Okay something weird happened and somehow Chapter 16 was publish again on chapter 12?! I don't know what happened, but here is chapter 12 again!

Thank you to the Guest who pointed this out to me!


(MAL'S POV)

We got back to the castle sooner than I was expecting. Ben ran to the passenger side and opened the door and held his hand out for me. We all got there at the same time and I was getting nervous. I know Ben, his parents, my mom and my siblings were excited and happy, but what if my Auradon friends weren't? What if they think I should be sent back to the Isle? What if they say I should get rid of the baby? Everyone was heading into the castle when I felt Ben put his arm around my waist.

"Hey," he whispered in my ear. "Everything is going to be fine, baby," he said and kissed the side of my head.

"I guess I'm just nervous about what they will think," I whispered.

He shook his head. "No need to be. Everyone is going to be happy. There is no need to panic," he said as he rubbed my arm.

"I hope you're right," I said to him.

"I know I am," he said with a smile as he interlocked his fingers with mine. "Come on. We have an announcement to make," he said, pulling me up the stairs of the castle.

We walked through the doors that Lumier was holding open for us and when he saw me he let go of the door and pulled me into a hug.

"On s'inquiétait tant pour toi. Ne nous fais plus ça, ma chère." (We were so worried about you. Don't do that to us again, my dear.) he told me and then kissed the top of my head.

"Promis. Je ne vais nulle part." (I promise. I'm not going anywhere.) I told him.

"C'est vrai, non," (Damn right you're not,) Ben said as Lumier released me from our hug.

I turned around to see him smirking at us. I walked forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him hard. I don't know why I ever hide anything from him. I should have known better. I should have known that Ben would never judge me for what happened. He was my boyfriend. He was more than that: the love of my life, my person, my home. But I would understand if he wanted to part ways, if the baby wasn't his.

"Why don't we go upstairs and change?" He said, making me look up at him. "This suit is uncomfortable and stiff, and I bet you want to change too," he said. I nodded my head, and he took my hand. "We'll be back in a couple of minutes Lu. Tell everyone to wait in the dining hall," Ben said.

"Yes, my young king," Lumier said before he walked to the living area.

Ben and I walked upstairs to where our rooms were. He left me in my room to change and get comfortable and told me he would be right back. I looked around my room and took in a deep breath. This was my new home away from school. I don't know how long I was standing in the middle of my room before I heard a knock at my door. I whipped my head to look toward the door and saw Ben standing there in a pair of jogger sweats and a tourney t-shirt.

"You okay, babe?" he asked, taking a couple of steps in my room.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. I'm just taking it all in," I told him.

He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I wouldn't take it all in. We have things to talk about whenever we are done making our announcement," he said as kissed the side of my head. "So, get changed so we can tell the rest. I'll wait for you here," he said as he let go of my waist.

"You don't think we should wait?" I asked. "I mean, I am still very early in my pregnancy and anything could happen," I started to ramble.

"Baby, nothing is going to happen to you or the baby," he told me. "Except you doing something dumb," he said, making me look at him like he said the stupidest thing in the world. "Sorry," he added.

I shook my head. "I'm just afraid of what everyone is going to think," I told him. "Everyone knows about what happened with Trevor, and I know people are going to put the pieces together," I admitted.

"Hey. Hey," he said as he grabbed the side of my face to make me look up at him. "I will handle everything. No one is going to say anything about it. They are mine and if anyone says anything, I will deal with it. The press, school, the council, different kingdoms. I don't care what anyone says. I will deal with it all personally, because no one is going to make you think anything other than that you are loved and they are loved. Okay?" he asked.

I nodded my head, but I still had a knotting feeling in the pit of my stomach. I looked up at him and gave him a smile, trying to make the knot in my stomach go away. He leaned down and kissed me. My chest filled with warmth as our lips connected. I loved Ben's kisses, and I was going to act like each one from now on was going to be out last, because I didn't know if he would want me or the baby if they weren't his later. We pulled away, and I looked up at him again.

"I just want to tell you that later… if you change your mind… about me… or the baby… if they're not yours," I started, but was cut off by Ben covering my mouth.

"Mal. I understand you are going to have this doubt about me leaving you until we get a DNA test," he said as he grabbed the sides of my face again. "But, I am never ever going to leave you or OUR baby. If you want to get a test, we can after they are born, but I am telling you now. If the test comes back and it turns out the baby is biologically Trevor's. They are still and alway will be mine. And I will tell you every day for the rest of our lives, because I know you are always going to have your doubts," he told me.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could make the feeling go away, but I can't," I told him as I leaned my head against his chest.

