Hello Lovies! So... this is it. The almost end of the Nanny. Only one more chapter. I hope you have liked this story and liked the small journey I have taken you on. Thank you again to Tracie Adams for staying up late with me to write these chapters.

Please let me know what you think.

Buggalicious: Thank you so much! I am so happy that you love my stories enough to read them from the beginning each update! I hope you like this chapter and let me know which other stories you like!

brimason0201: hello! Yes that was Jackson's wish. I have updated soulmates and I have one more chapter for that story too. Please let me know what you think.

Anonymous reader: the enthusiasm is much loved and appreciated. We all love a Dizzy squeal and know it is the highest of compliments.

ENJOY!


Ben was holding Mal close as he continued to kiss her face. Saying Ben was happy would be an understatement, he was ecstatic. He and Mal were going to have a baby, and they couldn't be happier.

"So," Mal said, making her husband pull away from her to look at her. "Do you want to come with me to my first appointment? I scheduled it after I found out."

"What? When is it?" He asked.

"I made it for tomorrow, and I scheduled it during your lunch hour," she told him.

He shook his head, making her grow confused. "I am taking the entire day off," he said, making Mal smile. "I missed Jackson's first ultrasound, and I am going to make sure that I am there for this one."

"Okay," she said as she nodded her head. "But on to the next topic. How do you want to tell the kids?"

Ben thought about it for a moment, before he got up and ran to his and Mal's closet. She was confused, but got even more confused when she saw him walk out with Jackson and Melody's elf on a shelf.

"We can do it with this," he said as he held up the doll. "We were going to start it when they got back from school, anyway."

"That is actually a really good idea," she said as she got up and walked over to him. "And he has a name," she told him. "Remember? They named him Bernard last year?"

"Ah," he said as he nodded his head. "How could I forget?"

"I don't know," she said as she shook her head and laughed. "But, we can do a small little riddle, and see how they figure it out."

"Great!" He said before he wrapped his arms around her waist, and looked down at her with such an admiration smile on his face. "I can't tell you how happy I am," he told her, making her smile. "I know we never talked about having more kids, but now that they are on the way… I… I don't even know what to say."

"I know," she said as she looked up at him. "I always knew that I wanted to have at least one more baby, and I never knew when that was going to be, but I am so excited for them. And to raise them with you."

Ben leaned down and gave Mal a soft kiss on her lips. Both parents were so happy for their new addition, and they couldn't wait to share the news with their friends and family.

"Now, on to the next topic," Ben said. "How are we going to tell our friends and family?"

"I can handle that one," she said as she smirked at him. "I want them to find out on Christmas, since they are all going to be here anyway. I just need to get a couple of things, and they are going to have to notice them to realize it."

"Who do you think is going to find out first?"

"I want to say your mom or Evie, but I feel that either my dad or Jane would be the first to notice."

"What did you have planned?"

She smiled at him, before she gave him a small kiss on his lips. "All in good time, my dear husband. All in good time."


The next day, Ben woke up eager to go to Mal's appointment. He missed the first appointment for Jackson, and he was so excited to be able to hear their baby's heartbeat for the first time. He turned in bed, and saw Mal lying on her side. Her hand was under her pillow, her hair was tied into a ponytail, and her other hand was covering her face. He reached across and swept a piece of hair behind her ear, making her eyes slowly open.

"I'm sorry," he said as he smiled at her. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine," she said as she stretched her arms up. "I was going to have to wake up sooner or later. Our appointment is in…" she said as she turned over and saw that their clock read 9:38. "In about an hour and a half."

"Let's go!" He said eagerly as he jumped out of bed.

"Okay," she said as she sat up and laughed at him.

Mal thought it was cute, how excited Ben was. He was smiling brightly, full of energy, and very happy. She watched as he ran around the room, gathering his and her clothes that they were going to wear for the day.

"What?" He asked as he stopped when he saw Mal watching him.

"Nothing," she said as she shook her head. "I just think it's cute how excited you are."

"I am more than excited," he said as he placed their clothes down on the bed and crawled back over to her. "We are having a baby. We are going to be, hopefully, meeting them today. I have every right to be happy."

She chuckled at him and she placed her hands on the side of his face. She pulled him in for a kiss, before they both got up to get ready for their exciting day.


"Good morning," the doctor said as he walked into the examination room Ben and Mal were sitting in. "I am Dr. Boyce. I hear Mallory is pregnant?"

"Yes," Mal said as Ben grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I found out yesterday."

"Well, we will, obviously, have you take another pregnancy test to confirm your results," he said. "And then we will go over everything, we will do an ultrasound, and then that is where I can determine how far along you are."

"Okay," Mal said as she nodded her head.

"Great. I will have you go out to the hall, into the bathroom three doors down, and you can leave your sample in there," he told her. "And I will go and take the test. It should be a fast result."

Mal walked out of the room for about 5 minutes, before she came back in and took her seat back on the examination table. Ben laced his fingers with hers, and he was getting a little nervous. There were so many things popping into his head. What if there is something wrong with the baby? What is Mal isn't pregnant? So many scenarios ran through his head, before Mal squeezed his hand.

"Hey," she said, making him turn to her. "Everything is going to be fine."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Other than your vigorous leg bouncing, I can read you like an open book," she said as she swayed their hands back and forth. "They are going to be fine."

He nodded his head. He knew that they were going to be fine, but it was still a worry in his head. Jackson was premature, but that was because Katherine did drugs while she was pregnant. Melody was born at full term, and was healthy. He was just worried, and thinking the worst when he shouldn't.

"Well," Dr. Boyce said as he walked back into the room. "Congratulations, you are definitely pregnant."

Mal smiled brightly as she squeezed Ben's hand. Hearing that she was pregnant from a doctor's standpoint made Ben feel a little bit better, but he knew he would feel even more better after they had their ultrasound and they did some blood work on Mal.

"Let's have you lie back, Mallory," Dr. Boyce said as he brought over a monitor screen. "It's time for the both of you to meet baby Anderson."

Mal laid on the table before lifting her shirt up, just enough for the doctor to examine the baby. Ben kept his hand laced with Mal's as Dr. Boyce squirted gel onto her stomach, making her flinch.

"That's cold," she said. "It's been a while since I have felt that."

"Is this your second?" Dr. Boyce asked.

"Yes," Mal said as he brought the baton onto her stomach. "We have a son and daughter. Jackson is Ben's son from a past relationship," she said, making Ben huff a small laugh. "And Melody is my daughter from a previous relationship. But, I adopted Jackson and Ben adopted Melody when we got married."

"That's amazing," Dr. Boyce said with a smile on his face as he moved the baton across her stomach. "And now you two are having a baby. Are Jackson and Melody excited?"

"They don't know yet," Ben said as he rubbed his thumb across Mal's hand. "We are going to tell them later tonight."

"Well, I hope everything goes well with that," he said as he continued to look at the screen. "Aaaaaand there," he said, making Ben and Mal snap their heads toward the screen. "There is your baby."

On the screen was their baby, and they could see how big they were. Mal and Ben stared at the screen and watched as they started to move.

