told him and chuckled.

"Good," he said before he leaned down and gave her a small kiss. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay," Mal said before Ben smiled at her and walked out of his son's room.

Ben went to enjoy lunch with his friends, happy knowing that he and Mal were officially labeled. About ten minutes later, the guys were sitting, laughing, and eating, but stopped when they heard something fall on the floor. They all turned to see Mal standing in front of the hallway with a look of horror in her face, and the basket of towels on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a slight growl in her voice.

"Mal?" Harry said as he slowly stood from his chair.

"Stop!" Mal said as she held her hand up to him. "Don't you dare come near me!"

"Woah," Adam said as he stood up. "What's going on?"

Ben looked at Mal and then back at Harry. He didn't know what was going on, and then it hit him. He walked over to Mal and took her hand in his.

"Is he Melody's father?" he asked in a whisper.

Not breaking her gaze from Harry, she nodded her head. She never thought that the worst person she had ever met would ever be in the same room with the best person she had ever met. She never wanted these worlds to collide.

"Where is my daughter?" Harry asked.

Jay and Adam's eyes went wide hearing the words fall out of Harry's mouth.

"Your daughter?" Mal asked in shock. "You wanted nothing to do with her up until a little over a year ago."

"Woah," Adam said again. "Harry is Melody's dad?"

"Ye…"

"NO!" Mal exclaimed. "No he's not."

"She is my daughter," Harry corrected, glaring at Mal.

"Says the person who wanted me to abort her and signed his rights away before she was even born," Mal snapped back. "You know nothing about her!"

"I have every right as a father to see my daughter!" he yelled back, making Ben, Jay, and Adam glare at him.

"You have no rights," Mal said. "You are nothing but a sperm donor. She doesn't even want to meet you," Mal said as she started to walk toward Harry to only be held back by Ben. "She is my daughter. You are nothing to her."

"We'll see about that," Harry said. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Mr Anderson," he said as he turned to Adam. "I want to get my rights as a parent reinstated, I want custody of my daughter, and I want you to be my lawyer."

Mal looked at her ex in shock. He asked her boyfriend's dad to be his lawyer to take her daughter away from her.

"Well, I would love to help you, but I am booked," Adam said, making Harry look at him in shock.

"What do you mean? The hearing hasn't been planned and this is all coming out now," Harry said.

"I'm booked because I will be Mal's lawyer," he said as he walked over to Mal and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Now I think it would be best for you to leave," Adam said as he looked at Harry.

"But…"

"Leave before I have probable cause to fire you," Adam said.

This time Harry left. He walked to the elevator and when the doors closed, Mal fell to her knees.

"Hey. Hey," Ben said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Everything is going to be fine," he said as she sobbed.

"Mal," Adam said, making her look up at him. "I know this is scary, but I am going to let you know that there is no way that he will get anything."

"How do you know?" Mal asked.

"Because he hasn't been a part of her life, he signed his rights away, and the big thing is Melody doesn't want to meet him," Jay said. "A judge takes the kid's words more seriously with these kinds of situations."

"So she won't be taken away from me?" she asked, looking around at the 3 guys in the room.

"Over my dead body," Ben said as he pulled her into his chest. "No one is going to take her away."

Mal felt a little more comfortable knowing that Ben, Jay, and Adam were telling her the same thing, but it was still scary knowing that Harry was going to try and take Melody away.


Ben decided to take the rest of the day off to stay with Mal. He knew she wasn't in the best place right now, and he wanted to be there for her. After Adam and Jay left Ben had texted Evie, asking if she still wanted the kids to spend the night, and the quick response gave Ben all the notice he needed to know that he and Mal were going to be alone tonight. They sat on the couch, and Ben held Mal close to comfort her. Trying to get her mind off of Harry he turned on a movie for them to watch, but it didn't last long because both parents fell asleep. A couple of hours later, Ben's phone went off, making him wake up and turn down the tv to answer it.

"Hello," he said in a groggy voice.

"Ben, I'm sorry," Evie's voice said. "I thought you were going to be at work?"

"No," Ben said as he looked down at Mal and saw her still asleep next to him. "I'm at home with Mal."