He kissed the top of my head. "I know, baby. But, again, you will never have to find out if I'll leave you because I'm not going anywhere. Now change," he said as he pulled away from me. "We will only tell our friends and family until you are comfortable letting the world know," he said. I nodded my head and smiled at him. That made me feel a little bit better about the situation. "But, we do have to tell the council," he added.

I pouted, making him laugh. I knew we had to tell the council because I am a Lady of the Court and because Ben wants to be involved, but this reminder just made the twisting in my stomach come back. Now I was thinking of other reasons on how the council will take Ben away from me.

"And I don't want your mind to think that the council will take me away from you," he told me.

I looked up at him with wide eyes, making him laugh.

"How did you…"

"I may not be able to read your mind, but I can read your facial expressions. Plus, we have been together for 5 months and I learned to know when something is bothering you," he told me. "Now go and change," he said as he stepped further away and sat on the edge of my bed.

I sighed and then walked into my closet. I was glad that Evie had slowly stocked it every time we stayed at the castle. I would even say that this closet was even more stocked than the one Evie and I shared at school. I changed into a pair of leggings and into one of the many sweaters I took from Ben. I walked out and Ben looked up at me the minute I walked out of the closet.

"How many of my sweaters do you have?" he asked as he stood from my bed.

"Umm… I think…" I said as I pretended to think. "About 7," I said.

Ben laughed and then pulled me close and kissed me. We heard a knock at the door, making us break apart.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened and my mom walked in.

"Hey," she said with a small smile. "I came to check to see if the both of you were okay," she said.

Ben and I nodded our heads.

"Yeah," Ben said as he rubbed the small of my back. "We'll be just fine," he said before he kissed the top of my head.

"I have no doubt in my mind that all three of you will be okay," she said as she walked toward us. "I just wanted to come and ask you when you wanted to tell your dad," she said.

I looked up at Ben and saw that he had his lips sucked in and his eyes were wide. I guess Ben had his own fears, and those fears were my dad.

"I mean," Ben said with a worried tone in his voice. "What are the chances that he'll be mad if we don't tell him?" he asked in an obvious jokeful tone, making my mom and I laugh.

"Ben. My husband likes you and he doesn't like that many people," my mom said. "Obviously he won't be thrilled, but he will understand and in the end he will be happy. So, maybe the three of us can video call him and tell him together," she offered.

I nodded my head eagerly. I know having my mom there would make me feel so much better and I know she was right and that my dad will understand, but I was still afraid to tell him because he might start to yell.

"I hope you're right," Ben said. "I don't want him to take my soul before I have a chance to meet my son or daughter," he stated.

The words had my heart do a flip. I never imagined before Ben that I would ever meet someone that I love so much in my life. Ben made me so happy and I never wanted to imagine my life without him or OUR baby. I was going to try my hardest not to let my fears consume me, but at least he understood how scared I was of losing him.

"You don't have to worry about that, Ben. He won't get the chance because he knows how much you mean to Mal," she said, making me smile and lean my head against Ben's chest. "Okay. Come on. Everyone is impatiently waiting for you down there," she said.

The three of us left my room and made our way downstairs. Ben and I walked hand in hand and he rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand for comfort. He knew I was nervous, and I knew he was going to do anything to make sure I was okay.

"There you guys are!" Belle exclaimed as she ran over to us.

"We didn't take that long, mom," Ben said.

"Felt like forever to me," she said with a chuckle.

"Mal!" I heard Evie yell.

I looked over Belle's shoulder and saw my sister running over to me.

"Are you going to tell the others?" She asked as Jay and Carlos walked up from behind her.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. I'm going to tell everyone over dinner," I told them. "But Ben said we could wait until I'm further along to tell the whole kingdom," I said.

"Yeah," Ben interjected. "Pulse, we have to tell the council and Mal's dad," he sighed.

Jay stepped forward and placed his hand on Ben's shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you, bro," he said, making us laugh.

"Yeah," Carlos asked as he walked to the other side of Ben. "We'll tell the baby stories about you."

Ben shook his head and laughed.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it," Ben said as he walked over and wrapped an arm around me.