"Can you feel that?" Ben asked as he turned toward Mal in excitement.

"No," she said as she shook her head. "I am not far enough along to feel them move."

"You would be correct. It looks like you are about 8 weeks, almost 9 weeks along," Dr. Boyce said. "Now, do you want to hear something amazing?"

Dr. Boyce flicked a switch on the side of the monitor and a small thud was heard coming from it.

"Is that…"

"Yeah," Mal said as she took Ben's hand into hers. "That's their heartbeat."

"I'll leave you two for a moment, while I get everything for Mallory's bloodwork," Dr. Boyce said as he stood up and left the room.

Ben covered his mouth with his other hand, as he started to choke up. He had missed this when Katherine was pregnant, and his mom went to the rest of her appointments, because Katherine scheduled them while Ben was in class. It irritated Ben, because he wanted to be there for the appointments, but his mom was there to make sure everything was okay. He shed a tear, hearing their heartbeat.

"Hey," she said as she tugged on his hand, making him turn to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" he said with a sniffle. "This is amazing to hear. I missed this with Jackson. Katherine scheduled her appointments when I was in class, so I didn't have a chance to experience this."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that," she said as she wiped the tear from his eye. "This is going to be a new experience for the both of us, because I didn't have Harry with me when I was going through this. Evie came with me from time to time, but she was busy, and my dad was traveling a lot. But now, we get to do this together," she said as she gave him a warm smile.

He smiled at his wife, before he leaned forward and gave her a small kiss on her lips. They were going to do this together, and he was going to make sure that he was going to be at every appointment, and every big milestone.

After Dr. Boyce came back and did all of Mal's blood work, Ben started to ask a thousand questions. He wanted to know if they were healthy, if they were a boy or girl, if Mal was okay, if she needed to take any medicine, and so much more. Mal smiled at him as he asked all of his questions, and she couldn't wait to have these new experiences with Ben.


When they got home, they hurried to get the elf ready for the kids to find. They hid him in their bathroom with a letter and a mess on their mirror.

"Mom!" Melody and Jackson yelled as they ran into the house and saw Mal and Ben laying on the couch.

They threw themselves at her, making her smile and wrap her arms around them.

"And what am I?" Ben asked as he gestured toward himself.

"Sorry, daddy," Melody said as she gave her dad a hug.

"Are you feeling better?" Jackson asked as he looked up at Mal. "Grandma said that you weren't feeling good. Did Melody and I get you sick?"

"No," Mal said as she ran her hand through Jackson's sandy blonde hair. "You and Melody did not get me sick, and yes I am feeling much better."

"Good," Jackson said as he gave her another hug.

"Well, Auntie Evie is very glad that you are feeling better," Evie said as she walked into the house with Jackson and Melody's bags. "But she has to use the bathroom before she leaves."

"Okay," Ben said with a laugh. "You know where it is," he said as he pointed to the guest restroom that was down the hall.

Evie ran to the bathroom, before Ben tapped both of his kids on the shoulder.

"Why don't you two put your backpacks upstairs, and wash your hands," he told them. "We are going to have dinner soon, because mommy ordered pizza and it should be here soon."

"Yay!" They both exclaimed before they ran up the stairs with their backpacks.

Evie came out of the bathroom a couple of minutes later, and smiled at Mal and Ben.

"You do look a lot better," Evie said. "When I FaceTimed you yesterday, you looked like crap," she said.

"Thank you, E," Mal said as she leaned into her husband's hold.

"You know you love me," Evie said as she grabbed her keys.

"AH!" The three adults heard, making Evie shake her head.

"Woah," she said as she walked toward the door. "That is my que to leave."

They heard running as Evie closed the door behind her. Jackson and Melody ran downstairs, and stood in front of their parents out of breath.

"Bernard is back!" Melody said as she flopped onto her dad's lap.

"Who?" Mal asked, acting like she didn't know who they were talking about.

"BERNARD!" They both shouted.

"The elf Santa sends to watch over Melody and me to make sure that we are being good," Jackson said.

"He made a mess in the bathroom," Melody said as she looked up at her mom. "And we are going to need more toothpaste."

"What did he do?" Mal asked as she threw the blanket that was over her lap off of her and got off the couch.

"Come and see," Jackson said as he took her hand and started to walk her upstairs, with Ben and Melody behind them.

The four of them walked upstairs and when they got to the kids bathroom, Ben and Mal had to contain their laughter from the mess they created. They had written on the mirror 'I'm back' in toothpaste, their flossers were skaters on the counter and floor, and the toilet paper was dangling from everywhere.

"Oh my goodness," Mal said as she covered her mouth. "It's a mess in here."

"We know," Melody and Jackson said at the same time.

"It looked like you two have a letter too," Ben said as he walked into the messy bathroom and picked up the letter that was behind the faucet.

"What does it say?" Melody asked as she leaned over to get a look at the envelope in her dad's hand.

"It says, 'to Melody and Jackson Anderson,'" Ben said, making Melody smile at hearing her new last name.

They had changed Melody's last name the week after they came back from their honeymoon, and Melody was so excited when she went to school and told everyone that her name was Anderson just like her daddy, mommy, and brother.

Ben opened the letter and read what was written. "I have been watching you all year long, but now it's my time to cause some chaos," he read, making Melody and Jackson gasp. "I won't cause too much trouble for you, but it's going to be a fun month. I thought it would be fun to start our adventure with a riddle for you both to figure out. So here we go…"

"A riddle?" Jackson asked as he pushed himself up on his toes to see the letter.

"That's what it sounds like," Mal said as she placed her hands on his shoulder.

"I'm a present for you all, but you'll have to be patient. I won't be here for Christmas, but I'll be there for the next. I don't know if you will be happy to see me, but I can't wait to see you. I hope you're excited just like I am."

"What?" Melody asked in confusion. "I'm confused."

"It's a present for all of us?" Jackson asked.

"Seems so," Ben said as he nodded his head. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Melody said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Jackson stood there for a moment thinking. Both Ben and Mal knew that he would be the one to figure it out, but they didn't know how long it was going to take him. They both noticed how Jackson started to mumble to himself, repeating what was written in the letter.

"For all of us… patient… happy to see us…"

Ben and Mal watched with a smile on their face, and saw the gears turning in his head.

"WAIT!" He shouted as his eyes got wide. "Is mom having a baby?" He asked.

Ben and Mal smiled at Jackson before they both nodded their heads.

"Mommy is having a baby?" Melody asked with a gape in her mouth.

"Yes," Mal said as she looked at her daughter. "What do you guys think?"

"YAY!" They both exclaimed, making both Ben and Mal's nerves disappear.

"Is the baby a girl?" Melody asked as she pressed her face to Ben's.

"We don't know yet," Ben said as he laughed. "Mom is only 8 weeks pregnant. We won't know for 8-12 more weeks."

"I hope they are a girl," Melody said.

"What do you want the baby to be Jackson?" Mal asked as she knelt down and pulled him close to her chest.

"I don't care," he said. "I am just happy to be having another brother or sister."