"Oh, okay," she said. "Well then it's a good thing I didn't go to your office…"

"Don't take the kids over there," Ben said, cutting Evie off.

"Why?" Evie asked.

"Well, it turns out that Harry works there," he said, making Evie gasp.

"I was taking them over because someone tried to take Melody out of school," Evie said, making Ben sit up and trying not to wake Mal up. "It was him, wasn't it?"

Ben didn't know he was Melody's dad, and they had talked about the kids. Harry knew what school they were in.

"I'll call the school," Ben said. "Tell them that no one is allowed to pick her up, unless it is you, me, Mal, my mom, and Haden," he said. He was glad that the school had a policy that only people on the pick up list were allowed to pick up the kids, but there were some situations where people who knew the kids would still pick them up. "I'll tell my mom and Haden, but there is more to this Evie," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"Harry wants to take Mal to court to reinstate his rights as a parent, and he wants to have full custody of her," he said as he stood up from the couch and toward his room.

"He can't do that," Evie said. "He's not her dad! You're more of a dad to her than he is!"

Those words made Ben smile. He did think of Melody as a daughter, and even referred to her as his daughter.

"He won't get her," Ben said. "My dad is the best lawyer in New York. He's not going to let Harry get anywhere near Melody."

"Okay," Evie said with a sigh of relief. "Where is Mal?"

"She's asleep," Ben said. "We fell asleep on the couch."

"Okay, well let her rest," Evie said. "I have the kids. We're going to pick up Doug, and we'll see you both tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you, Evie," Ben said. "We'll see you tomorrow. Tell the kids Mal and I love them."

"I will," Evie said. "Bye, Ben."

"Bye," he said before he hung up.

He quickly changed out of his work clothes and into some joggers and a t-shirt. He walked back out into the livingroom to find Mal still asleep. He quietly laid back down next to her, and she curled into him. She looked peaceful and he didn't want to wake her. He wrapped his arms around her and fell back asleep a couple of minutes later.


"Hey," Ben said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," Mal said as he looked up from her cutting board.

"What are you making?"

"Salmon is in the oven, rice is in the cooker, and I am making roasted broccoli and cauliflower," she said as she moved the cutting board over to the hot skillet.

"Sounds good," Ben said as he leaned against the counter. "How are you feeling?"

Mal put her lips into a line. "I feel a little bit better, but still a little scared."

"He's not going to get within a yard of her," Ben said to reassure her. "I promise. I'll be there every step of the way."

"Thank you," Mal said as she wrapped her arms around Ben's waist.

The rest of the night Ben and Mal enjoyed the company of each other. They had a nice dinner, talked about what they were going to get the kids for Christmas, and made plans to decorate the penthouse on Sunday. They were now laying on the couch watching one of those cheesy Hallmark movies when Ben looked down to see Mal had fallen asleep again. He gently picked her up and walked her to her room. When he opened the door he saw that Mal had three baskets of laundry on her bed and sighed. He didn't want to wake her, so he took her into his room and laid her down in his bed. He walked around the bed before getting in himself. He pulled the covers over both of them and then he felt Mal snake her arm over his stomach and her head against his chest. The feeling of her comfort made him smile. He wrapped an arm around her and smiled into her hair, before falling asleep himself. (4231)


Mal and Ben had slept in until 11, and when they woke up Mal was shocked to see that she was in Ben's bed. He told her that he didn't want to wake her to move everything on her bed so he brought her to his room, and she laughed and before stretching her arms up.

"Your bed is more comfortable than mine," she said as she buried her face into one of the pillows.

"It's the same kind of mattress that is in your room," he said, making Mal peek up at him.

"Well, maybe it's because yours is broken in," she said, making him laugh. "I have to get up though," she said.

"Why?" He asked as he looked at the clock. "It's only 11. The kids aren't coming until Evie, Doug, and Carlos are coming. And Jay, Lonnie, and Jane won't be here until 6."

"Yes, but I have to go to the store to get some things for dinner, and I want to go get a tea latte," she said.

Ben laughed before stretching his arms up. "Okay, go get ready and then I'll meet you so we can leave."

"You're coming with me?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said as he nodded his head. "I need to ask the maintenance guys to change the code to the elevator since Harry saw me put it in. I don't want him coming over here and doing something stupid," he said.