Mal and Ben smiled down at Jackson. They were very happy with the person he was developing into. He was very bright and open minded. He always looked on the bright side of things, and wanted to make everyone happy. He was a good kid, and they knew he was going to be a great big brother to their baby just like he was to Melody.

"So," Ben said as he adjusted Melody in his arms. "The next thing is when do you want to tell grandma and papas?"

"I was thinking about Christmas," Mal said. "What do you think? Plus, uncle Jay, Carlos, and Doug will be here along with Auntie Evie, Lonnie, and Jane."

"Yeah!" Melody said as she started to bounce in Ben's hold.

"But that means you cannot tell anyone," Ben said as he pointed at both of the kids. "If we want it to be a surprise, we have to keep it a secret."

"So, you guys better zip it, lock it, and put it in your pocket," Mal said as she put her finger in her pocket.

"You got it miss mommy ma'am," Melody said as she saluted her mom, making them laugh.

The doorbell rang, making Melody squirm out of her dad's hold.

"Come on dad," she said as she started to pull her dad out of the bathroom. "The pizza is here."

"Two good things happened in one day," Jackson said as he took Mal's hand and they followed Ben and Melody. "We are getting a baby and we are having pizza for dinner!"

Mal laughed before they walked downstairs to enjoy their night together.


Christmas came a little faster than everyone was expecting. Mal was having a hard time keeping the baby a secret, not because she was dying to tell people, but because she was starting to show, and it was more noticeable because of how small she was. Whenever their parents or friends were over she wore baggier clothes and leggings so she wouldn't be showing her belly for them to see.

"Hey," Ben said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and landed in her stomach. "We should head down soon. Everyone is going to get here."

"I know," she said as she craned her head back. "I am just getting anxious. I want to know everyone's reaction."

"I know," he said as he kissed the side of her head. "We're going to see them soon."

"Okay," she said as she turned around. "Let's go."

Ben and Mal had left subtle hints around the house about the baby, and they were hoping that someone would notice and be shocked. They had put 5 sticking up on the fireplace mantle; 2 larger ones with a B and a M, 2 medium sized ones with a J and a M, and a small one with a B that Bernard was sitting in. They had made a family Christmas ornament. It was a family of snowmen, but Mal's snowman was pregnant and had 2021 written on the stomach.

Everyone came, and Jackson and Melody were very excited to tell everyone that they are going to be becoming a big brother and sister. Doug and Evie had been the last to show up, but they came with piles of gifts, making Ben and Mal shake their heads.

"You know I am going to spoil my niece and nephew," she said as she gave Ben the boxes that were in her hands. "Don't be so judgy."

"The place looks great guys," Doug said as he put the rest of the gifts by the tree. "I even see Bernard has a stocking."

Everyone turned to look at the mantle, and noticed the elf sitting in the stocking with a ladder of candy canes leading up to it.

"I didn't even notice that," Haden said as he pointed to the mantle. "I'm going to guess that it was Melody's idea?"

"Yep," Melody said as she jumped in his arms for him to pick her up. "When do we get to open our presents?"

"Soon, my little dancing star," Haden said. "We just have to wait until Papa Adam is done in the bathroom."

"Papa!" Melody shouted, making everyone laugh. "Can you hurry? The presents are waiting!"

Belle shook her head and laughed as she walked over to the tree and started to organize the gifts. The pile looked bigger than ever before, but that was because everyone was here, and everyone was spoiling the kids.

"Did I hear my granddaughter?" Adam said as he walked back into the kitchen and gave Melody a curious look.

She giggled before Haden tossed her to him, and he caught her before he started to tickle her.

"Okay!" Melody shrieked as she tried to catch her breath. "I give up."

"But I was next," Jay said as he raised his hand.

"And I was after Jay," Carlos said, making Melody's eyes widen.

"No!" Melody said as she squirmed out of Adams' hold and ran to her dad. "Daddy! Don't let them tickle me!"

Ben laughed before he picked her up and walked into the living room. "Don't worry," he told her. "Grandma and mommy are almost done organizing the gifts and then we can open them."

"Yes," she said as she gave him an excited grin.

Everyone gathered in the living room to open gifts. Evie, Lonnie, and Jane gathered some snacks to have while everyone opened presents.

It took them a while to get through the giant mountain of gifts, but they did. Mal and Ben were organizing all of the toys and gifts that Jackson and Melody got, when they got to the final one.

"Who is that one for?" Jane asked as she leaned forward and smiled at Jackson and Melody.

"It's for us!" They told her and Jackson held up the box.

"For both of you?" Jay asked in confusion as he looked at Ben and Mal.

The parents shrugged before they went back to moving things around, letting Jackson and Melody open the gift. Melody took the lid off and Jackson pulled out what was inside, making everyone look at the gift with weird looks. It was a baby mobile that had fairytale creatures on it, and Belle was the first to gasp.

"You're pregnant!" She yelled as she stood up and looked at Mal.

Everyone else looked at Mal, and saw the smile on her and Ben's face before they both nodded. Everyone screamed in delight, but Evie out screamed them all before she ran over to Mal and wrapped her arms around her.

"I can't believe it!" She exclaimed. "Why didn't you say anything!"

"That would defeat the purpose of a surprise," Mal said as she pulled away from her best friend. "Plus, we put things around for you guys to figure out."

"The B is for baby!" Jay said as he smacked his head. "Not Bernard!"

"Look at the ornament!"Melody said as she jumped and pointed at the tree. "Mommy's snowman is pregnant!"

Haden walked over to the tree, after picking up Melody, and pulled the ornament on the tree.

"Are we stu… dumb?" He asked as he turned to everyone and held the ornament up. "It says 2021 on the belly."

"Yeah," Mal said as she lifted up her baggy sweater over her head. "But this belly is growing fast," she said, showing everyone her baby bump.

"Oh my god!" Evie and Belle said as they ran over to Mal, and pushed Ben out of the way.

They fell to their knees before hugging Mal's stomach, making her laugh.

"How far along are you?" Belle asked as she placed her hands on Mal's stomach.

"She is 12 weeks," Ben said as he got up and pulled Mal away from his mother and Evie. "We found out Mal was pregnant just over 3 weeks ago."

"You kept this from me for 3 weeks?" Evie asked as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Don't pout, Auntie Evie," Mal said as she sat on the floor next to her. "You will have another niece or nephew to spoil."

Evie tried to contain the smile that was forming in her face, but it was hard because she was really excited.

"Fine," Evie said as she wrapped her arms around her neck and laid them down on the floor.

"Well, I for one," Haden said as he walked up to Mal and Evie and held his hand out for Mal. "Am very happy for you, baby girl."

Mal took his hand, to help her stand, and wrapped his daughter in a hug.

"You are a great mom, and I am overjoyed to be getting a third grandchild," he told her.

"Thank you, daddy," Mal said as she hugged her father back.

Everyone was happy for Mal and Ben, but they were even more excited because they were adding a new addition to their crazy family.


Four weeks later, Mal and Ben were at another one of Mal's ultrasounds, and they were going to be receiving the gender of the baby for their gender reveal party. Jay had requested to be in charge of the party, which meant that he was going to be the one to know the gender. Ben was very hesitant, but Mal told him that it would be fine.

"Okay," Dr. Boyce said as he gave Ben a small envelope that contained the gender of the baby. "The gender is there, and I am so happy to say that your pregnancy is going swimmingly right now."

"Thank you," Mal said with a sigh of relief. "Melody was a little rough, but this one is a little easier, as in I didn;t have morning sickness."

"That's good, but do not hesitate to call if you feel off or you feel that something is wrong."

"I won't," she said as she got off of the table and picked up her purse. "Especially because Ben is checking on me every other minute."

"And for good reason," Ben said as he laced his fingers with Mal's. "I want them to be healthy and I want you to be happy and healthy."

"I know," she said in a slight mocking voice. "But, what would make me really happy…"

"Is if I go and buy you strawberries, crushed pineapple, and marshmallow fluff," he said, making Mal smile at him brightly. "Trust me. I know you."

"And I am glad that you do," she said, before she gave him a small peck on his lips.

After their appointment, Ben went back to work, after dropping Mal off at home. He walked through the building, with the envelope containing the baby's gender, sitting in his pocket. He was itching to open it, but he knew Mal would be upset if he found out before they found out together. He started to play and twist his wedding ring around his finger to distract himself. Luckily for him, when he turned the corner, after getting off the elevator, Jay was waiting for him in his office.

"Cough it up," he said as he held his hand out. "I know you are itching to find out, and you are just going to have to wait until this weekend to see if you are having another daughter or another son."

Ben rolled his eyes, before handing Jay the unopened envelope. Jay placed it in his pocket, before smiling at his best friend.

"Come on," he said as he playfully punched Ben in the shoulder. "It's going to be a blast."

"Yeah," Ben said as he gave Jay a are-you-serious look. "But, no funny business," he said as he pointed at Jay.

"What do you take me for?" He asked as he held his hands up. "Would I…"

"Yes!" Ben said.

"Anyway," Jay said as he turned to walk out of the office. "I'll see you later. I have to run some errands after work."

"Yeah," Ben said as he huffed a laugh. "I bet you do."

Jay smiled at Ben before leaving the office and letting the door close behind him. Their party was in 3 days, and it was not going to be small. But Ben knew, with Jay planning everything, it was going to be an eventful evening.


Ben felt like the three days went on forever. He tried to stay away from Jay, but it was hard whenever Jay would walk into his office and smirk at him. It was torture. This was a new experience for Ben, and he was excited to be as involved with this pregnancy than when Katherine was pregnant with Jackson.

"Are you excited?" Mal asked as she stroked Ben's chest.

"Yes," he said as he pulled her close and kissed her head. "I am very excited. But is it sad to say I'm more excited for Jay to stop smirking at me at work because he knows."

Mal laughed and shook her head. "No," she said. "I could only assume what he does and it's going to be interesting to see what he has planned."

There was a loud noise coming from downstairs, making them sit up in bed. They got out of bed, and Ben ran downstairs to see Jay, Lonnie, Evie, and Carlos walking inside with boxes.

"Holy hell, guys," Ben said as he looked down at them from the second story. "I didn't think you guys were going to be here this early."

"Well… surprise!" Jay said as he smiled up at Ben.

"E," Mal said as she walked up behind Ben. "We have you a key for emergencies."

"Me wanting to get things ready for my niece or nephews gender reveal is an emergency," she said.

"Wait," Ben said. "Do all of you know what they are?"

"Nope. Only me," Jay said. "They are just helping get things ready."

"Okay," Mal said. "And you guys are going to feed the kids when they wake up."

"Fair enough," Carlos said as he walked into the kitchen with the food that was in his hands.

Everyone nodded before following Carlos into the kitchen, while Ben and Mal walked back to their room.

"And that's how you get your friends to watch the kids while we take naps," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"You, my dear sweet wife, are a genius," he said as they both laid back down and went back to sleep.


A couple of hours later, everyone was in the living room, impatiently waiting to find out the gender of the baby.

"Alright," Jay said as he walked up to Ben and Mal with his phone recording them. "Mom? Dad? What do you think the baby is going to be?"

"I don't care what gender you are," Mal said as she patted her stomach. "As long as you are healthy, that is all I care about."

"Okay. Dad?"

"I just want a healthy baby," Ben said as he wrapped his arms around Mal. "We already have a mini Mal and a mini Ben running around the house…"

"So what I am hearing," Jay said, cutting Ben off. "Is that you want a mini Jay running around?"

Ben and Mal laughed, before Ben started to playfully wrestle Jay to the ground. Mal moved out of the way as they started to roll closer to her, and then lightly kicked Ben on his back.

"Babe, stop. We have to let Jay do his thing or else he isn't going to let us find out," she told her husband.

"Listen to your wife," Jay said as Ben tightened his hold on Jay. "She is the smart one."

Ben huffed a laugh before he let go of Jay and stood up. Everyone was watching the interaction, but they were used to Ben and Jay's antics that they didn't bother to butt in.

"Now," Jay said as he stood up. "I am going to go and continue my badgering of your guests, before we all find out what you are brewing in that tummy of yours," he said before he turned on his heels and walked away from the couple.

Another hour later, Jay walked into the garage and came back in with a giant box that was blue and pink. He walked over to Ben and Mal, and told Melody and Jackson to stand over next to them.

"Okay," Jay said as he walked over to everyone else. "On the count of three. One… two…"

Mal was bouncing up and down in excitement. She was so eager to find out what she and Ben were having and she couldn't wait anymore.

"Three!"

Mal and Ben opened the box and a bunch of different colored balloons came out of the box, making everyone look at them in confusion.

"Um…"

"Did you think I was going to make this easy?" Jay asked as he sat on the floor and smiled at Ben and Mal. "That doesn't…"

Before he could finish what he was saying Belle, Evie, Lonnie, and Jane tackled him to the ground asking him why he was being annoying.

"Get off me before I take what has the gender inside, and leave," he said, making the girls get off of him in a haste. "Good. Now," he said as he looked back up at Ben and Mal. "There are many things around this house that could potentially have the baby's gender. They could be in the cupcake filling, it could be in the cake, I could have confetti cannons, I could have a piñata, it could be anywhere."

"And why would you do that?" Mal asked as she squinted her eyes at him. "You know how irritable and short tempered I am."

"Yes," Jay said as he nodded his head. "Which is why I have strawberries, marshmallow fluff, and crushed pineapple in the fridge waiting for you."

"You are forgiven," she said, before she turned on her heels and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Is that why there is an abundance of food?" Ben asked as he pointed to the table and counter that was covered in treats and food.

"Yes," Jay said with a nod.

Everyone but Mal rushed to the table trying to see if they could find the gender of the baby. Mal watched as everyone scrambled to reach for something that was on the table. Haden and Adam each grabbed a cupcake and bit into it. They both had blue fillings and they got excited, until Jane showed that she had a cupcake with a pink filling. Belle shoved her hand in the cake, but when she pulled it apart the cake was white. Jackson and Melody ate three cake pops and they were all chocolate. Doug and Carlos were looking around the house for any confetti cannons, but they didn't find any. Ben found a big black balloon, popped it, and got covered in yellow glitter. Jay walked over to watch everyone, and stood next to Mal as she started to mix her marshmallow fluff and pineapple, until she gasped. Jay looked down at her, and she looked up at him with a smirk on her face, before she turned back to everyone else.