"Oh, I didn't even think about that," Mal admitted. "Okay. I'll go and get ready. I'll only be 20 minutes," she said as she got out of the bed.

"Great! That gives me an extra 10 minutes to lay in bed," he said, making Mal turn to gape at him.

She walked back over to the bed, grabbed one of the pillows, and started to hit Ben with it, making him laugh. He pulled her arm, making her fall back onto the bed, and he started to tickle her.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Mal panted. "I give. I give."

"Good," he said as he stopped tickling her. "Now go get ready so we can go."

Mal laughed before getting up and walking out of the room. Ben leaned against his headboard looking at where Mal walked out of. He was happy with the way things are going with Mal, and he would make sure that Harry would not take Melody away from Mal or him.


It was later and Mal was in the kitchen cooking. The doorbell rang, making Mal and Ben walk to the door. They opened it to see Evie, Doug, Jackson, and Melody who was hanging onto a man with white tips in his hair.

"Mommy look!" She said in excitement. "It's uncle Carlos!"

Mal laughed as everyone walked in. "I know, baby," she said as Carlos put Melody on the floor. "Hey, Carlos," Mal said as she gave Carlos a hug.

"Hey, Mally," Carlos said as he returned the hug and then looked up at Ben.

"Hi," Ben said as he reached his hand out. "I'm Ben, Mal's boyfriend and Jackson's dad," he said with a small chuckle.

Mal was still shocked hearing that coming out of Ben's mouth. She liked it, but it still sounded weird to her, and she liked that he didn;t introduce himself as her boss.

"Hey," Carlos said as he shook Ben's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Where's Dude?" Mal asked.

"We left him at Evie and Doug's," Carlos said. "I didn't know if I could bring him, and I didn't want to ask and make you feel imposed."

"Well, you can bring him next time," Ben said, making Carlos smile. "I love dogs."

"Cool, thanks," he said.

"Uncle Carlos!" Melody yelled, making Carlos look at the little girl.

"What's up buttercup?" Carlos asked.

"I want to show you my room," Melody said as she started to pull Carlos' arm, making them laugh.

"Go," Mal said as she waved her hand. "We'll talk more when dinner is ready," she said.

Carlos gave Mal and Ben a smile before letting Melody pull him down the hallway. Ben closed the door and followed Mal into the kitchen. Evie was sitting at the counter alone.

"Where did Doug go?" Mal asked.

"Jackson wanted to show Doug his guitar, because Doug played his for the kids last night," she said.

"I completely forgot that Jackson has that," Ben said. "My mom bought it for him for Christmas last year," he said, making both girls laugh.

Mal pulled out a bottle of wine before checking on the food.

"So," Evie said, making Ben and Mal look at her. "I heard someone say boyfriend," she said in a teasing voice as Mal passed her a glass. "When did that happen?"

Mal looked up at Ben and smirked. "Yeah. When did that happen?"

"Yesterday," Ben said as he took Malls glass out of her hand and drank from it.

"Damn, Mal," Evie said. "You have been upgraded from nanny to girlfriend."

"Eh," Mal said with a shrug. "Same job," she said, making Ben snort as he took another sip of wine.

"I hate to bring the topic up, but are you okay after yesterday?" Evie asked.

Mal set her glass down before taking a deep breath. "Yeah," she said. "I think I'm going to be fine. I know it's scary to think about, but Adam said I have a strong case, and that it will be almost impossible for him to even get visitation."

"Good," Evie said. "Fucker doesn't deserve to be in the same state as her."

"Agreed," Ben said as he kissed the top of Mal's head. "Now on to a better subject. When is dinner ready, because I'm hungry?" he asked, making both girls laugh.

Jay, Lonnie, and Jane came over about 20 minutes later, and to say that Carlos was entranced by Jane would be an understatement. He couldn't even get the proper words out to say hello to the girl. After everyone left Ben and Mal found Jackson and Melody asleep on the couch under a blanket. They didn't want to wake the kids up because they were going to have a long day of shopping and decorating tomorrow. So Ben and Mal quietly made their way down the hall and to their rooms.