"IT'S A GIRL!" She shouted, making everyone snap their heads in her direction.

She turned her bowl around to show everyone that her marshmallow fluff started to turn pink when she started to mix it together. Ben smiled before he ran over to her, picked her up, and spun her around. Everyone was happy to hear the news that Ben and Mal were going to be having a baby girl.

"You sneaky bastard," Ben said as he put Mal on her feet and punched Jay in the chest. "You put food coloring in Mal's food."

"Yeah," he said as he nodded his head and smiled. "It took me forever to find the right combination of food coloring to get the pink to show up without the yellow from the pineapple turning it orange."

Ben shook his head before giving Jay a hug. He knew Jay would do something fun, but this was something that never crossed his mind. Melody and Jackson walked up to their parents, making them turn to look at the kids.

"Can we name our sister?" Melody asked as she gave her parents a tight smile.

"What did you have in mind?" Ben asked as he knelt down next to her.

"Franchesca!" She yelled loudly, making Ben and Mal look at her with a confused look because they weren't expecting to hear that name. "And we can call her Fanny."

Mal had to suck in her lips from laughing. "Where…" she said as she tried not to laugh at the nickname. She knew the gesture was nice, but she also knew that Melody didn't know what the name meant. "Where did you hear that name?"

"It's one of my friend's names at school," she said. "I think it's a very pretty name, and then I thought of the nickname."

"Franchesca is a beautiful name," Mal said, making Melody smile. "We may name her that, but if we don't, are you going to be upset?"

"No," Melody said as she shook her head. "I just wanted to ask."

"Okay," Ben said as he pulled her in for a hug. "Mommy and I will think about it, but we still have a little over 23 weeks until we meet her, so we have time."

"Goo… WAIT! 23 weeks?" Melody asked.

"Yeah," Ben said. "Your sister is going to be in mommy's tummy for 40 week, and we are on week 16 almost 17."

"This is going to take forever," Melody said, making everyone laugh as she threw herself over Ben's legs.


3 weeks later, Mal was in her second trimester and 20 weeks pregnant. She was showing a lot and the baby was starting to kick in Mal's stomach. She and Ben were at the grocery store, getting a couple of things before they picked up Melody and Jackson from Haden's apartment. Mal was trying to reach for a bottle of hot sauce that was on a top shelf when she felt someone's hand touch her belly, making her freeze.

"Well," they said, making Mal turn to them and her eyes widened. "I see you have got another brat on the way."

Mal stood frozen when she saw her mother standing in front of her. She hadn't seen her mother since she ran into her at the farmers market when Melody was only a couple of months old, and before that was three years prior.

"Don't touch me," Mal said as she gained up the strength to take a step back.

"Trapping another guy?" Her mother asked with a cooing tone. "How…"

"Okay, Mal," Ben said as he walked up behind Mal with two containers of ripe strawberries in his hands. "I tried to pick out the best…" but stopped when he saw Mal glaring at the woman in front of her. "You okay?" He asked as he put the strawberries in the cart, and looked at the woman.

"Is this…"

"None of your damn business," Mal said as she took a step toward her.

"Woah woah," Ben said as he wrapped an arm around her to hold her back. "Calm down. Who is this?"

"I am your…"

"She is no one," Mal said, cutting the woman off. "But her name is Malanie."

"Oh, Mal," the woman cooed. "What? You don't want to introduce me to…" she said but paused when she saw their wedding rings on their hands. "Husband?"

"Mal, who is this?"

"I am her mother," Malanie said, making Ben's eyes widen.

"No she isn't," Mal said. "She is a nobody. She has been nothing to me since I was 8 and she is still a nobody now."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Malanie said, trying to sound hurt. "I am your mother."

"Really?" Mal asked before she crossed her arms. "What is my daughter's name?"

Malanie froze and turned her pleading look into a glare. She rolled her eyes, before crossing her arms. "Who cares what the little bastard's name is. What matters is that you are trapping another…"

"I'm going to stop you right there," Ben said as he took a step in front of Mal and looked down at Malanie. "If you are going to be offending my wife, then you can turn your ass around right now and leave. Mal and I have had many discussions about our past, and she has told me so much about you."

It was true. After they officially started dating, Ben asked about her mother, and Mal didn't know what to say. She told him that they did not have a good relationship, and that she hasn't spoken to her mother for more than a couple of minutes in 9 years. She told him that her parents split up when she was 8, and Mal's dad took her so Malanie didn't abuse Mal. Mal would have small conversations with her mother, but never more than that, until she was the age of 15 and cut all ties with her. No one blamed Mal in the slightest for wanting to cut off ties with her mother, because after hearing the horrible things Malanie would say to her would make anyone want nothing to do with her.

"And what persay has she lied to you about?" Malanie asked as she looked Ben up and down. "I am sure just by the way you dress, she has told you something to make you think she is a decent human being."

"Do you think I didn't look into you myself?" He asked as he looked down on her. "Your name is Malanie Stevens. You work at a small thrift store in Queens, because no one wants to hire you with everything you have on you," he told her. "You have multiple DUIs under your belt, along with a being charged with child abuse, child abandonment, credit card fraud, and others," he said, making her freeze. "Shall I go on?"

Malanie froze, before she looked at Mal to see her snickering behind Ben. She turned back to Ben and was going to say something, but he stopped her.

"Now, I would appreciate it if you would not call my daughter a bastard and stop bothering my pregnant wife and leave," he said.

Malanie didn't know what to say, so she turned around and practically ran out of the store. Ben watched her leave, before he turned to Mal and saw her smiling.

"Thank you," she told him.

He shook his head. "I wasn't going to let her say anything bad about you. She is a nobody."

Mal loved that Ben would never let anything or anyone bother her. She knew he would do anything for her or their kids, and that was all she wanted. Someone to love her and her daughter, and want to be a family with them.


Mal was almost 28 weeks when she was on her way to pick up Melody from her dance class and Jackson from scouts. Ben didn't want Mal driving because he didn't want her to potentially get into an accident, but there were times where she had to if he wasn't around. Ever since the incident with Harry, Ben and Mal shared their locations with each other, along with Adam, Haden, Jay, Evie, Carlos, and Belle. So, whenever he saw that Mal was driving anywhere, he would immediately call her to make sure she was okay.

"Yes," Mal said as she laughed. "I am just going to pick the kids up, go to the farmers market, and go home to start dinner."

"Okay," Ben said over the speaker of Mal's phone. "I just want to make sure that you are okay and safe."

Mal smiled at hearing the words. She knew he was nervous, because of everything that happened with Katherine and Jackson, and she knew he just wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to her.

"We are going to be fine," she told him. "When you go on paternity leave is when you can have me under 24 hour surveillance."

"I'm sorry, love," he said. "I just worry about you and the baby. I want to make sure nothing happens to you."

"I know, babe," she said as she parked the car and turned it off. "And luckily for you, you are on good terms with your boss, and he is giving you extra time for your paternity leave."

"He's lucky I didn't go on it when I found out you were pregnant," he said, making Mal laugh. She heard Adam clear his throat in the background, making her laugh again. "I'm kidding, dad," he said. "I'll see you when I get home. Love you."

"I love you too."

Mal hung the phone up before putting it in her purse and getting out of the car as best as she could with her belly being in the way. She walked a couple of doors down, until she stopped and saw Melody finishing up her dance lesson. She was getting really good, and she couldn't wait until the recitals start.

"Mommy!" Melody yelled as soon as she saw her mom walk into the studio.

"Hi, baby," Mal said as Melody wrapped her arms around her mom's stomach as best as she could. "How was dance?"

"It was great!" Melody said as she started to bounce up and down, shaking Mal's stomach in the process.

"Careful," Mal said with a chuckle. "You're going to make your sister dizzy."

"Sorry, Violet," Melody said as she put her face close to Mal's stomach.

A week ago, Ben and Mal decided on their baby's name. They had gone back and forth, trying to find a name that they both liked, but they could not agree on anything. They wanted to name her, because they wanted the kids to get used to her having a name. Last week Ben was laying on their bed throwing out random words. Different foods, different sounds, different activities, and different colors. Mal was laughing at him, until he said the color Violet, and they both froze and looked at each other, because they liked the sound of the name. They also wanted Belle's name incorporated into it, so they decided on Violet Isabelle Anderson.

"Are you ready? We have to pick up your brother," Mal said as she combed her fingers through Melody's hair.

"Yeah! I just need to grab my bag." Melody ran away from her mother to grab her bag, and before they left Melody ran over to his miss Linda a big hug.

After picking up Jackson and going to the farmers market, the three of them made their way home just in time to start the kids' homework and dinner. Mal was in the kitchen making meatballs while Jackson and Melody sat at the counter doing homework, when Ben walked into the house. He stood behind the wall, peeking behind it just enough to watch his family, and before Mal started singing.

Fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee,

Mal sang as she peeked up from the pan and saw Jackson and Melody smiling at her.

Fiddledy faddledy foddle,

They sang as they put their pencils down and leaned on the counter, making Mal chuckle.

All the wishes in the world

Are poppycock and twaddle!

"Mommy, you keep changing the words," Melody said as she pointed at Mal and smiled.

Fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee,

Fiddledy faddledy foodle,

All the dreamers in all the world

Are dizzy in the noodle.

"You said 'noodle' because you are making spaghetti," Jackson told her as he reached over the counter and picked up one of the noodles that Mal was draining.

Impossible

Mal sang as she poked Jackson on the nose, making him laugh.

For a plain yellow pumpkin

To become a golden carriage!

Impossible

For a plain country bumpkin

And a prince to join in marriage!

Ben chuckled as he heard Mal sing the same song she sang the first morning after she and Melody moved in with them. Those moments were ones he was going to cherish forever, but he was more excited for the memories that they were going to create.

And four white mice will never be four white horses—

Such fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee of course is

Impossible!

Ben grabbed his phone and started recording his singing wife just before she grabbed some baguettes from a bag that was sitting on the counter.

But the world is full of zanies and fools

Who don't believe in sensible rules

And won't believe what sensible people say,

She cut up the baguettes and placed them on a cookie sheet, before giving Melody and Jackson a piece each for a small snack.

And because these daft and dewy- eyed dopes

Keep building up impossible hopes,

Impossible things are happ'ning every day!

Melody and Jackson looked at their mom, before they put their bread down and pushed themselves up on the counter, and sang the next part.

Impossible!

Mal said as she looked at them curiously.

Impossible!

They shouted back, with bright smiles on their faces.

Impossible!

She wrapped up the rest of the baguette that she didn't use and placed it off to the side.

Impossible!

Melody and Jackson got off of their stools, before running around the counter and wrapping their arms around Mal's stomach, making her laugh.

Impossible!

Mal shimmied out of their hold, before making her way to the refrigerator, but not taking her eyes off her kids.

Impossible!

Melody and Jackson Melody jumped around the kitchen, making Mal laugh as she got the butter, garlic, and cheese from the refrigerator.

Impossible!

They all shouted the last 'impossible' before Mal closed the door to see her husband standing and recording her. She shook her head and chuckled before the kids saw him.

"Dad!" They both yelled, making Ben smile and laugh before he stopped the recording.

Mal put the ingredients that were in her hands down, before she reached for Ben's hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

It's possible

For a plain yellow pumpkin

To become a golden carriage!

Mal wrapped her arms around Ben's neck, before he pulled her close and started to dance around the kitchen with her.

It's possible

For a plain country bumpkin

And a prince to join in marriage!

Ben picked up Mal in a bridal hold, which was easy for her being 28 weeks pregnant, plus she was petite.

And four white mice are easily turned to horses!

Melody and Jackson circled their parents, while they galloped like horses.

Such fol-de-rol and fiddledy dee of course is

Quite possible!

Ben sang the next line. He had heard Mal and the kids sing it so many times, he had found himself singing it while he was at work or just driving somewhere.

It's possible!

He placed her down on her feet, but held her close as he placed a hand on her growing stomach.

For the world is full of zanies and fools—

She sang as she cupped Ben's face and smiled at him. He swayed them back and forth, before he reached over and turned the stove off, because they were distracted at the moment.

Who don't believe in sensible rules

And won't believe what sensible people say.

And because these daft and dewy-eyed dopes

Keep building up impossible hopes,

Impossible things are happ'ning every day!

Ben spun her around, not too fast, but enough to make her laugh. She gestured for Melody and Jackson to go back to their stools, and for Ben to get her the ingredients she had left on the other countertop.

It's possible!

Mal said as Ben handed her the ingredients.

It's possible!

He said as he leaned in to give her a kiss, but she turned and made him land on her cheek.

It's possible!

She said, making him groan and Melody and Jackson laugh.

It's possible!

He turned her, making her drop one of the baguette slices on the counter and laugh. He cupped her face and pulled her in for a big kiss, making her laugh into it as Melody and Jackson belt out the last line.

It's possible!

When Ben and Mal broke apart, they smiled at each other before Mal finished making dinner. The family of four enjoyed their time together, and couldn't wait for four to become five.


"Mal, honey?" Belle called as she walked into Jackson's room and saw Mal putting away some of Jackson's clothes. "There you are."

"Hi," Mal said as she smiled at her mother-in-law.

"The party is almost ready, and Ben is going to be home soon," she said.

"I know. I just wanted to get these put away before the party started, because I am going to be tired after today," Mal said as she closed Jackson's drawer and huffed.

Mal was 35 weeks pregnant. She was almost at her due date, and she and Ben were getting anxious.

"I could have done that for you," Belle said as she wrapped an arm around Mal's waist. "You shouldn't be on your feet for so long."

"I know," Mal said as she sat on her son's bed. "I just don't like sitting around doing nothing, and I don't like people waiting on me."