"I'll see you in the morning," Mal said before Ben pulled her hand.

"Do you just want to stay with me again?" he asked as he swayed their hands back and forth.

"I thought that was a one time thing, until we got further into our relationship," she said as she smirked up at Ben.

"We live in the same place, and we don't have to do anything," he said. "We didn't last night."

"Okay," Mal said with a nod, making Ben smile and pull her into his room.

They both crawled into his bed and surly into each other before falling into a peaceful sleep, but they were both woken up by Melody and Jackson crawling into bed with them. Jackson laid next to Mal, resting his head on her shoulder, and Melody curled up next to Ben, resting her head on his chest. Both Ben and Mal smiled at the kids before they fell right back to sleep. They never thought that things would turn out this way, but they were both glad that they did.


"Mommy! Benny!" Melody exclaimed as both her and Jackson started to jump up and down on the bed. "Wake up! Wake up! It's Christmas," she said.

Ben and Mal groaned, making Melody and Jackson laugh.

"Come on dad!" Jackson said. "Grammy, papa, and Haden are waiting for us," he said as he jumped on Ben.

Mal was originally going to stay at her dad's for Christmas because she didn't know what Ben did for the holidays, but when she told him that he automatically told her no. He said that Haden was more than welcome to stay with them so that they could all spend Christmas together. She had told him that she didn't want to impose just because they were together now, and that she didn't mind going over to her dad's. Ben again had insisted that she and Melody stay because this was going to be their first Christmas together, making Mal agree.

Belle, Adam, and Haden had spent the night at Ben's last night. Haden had slept in Mal's room, while Belle and Adam took Jackson and Melody's room because they couldn't share a full sized bed. So that left Ben and Mal sleeping with both of the kids, not that they minded.

"Okay," Ben said as he sat up, making Jackson sit on the bed.

Mal sat up too and they both looked at the eager kids who were sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What?" Ben asked as he looked at the kids.

"Can't we go?"

"Go where?" Mal asked.

"OPEN PRESENTS!" both kids exclaimed as they jumped on Ben and Mal.

Ben and Mal laughed at the excitement from both kids. Mal was sceptical when Belle and Adam came over yesterday, because she didn't know how they would react to her and Melody being there, but when they stepped through the door with smiles and piles of gifts for both Melody and Jackson Mal felt a little better.

"Okay," Ben said as he picked up both Melody and Jackson. "Let's go."

The four of them walk out to the living room to see Belle, Adam, and Haden sitting on the sofa drinking coffee.

"Merry Christmas," Belle said as she saw the four of them walk into the living room.

"Merry Christmas," Ben and Mal said as they sat down on the floor with the kids in their laps.

Jackson and Melody looked up at Ben and Mal, asking if they could dig into their presents, making all the adults laugh.

"All of those," Ben said as he pointed to the pile of presents under the tree. "Are for me."

"Nuh uh," Jackson said as he looked at his dad.

"Uh hu," Ben said. "See. this one says to Ben from Santa," he said as he picked up one of the presents.

Jackson took the gift out of Ben's hand and looked at the tag.

"This is for Mally," Jackson said as he gave the present to Mal.

"Oh," Ben said as he looked at the present in Mals' hand. "I must have read it wrong."

Mal shook her head and laughed. She didn't expect anything from anyone, but was thankful that she was thought of. After everyone was done opening their gifts Belle was picking up the wrapping paper and tissue paper, Ben, Adam, and Haden were putting a bunch of toys together, and Mal was in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone.

Where are you Christmas?

Why can't I find you?

Why have you gone away?

Mal started to sing and she started to whisk the wet ingredients for her cinnacakes.

Where is the laughter

You used to bring me?

Why can't I hear music play?

Melody came into the kitchen and tugged on Mal's pants leg, making Mal look down at her with a big smile.

My world is changing

I'm rearranging

Does that mean Christmas changes too?

Mal picked up Melody in her arms, letting Melody wrap her arms around Mal's neck. Belle stopped picking up the mess and watched the mother and daughter with a smile on her face.

Where are you Christmas?

Do you remember

The one you used to know?

Mal started to dance around the kitchen with Melody in her arms, not knowing that they now had a small audience watching them from the living room.