Belle knew what she meant. When she had met Adam, she was very much like Mal. Always wanting to do things on her own, and never wanting to have people doing things for her.

"I know how that feels," Belle said as she sat down. "I was the same way when I was pregnant with Ben. Adam had to watch me almost 24/7 when I was getting closer to my due date."

"Like father like son," Mal said with a chuckle as she leaned her head on Belle's shoulder. "I just don't want to give Ben all of my responsibilities on top of his."

"My responsibility," Ben said, making both Belle and Mal turn to see him standing in the doorway. "Is man king sure my wife doesn't tire herself out, while she is growing our child inside of her."

Mal rolled her eyes and chuckled. She knew Ben wouldn't think she was putting all of her responsibilities onto him, but she just wanted to help.

"I am only…"

"Caring our baby, making sure that they are safe, and having your energy taken out of you by carrying her all day long," he said as he walked over and helped her up off of the bed. "Stop worrying about chores and errands. I have all of that on my plate until you are ready and strong enough to handle it. That is another reason why my paternity leave is longer."

Mal rolled her eyes, before she leaned her head on his chest. She knew he was right, and she needed to be off of her feet, but it just felt weird to her.

"Okay," she said as she looked back up at him and pouted her lip. "I will try to stay off my feet until she is here."

"That is all I ask," he said, before he gave her a kiss on her lips. "Now, shall we head downstairs before Melody and Jackson eat all of the cupcakes or Evie drags us down?"

Belle laughed before she stood from the bed. "I think I would be more afraid of Evie dragging us downstairs. She has been planning this shower since we all found out Violet was a girl."

The three left Jackson's room to head downstairs for the baby shower. Evie and Belle had gone all out for it, and everything was perfect. Evie had asked Belle to help her with the party, and without hesitation, Belle said yes. They had asked Melody and Jackson for their input on a theme and they each yelled out a different theme. Jackson had said dinosaurs and Melody had said fairytale. It was a back and forth little debate, until Belle and Evie suggested meeting in the middle to create an enchanted creature baby shower.

The living room was decorated with a bunch of enchanted creatures. There were fairies, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, centaurs,and many more. The party had been going on for.a couple of hours and everyone of their closest friends and family was there; Haden, Adam, Jane, Lonnie, Audrey, Gil, Evie, Doug, Carlos, Jay, Belle, Miss Linda, a couple of people who worked in Ben's office, and Ben's annoying assistant. Anyone in the office or outside of the office could tell that she liked Ben, but Ben made it very clear to her that he was married and he was not interested. But, that didn't stop her from being flirty.

"Mom, when do we get to open Violet's presents?" Jackson asked as he tugged on Mal's dress.

"Are you and Melody getting eager?" She asked as she pulled him to her side.

Jackson nodded his head as he hurried his face into the skirt of Mal's dress. She chuckled at him, before nudging her head and walking over to Ben and a couple of his co-workers.

"Hey," she said as she hip bumped Ben. "Your children are getting anxious and want to help us open Violet's gifts."

"Oh my goodness!" Samantha said as she looked down at Jackson. "You must be Jackson! Ben, your son is so cute! Cuter than the pictures in your office."

"He's Mal's son too," Jay said as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, my mommy is Mally," Jackson said as he hugged her side. "Right? You adopted me."

"Yes Jackson," Mal said as she pulled him to her side again. "I am your mom. Just like I am Melody's and Violet's."

"Good," he said as he tightened his hold on her as tight as best as he could, making her laugh.

"Come on," Ben said as he walked over to the couch and picked Melody up from sitting on Doug's lap. "It is time for us to open gifts."

Ben walked over to Mal with Melody on his other side.

"Tell me again why she is here?" Mal asked in a hushed tone as Ben laced his fingers through hers.

"Well, she wasn't invited, but heard Jay tell my dad that he 'would be there early' and she started asking where," he said.

"And Jay told her why?"

"Because she blocked the elevator until she told him," he said.

"I see," Mal said as Ben pulled two of the dining room table chairs out for him and her to sit on, while Melody and Jackson sat in front of them and the pile of gifts that Haden and Adam gathered.

"Let me know who the gift is from and what it was," Evie said as she grabbed a notebook and pen from her purse and sat across from Mal and Ben.

"Okay, E," Mal said as she chuckled at her best friend. "Which present do you want to open first?"

"That one," Jackson and Melody said at the same time as they pointed at the big gift sitting next to Ben.

They went on, opening gifts. Well, more of watching Melody and Jackson open the gifts. Both parents loved watching how excited they were to be opening Violet's gifts, and were very relieved that they weren't jealous of a new baby coming into the family. They had received a bunch of very thoughtful and wonderful gifts. A bunch of baby clothes made by Evie, bottles, bibs, cute swaddle blankets, a lot of diapers, a crib from Haden, a stroller set from Belle and Adam, a pack and play from Jay, and a bunch of other things from their friends and family. Samantha had given them a onesie that said 'daddy's little girl' and they noticed how Melody got a little sad when she read it.

"Hey," Ben whispered as he tapped on Melody's shoulder. "She is my little girl, but you are my big girl and my first girl."

Melody smiled at her dad, before he pulled her off the floor and sat her in his lap. Jay shook his head at Samantha, making the girl shrink in her chair. He knew that she was trying to poke Mal, but he also knew that Mal was not the jealous type and trusted that Ben would not do anything, but he didn't expect her to poke at Melody.

"I don't know what you were trying to do," Jay said, making Samantha and everyone else look at him. "You came to the home of your work crush, where his mother and wife's best friend are hosting a baby shower, and brought a gift that you knew would most likely hurt the feelings of his 6 year old daughter? How pathetic do you look?"

Samantha looked at Jay with a shocked look. She was not expecting to be called out. "It was not meant to cause harm."

"Then what was it?" Jay asked.

"Jay," Mal said, making him look at her. "Calm down. Everyone knows she has a crush on Ben." Samantha's eyes widened as she heard the words come out of Mal's mouth. "It's very obvious, and she doesn't hide it well. Let her continue what she is doing, because she will learn that her actions are only going to harm herself and not others."

"You said that way nicer than what I was going to say," Jay told Mal as he kept his eyes on Samantha.

"I think I should…" Samantha said as she started to stand up, but Jay stopped her and sat her back down.

"No no," he said. "You are going to sit here, and watch as Ben has a good day with his family. You were the one to invite yourself so you are going to stay until the party is over."

Samantha's face turned red, before she looked at Ben, hoping that he would tell Jay to stop and let her leave. She shook his head and chuckled before he turned his head, handed Jackson another gift, and pulled Melody close to his chest. He knew she was asking him for help, but he was going to let her sit there and suffer for her stupid actions.

When the party was nearly over, Jay finally let Samantha leave, and when she was gone he walked over to Mal and wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"How were you so calm?"

Mal shrugged. "I trust Ben, I'm not intimidated by her, she was trying WAY too hard, and Ben does not want me to get stressed."