I'm not the same one

See what the time has done

Is that why you have let me go?

Jackson ran into the kitchen, running to join Mal and Melody. Mal bent down to pick Jackson up and held both kids in her arms as she spun and danced around the kitchen.

Christmas is here, everywhere

Oh, oh

Christmas is here, if you care

Oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind

You will feel like Christmas all the time

Oh

"Thank you, Ben," Haden said as he clasped Ben on the shoulder.

"For what?"

"Making my girls happy," he said, making Ben look at him. "They were happy before, but this is a different kind of happiness."

"I want them to be happy," Ben said. "They changed my life too, and I promise that Harry isn't going to get within 10 feet on Melody," he said.

Haden was pissed when Mal told him what happened with Harry, and that he tried to take her out of school, but he was even more pissed when Mal was served with court papers two days ago. She was out at the farmers market with Ben when someone came up to her, and served her with papers.

"She'll have to be in the courtroom, but Evie said she would take the week off to be there," Haden said. "I don't know why all of a sudden in the past year and a half he wanted to know about her."

"I don't know, but he's not going to take her away," Ben said. "He'll have to kill me first."

I feel you Christmas

I know I found you

You never fade away

Oh

"She's not going anywhere," Adam said as he walked over to Ben and Haden. "I'll be sure of it."

"Thank you," Haden said as he nodded to Adam.

The joy of Christmas

Stays here inside us

Fills each and every heart

With love

Both Jackson and Melody were hugging onto Mal and smiling at her. Ben had never seen Jackson this close to someone other than family, but that's what Mal and Melody were. They were family.

Where are you Christmas?

Fill your heart with love.

Jackson and Melody kissed Mal on the cheek before she put them down on the ground so that she could finish making breakfast for everyone. The seven of them enjoyed their first Christmas together, as a family.


Over a month had passed and it was the beginning of February. Mal was standing in front of the long mirror in Ben's bathroom, dreading today. Today was the day she and Harry were going to court. Melody and Jackson had stayed with Evie and Doug for the night, and they were going to bring them to the courthouse. She stared at herself in the mirror wondering if she was going to look good enough to prove that she was the right choice for Melody's care.

"Hey," Ben said as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Hi," Mal said as she brushed her hands down her stomach to get any wrinkles out of her blouse.

Ben walked over to his very worried girlfriend, and rubbed his hand up and down her arms.

"Everything is going to be fine," he said as she looked up at him. "Don't worry. She is going to come home with us today, and we are never going to see him again."

In the month and a half that had passed Harry had been a menace at the office. Ben had wanted him fired after that day he came over and yelled at Mal, but Adam couldn't fire him just because he was threatening his son's girlfriend. But he ended up getting fired on his own. Harry had been caught trying to look through Adam's files, and trying to get any information about Melody and Mal that he could to help him in court. Ben was the one to find him snooping, and was glad that there were cameras in every office in the building. Luckily Harry didn't get the chance to look that long, and that Adam kept Mal's files in his safe at home. Adam figured that Harry might pull a stunt like that, so he didn't want Mal's information in the building at all.

"I'm just afraid that magically the judge will side with him," Mal said as she looked up at Ben with tears in her eyes. "I just don't want her taken away from us," she cried before she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Ben held Mal's head against his shoulder as she cried. "She is not going to be taken away from us," he whispered into her hair. "She is going to come home with us today, okay," he said as he moved her face to look at him.

Mal looked up at him and nodded her head. She knew it was going to be a long shot that the judge would grant custody to Harry, but it was still scary for her. Ben gave her a reassuring kiss before wiping her tears away.

"Luckily you wore waterproof makeup," he said, making Mal chuckle. "So come one. Let's go so we can bring her home."


They rode to the court house, and Mal was getting more and more nervous. When Ben pulled into one of the parking spots, they saw Adam, Jay, Belle, Lonnie, Jane, Haden, and Carlos standing outside of the courthouse. Evie and Doug were going to bring the kids after Harry and everyone was inside. No one wanted to let Harry talk to Melody or even see her until she was in the courtroom. Ben and Mal walked into the courthouse hand in hand with their friends and family following behind them. When they walked into the courtroom, Harry was already there with his lawyer sitting next to him.

"Where is Melody?" he asked as Mal and Adam walked through the small swinging door.

"Please do not speak to my client," Adam said.

Harry scoffed as Adam pulled out a chair for Mal and pushed it in for her as she sat down. Not long later the judge came out and everyone stood.

"So, we are here today because Mr. Hook would like to reinstate his parental rights as a father and take full custody of said child," she said as she looked between Harry and Mal.

After that was said, Evie and Doug walked in with Jackson and Melody, and they were trying to be quiet, but the sound of Evie's shoes made a louder noise than she was anticipating. Mal turned and saw Melody smiling at her while Doug pulled her into his lap, as he sat down next to Ben.

"Hi, mommy," she said as she gave Mal a smile and a small wave.

Harry stood from his seat when he saw Melody, making her look at him with a scared look.

"Mr. Hook, please take your seat," the judge said, making Harry sit back down. "I assume that she is the child?" she asked as she looked at Melody.

"Yes, your honor," Adam said as he stood.

"Thank you," she said. "Now we are here, again, because Mr. Hook would like to gain his rights back as a father, and to take full custody of Melody Drakos," she said, making Melody gasp hearing her name. "Now, Mr. Hook," she said as she turned to look at Harry. "Why do you not have your rights today?"

"My client signed his rights away for the sake of the child when he was 21, your honor," Harry's lawyer said.

"Okay," she said with a nod. "Now when have you, Mr. Hook, been in contact or have seen Melody?"

"I haven't, your honor," Harry said as he stood up from his seat. "I was away at college, so that I could provide the life that she needs."

Mal looked at her ex in shock. He didn't want anything to do with Melody. What was he playing at saying that he wanted to provide a life she needed? Was he implying that Mal was an unfit mother?

"I see," she said.

"I have been trying to get in contact with Mallory for just under a year and a half to meet Melody, but she would tell me no," Harry said.

"And why is that?" the judge asked as she looked over to Mal.

"When Harrison called me the first time and told me that he wanted to meet Melody, I told him that I needed to talk to her and ask her if she would like to meet him," Mal said. "And Adam had all of my phone records," she said as Adam gave the judge a copy of Mal's phone records from the beginning.

"Okay, and what did Melody say?" she asked.

"Melody told me that she didn't want to meet him, and that is what I told Harry," Mal said. "I told him that she probably needed time, and to just give it to her because she is young."

"Have you said anything negative that would make Melody not want to see her father?"

"My client has not said anything negative toward her ex-boyfriend, up until a month and a half ago," Adam said.

It was true. Mal didn't say anything negative about Harry, but her dad did. Melody had asked him about her dad, and Haden had told her that he was not the best person because he hurt Mal.

"And what is your current state of employment?" the judge asked.

"I am currently nannying for Benjamin Anderson. I take care of his son, and do household cleaning and cooking," Mal said.

"And sleeping with the guy," Harry said.

"Objection," Adam said. "That relationship between Mal and Ben has nothing to do with her state of employment," he stated.

"Agreed," the Judge said. "Mr. Hook, please leave your comments to yourself."

"Yes, sorry," Harry said.

"And what is your state of employment?"

"I am currently unemployed at the moment," Harry said.

"And how long has this been going on?"

"This is recent. I was working for Adam Anderson, but he fired me because of the conflict between Mal and I," Harry said.

"That's not true," Mal said.

"Objection,"Harry's lawyer said. "Ms. Drakos is out of line."

"Overruled. Will you please explain?"

"He was found looking through Adam's case file in his office, almost two weeks ago. Adam did not want to fire him because of this trial, but he was looking for my files," Mal said.

"Is this true?"

Harry didn't say anything. He knew he was in the wrong, and if he admitted it, it was not going to look good for him.

"Okay. I see," the judge said. "I would like to start questioning, because I feel that this is going to be a quick trial. So, if Mallory would come up to the stand please," the judge said.

Mal stood up and walked over to the questioning booth as the bailiff walked up and had her swear on the bible.

"Jonathan, you may start your questioning," the judge said.