"That's right," Ben said as he walked up to Jay and Mal and pulled her out of Jay's arm. "No stress for you. Not on my watch which starts now," he said with a cheeky smile on his face. "Paternity leave starts now. You are now under Benjamin Florian Anderson 24 hour surveillance."

"Yay me," Mal said in a joking tone, making Ben laugh and kiss the top of her head.


A couple of weeks later, Mal and Ben were fast asleep, and Melody and Jackson were sleeping over at Evie and Doug's. Mal felt a sharp pain in her stomach, making her jolt up in their bed. Her hand flew to the side of her stomach and then she felt a gush between her legs, making her eyes widen in shock.

"Ben," she said as she turned toward her sleeping husband. "Ben!"

Ben's eyes flew open, hearing Mal's voice. "What? What happened?"

"My water broke," Mal said. "She's coming."

"You're not due for a week and a half," he said as he sat up and then felt that one of his pant legs was getting wet.

"Well, she is probably just as eager as her brother and sister," she said as she smiled at him.

"Well, let's go," he said as he jumped out of their bed and started to run around the room.

"Ben."

Mal watched as he ran back and forth, trying to get ready as fast as he could.

"Ben."

He didn't hear her. He was more focused on getting ready.

"Benjamin!" Mal shouted, making Ben freeze to look at her. "We have time. You have been running around for about 8 minutes, and I haven't had a contraction since the initial one before my water broke."

"It's every, what, 5 minutes?" He asked, trying to remember what he learned.

"Yes," Mal said as she slowly got up from their bed. "We are going to wait until I have…" she said but stopped when a contraction hit and she hunched over, grabbing the side table for support. Ben rushed over, grabbing her other hand and rubbed her back. When the contraction passed, she took a deep breath and stood back up straight. "Now we start timing."

They started to get ready at a slower pace, trying to time Mal's contractions. They started at 9 minutes apart, while they changed and packed some of their clothes. About an hour later, Mal was having contractions every 6 minutes, and Ben was starting to get impatient. He wanted to meet their daughter, and the fact that she was going to be early made him excited.

Another hour had passed, and Mal was having contractions every 4 minutes, making the couple leave their home to head to the hospital. They didn't call anyone to tell them that they were on their way to the hospital. They didn't want people to rush over and wait there for potentially hours, for Violet to be born. So when they got to the hospital, they got checked in, and were told that Mal was only 3 centimeters dilated. They decided to wait until morning to call everyone, because it could take Mal hours to reach 10 centimeters.

About 5 hours later, and at 8 in the morning, the nurse came in to check on Mal, and told her that she was 8 centimeters dilated. When she left the room, they decided to call everyone and tell them what was happening. Belle screamed so loud that Ben had to move the phone away from his face to not go deaf. Jay was groggily waking up, but completely woke up when they said that the baby was coming. Carlos said that he was going to pick up Jane and rush over. When they called Evie, she looked confused at first.

"Where are you guys?" She asked as she squinted her eyes.

"Oh, you know, just at the hospital having a baby," Mal said with a chuckle.

"What? She's not due for a week and a half!"

"What's going on?" They heard Jackson ask.

"Your mom and dad are at the hospital," she said as she turned the phone to show Jackson and Melody eating breakfast. "Violet is going to be here soon."

"What?!" They asked in shock.

"Yeah," Mal said as she nodded her head. "We have been here for 5 hours. Can you believe that?" She asked.

"Is she here yet?" Melody asked.

"Not yet," Ben said as he placed a hand on Mal's stomach. "She is still in mommy's tummy."

"We're going to go right after breakfast," Evie said as she turned the phone back to face her. "Don't have her before we get there."

"I would promise, but I can't make her promise," Mal said as she pointed to her stomach.

"Touché," Evie said. "See you soon. Love you!"

"Love you too, E," Mal said before the screen went dark.

After everyone got there and said their hellos to Ben and Mal, they all made their way to the waiting room, eagerly waiting for someone to tell them that Mal had the baby.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Boyce said as he walked into the room. "It's time to push."

"Absolutely," Mal said as she positioned herself to be a little more comfortable. "I am ready for her to be here, but I am mainly ready for her to be off my bladder."

"Okay," Dr. Boyce said with a chuckle. "Let's have a baby shall we."

Ben stood at the side of Mal's head, holding her hand before she started to push. She squeezed his hand harder as she continued to push.

"Okay, here comes another contraction," Dr, Boyce said. "1…2…3…push."

Mal pushed as hard as she could, squeezing Ben's hand, and making him groan.

"I'm sorry," she said as she panted. "Does that hurt?"

"Not as bad and what you are feeling," he said, making her look up at him.

"Smart answer," she said, making him smirk at her.

"That was great, Mal," Dr. Boyce said. "A couple more pushes and she will be here."

He counted down again, and Mal pushed with all of her might.

"Her head is out. One more push."

Mal took a deep breath, before she pushed again and she felt a release.

"There she is," Dr. Boyce said as he held her up and she started to cry.

Both Mal and Ben smiled seeing their baby. She was covered in blood and bodily fluids.

"Do you want to cut the cord, Ben?" Dr. Boyce asked as he held up a pair of scissors.

Ben nodded his head and sniffled, before walking over and cutting the umbilical cord. They took violet to get cleaned and Ben followed to watch. She looked like a mix of Melody and Jackson. She had a small button nose and a small tuff on brown hair. They wrapped her in a swaddle that Ben and Mal had set to the side and walked her back over to Mal. Mal cried when she saw Violet in her arms.

"I'm going to finish up here, if that is okay," Dr. Boyce said, making Mal and Ben turn to him.

"Of course," Mal said as she nodded her head and turned back to look at her baby.

"I'll only be a couple of minutes, and then you can have your guest come in."

"Thank you," Ben said as he smiled down at the baby.

A couple of minutes later, Dr. Boyce left and Ben followed to get everyone else. He walked back in with Melody in his arms and Jackson holding onto his free hand, and everyone else was behind him.

"Hi," Mal said as she smiled brightly at her kids. "Do you want to meet your sister?"

They both nodded, before Jackson carefully climbed onto the bed and Ben placed Melody on the other side of Mal.

"She's so cute," Jackson said as he smiled down at his sister. "She looks like Melody."

"She looks like dad," Melody said.

Haden walked over and gave Mal a kiss on the head, before looking at his granddaughter.

"She looked like all four of you," he said.

"That's what I thought," Ben said as Belle walked up to Mal with Adam behind her.

"She's absolutely gorgeous," Belle said as she started to tear up.

"Can I hold her?" Jackson asked.

"Yes," Mal said as she handed Ben the baby. "Go and sit in that chair, and dad will give her to you."

"Can I go sit with Jackson and Violet?" Melody asked.

"Yes," Ben said as he held Violet in his hands and nudged his head. "The chair is big enough for the both of you."

Both kids jumped off the bed and walked over to the chair. Ben placed Violet in Jackson's arms and Melody watched and smiled at her sister.

"You happy, Mal?" Evie asked as she leaned on the bed, half laying next to her best friend.

Mal looked at her three kids and husband and smiled. "I couldn't be more happy than I am now."


Until next time my lovies! xoxo GM