"Thank you," Harry's lawyer said as he walked over to Mal. "Mallory, you and Harry were high school sweethearts, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Okay," he said with a nod. "Now why keep a father away from his daughter."

"I did not keep him away," Mal said. "He told me that if I didn't…" Mal started, but stopped because she was starting to cry. "If I didn't get it taken care of, he was going to break up with me and sign his rights over because he did not want anything to do with her."

"Um… okay," Harry's lawyer said. "Why not encourage him? He was 21."

"And I was 20," Mal said. "We were both young, and I was not going to beg or make him stay. What kind of life would I have given my daughter if her father was miserable and wanted nothing to do with her."

Harry's lawyer nodded his head. Mal was feeling good about what she was saying and felt confident that she was saying nothing wrong.

"Okay. Now going forward, you have been working for Benjamin for 7 months, is that right?" he asked.

"Almost 8," she said with a nod.

"And what is your relationship with Mr. Anderson?"

"Objection!" Adam called.

"Jonathan, we already established that the relationship between Mallory and Benjamin is not related to the case."

"Yes," he said. "Mallory? Why not make Melody meet Harry?"

"Would you make your child do something if he or she did not want to do it?" she asked back. "I am a parent. The only thing that matters is that my child is happy and safe, and after what happened in my past and seeing Harry's reaction a month ago, I don't feel that she would be safe with him." she said.

Harry's lawyer stood there with his lips pressed in a line. He didn't expect Mal to be this strong. He was expecting a nervous wreck.

"I have no further questions," Jonathan said as he looked up at the judge.

"Adam, you may question your client," she said.

Adam stood up and questioned Mal, asking her how her relationship with Melody was, and Mal was answering the questions like they were the easiest questions she had ever been asked.

"Harry?" the judge called. "Please take the stand."

Harry stood and walked toward the stand, but Adam made sure that he was between Mal and Harry the entire time. After Harry was sworn in and Adam walked Mal back to her seat, he walked back over to Harry.

"Mr. Hook," Adam said as he started to pace back and forth. "What is your relationship with Mallory and Melody?"

"I don't have one," Harry said.

"And am I correct in saying that what Mal said was right?" he asked. "That you told her to abort Melody or you would break up with her?"

"I did," he said.

"And you are saying that you deserve the right because you are her father?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"What kind of parent would want to be a part of a child's life that he did not want in the first place?"

"One who made a mistake," Harry said. "Like Jonathan said, I was 21."

"Mal was 20," Adam said. "Yet she took on the responsibility of being a mother."

"That was her choice," Harry said. "I was not ready."

"Okay," Adam said. "Moving on. You signed your rights away before she was born?"

"Yes," Harry said as he slumped in his chair.

"Your honor, I have a copy of Melody's birth certificate here, and though he is Melody's birth father, he is not on her birth certificate," he said as he gave the piece of paper to the judge.

"I do see that," the judge said. "Do you have any further questions?"

"No," Adam said.

"Very well. Jonathan, you may question your client."

Jonathan stood up and started to question Harry. Adam didn't know how long this guy was a lawyer for, but he was not that good. But he also didn't know if it was because he was new or if it was because he was fighting a case with Adam fighting back.

"That's all," Jonathan said as Harry stood up and walked back to his chair.

"May Melody come up to the stand?"

Mal turned to look at Melody who was now sitting on Ben's lap and she was leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Melody? Can you go up so Adam and Mr. Jonathan can ask you some questions?"

"I'm scared mommy," Melody said as she shied further into Ben.

"Do you want grandpa to take you up there?" she asked as she pointed to her dad.

Melody looked over at her grandpa who was smiling at her. She nodded her head before jumping off Ben's lap and running to her grandpa. Haden picked her up and walked over to the questioning booth.

"Hi, sweetie," the judge said, making Melody look up at her. "Can you put your writing hand on the book my friend has?" she asked as she pointed to the bailiff.

Melody put her hand on the book and was sworn in, before Adam walked up to the stand.

"Hello, pumpkin," he said as he smiled down at Melody.

"Hi, papa Adam," she said in a low voice.

"Hey," he said as he got a little closer. "Don't be scared. Look," he said as he pointed to where Mal was. "Mommy is right there. Auntie Evie is there, Uncle Carlos, Benny, and everyone else."

Melody looked and saw everyone smiling at her, making her feel a little bit better.

"Melody?" Adam called, making the 6 year old look at him. "Do you know who that is?" he asked as he pointed to Harry.

Melody looked over at him and nodded her head. "That's my dad."

"Good," Adam said. "And how did you know that?"

"My mommy told me and showed me pictures from her school book," she said.

"Okay," he said as he smiled down at her. "Did your mommy ever say anything bad about Harry?"

"No," she said. "Grandpa told me that he was not nice and he was mean to my mommy."

Haden sucked his lips in, knowing that what he did was wrong, but he wasn't going to lie to his granddaughter.

"Okay," he said with a chuckle. "Do you want to visit your dad?"

"Um… I… um…" Melody stuttered. "No," she said, making Harry's mouth drop.

"Why?"

"I want to stay with mommy, and Jackson…" she started as she started to cry. "And Benny."

Haden pulled Melody into a hug, and Adam backed away letting the 6 year old calm down. Mal wanted to run and scoop Melody into her arms, but she knew she had to stay put, but Ben didn't. He stood up and ran to Melody. Haden let Ben take Melody into his arms, and the little girl buried her face into Ben's shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered as he took Haden's place in the booth. "It's okay," he said as he brushed her hair with his fingers. "We'll go home soon. We just need to get through these questions."

Melody nodded her head before turning to face Adam again. Mal looked at Melody, and was so proud of how brave she was.

"I do not want to ask her anymore questions," Adam said. "I'll let Jonathan take over."

Jonathan stood up and walked over to the stand. "Hello, Melody."

Melody gave him a small wave before he started to ask questions.

"Melody? Do you know how much your dad loves you?" he asked, making Melody shake his head.

"Your honor. He is trying to manipulate a 6 year old."

"Jonathan, if you don't have any useful questions, I will take over," she said.

"Melody," Jonathan said. "Harry is your dad, and he is the only dad you have."

"Benny is like my dad," Melody said, making Ben smile. "He took me to Donuts with dad, he plays with me, he is the bestest."

"But he is not your dad," Jonathan said.

Ben had to resist the urge to punch Harry's lawyer in the face. How fucking dare he say that Ben was not Melody's dad. He didn't know a goddamn thing about their relationship.

"Your honor."

"Crossing lines, Jonathan."

"What I mean by that is that Ben is not your dad by blood," he said, correcting himself. "Harry is your dad."

"I don't know him."

Jonathan was not expecting that to come out of the 6 year old's mouth.

"Do you want to know him?"

"Um… no."

"Why?"

"He didn't want me, so I don't want him," she said, making the courtroom go into shock.

"I… I don't have any more questions," Jonathan said, making Harry throw his head back in frustration.

He sat back down and both of them were whispering back and forth. Ben stood up and held Melody in his arms as he walked them back to the seat he was sitting in before.

"I don't know why we are here," the judge said. "This has to be the easiest case of the year. Mr. Hook, with the evidence that I have been presented with; the fact that you are not on the birth certificate, the fact that you signed your rights away before Melody was born, the fact that it took you 4 and a half 5 years to call Mallory, and the fact that Melody doesn't want to be with you,I have to grant mallory full custody, and deny you receiving your rights reinstated," she said before she smacked her mallet down. "Court adjourned," she said before she got up and left the room.

Mal rushed over to Ben and Melody, and wrapped Melody in her arms. Jackson wrapped his arms around Mal's legs as Mal crouched down to pull the 7 year old into a hug. She sobbed into the shoulders of the two kids, but they were tears of joy. They were surrounded by family, and jay was watching as harry left just so he wouldn;t do anything stupid.

Mommy?' Melody said as Mal pulled away from the kids. "Can we go home?"

Mal smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah," she said. "We can go home."

She stood up, and Ben laced his fingers with Mal's before taking Jackson's hand. They walked out of the courtroom, very happy with the way things panned out. They made their way home, with their friends and family following behind them. They were happy. Melody was not leaving them, and they were going to stay together for a very long time.


Okay! That's it for now! Please let me know what you think!

Until next time my lovies! xoxo GM