Mrs. Potts walked through the kitchen door with a cart loaded with food. When she saw me, she threw the cart further toward the table, making Adam catch it and ran to me. She pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my cheeks about 100 times. Ben had to pry her off of me so that I could breathe. I didn't know how much it would have affected people if I did what I was going to do. I needed to apologize for everything, because I didn't mean to make people worry that bad.

"I am sorry, dear. I was just so worried about you. I even called Chip to see if you had called him for any reason," she said, making me feel guilty for what I was going to do. "He said he would be…"

"Where is she?!" someone screamed from outside of the dining hall.

We all turned to see Chip burst through the doors and when he saw Ben and I he sprinted toward us. He picked me up off my feet and spun me around.

"Don't you EVER do that again!" he exclaimed as he set me on my feet.

"Chip. Don't suffocate my girlfriend," Ben said as he wrapped his arms back around my waist.

"Well, then no one better let her out of their sites ever again," he said pointing around the room.

"I promise, Chip. I'm not going anywhere," I said, making Chip smile at me.

"Good," he said as he walked over to his mother and gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"Now, all of you sit," Mrs. Potts said. "I'll start…"

"Will you please join us?" I asked, cutting her off. "Please?"

"Yes, Mrs. Potts," Belle said as she walked up behind Ben and I, "This is a family discussion and you, Cogsworth, Lumier, Fifi, and Chip are our family."

"Of course, your majesty. I'll get Lumier, Cogsworth, and Fifi," she said as she looped her arm through Chip's and they walked out of the dining hall.

Ben grabbed my side, making me look up at him. He was smiling down at me with my favorite crooked smile.

"Come one. Let's go," he said as he nudged his head toward the table where all of our friends were seated

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. I grabbed Ben's hand and interlocked my fingers with his. We walked up to the table and saw smiles all around as we took our seats. Mrs. Potts, Lumier, Cogsworth, Fifi, and Chip walked into the room, making Jane burst from her chair to hug her father. Once everyone was sitting down, I couldn't help but smile at the group of people around me. All of these people cared about me so much. I can't believe that I was going to harm myself and hurt all of them. I looked at each one of them as they talked around the table. Chad, Jordan, Jane, Carlos, Jay, Doug, Evie, Lonnie, Chip, Aziz, Ryder, Audrey, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Lumier, Fifi, Belle, Adam, FG, my mom… Ben. They all went and tried to find me while I ran and hid. I need to apologize for worrying them.

"Um… hey, guys," I said as everyone's attention turned to me.

The sinking feeling in my stomach started to creep up again. I knew I was going to tell them about the baby and I knew Ben said that they were going to be happy, but I couldn't help but worry in case they weren't.

"I just wanted to apologize for making your guys worry," I said. "I never wanted to do that to any of you," I said as I looked around the table.

"It's okay, Mal," Jordan said, making me look at her. "We should have asked you more than we were if you were okay," she added.

"I think I'm going to be fine," I said, almost a whisper.

"Will you please tell us how we can help you?" Lonnie asked.

"Yeah," Ryder said as he stood up. "Obviously, we don't know what you are going through, because none of us went through what you went through, but we want to be there for you," he finished.

I felt my eyes started to water and my cheeks started to get hot. I felt Ben put his hand behind my back and I couldn't help but turn into him and buried my face into his shoulder.

"Hey. Hey," he whispered in my ear. "Don't cry," he told me as he rubbed my back. "Do you want me to tell them?" He whispered.

I nodded my head vigorously against his shoulder. He hissed the top of my head and then wrapped an arm around my back. I felt him take in a deep breath before speaking.

"Mal has been going through a lot over the past couple of months," he said as he stood up, making me stand with him. "I am sure you all know where we found her, but I do not want that information leaving this room," he said.

I didn't want to look at anyone. I buried my face further into his shoulder. I didn't want to see their reaction when they found out.

"Mal is pregnant," he said.

I didn't hear anything. I knew my family wasn't going to say anything because they already knew, but my friends weren't saying anything.

I heard a chair being moved. I knew it. I knew they were going to be mad.

I felt a hand on my back, making me freeze. I slowly peaked up from Ben's shoulder and turned to see Jordan standing behind me. I turned my full body to face her and when Ben moved his arms away from me, Jordan wrapped me in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

I heard more chairs move, and then I felt more arms around me. I peaked my head up and saw that the rest of my Auradon friends were hugging me. I buried my face into Jordan's shoulder and cried.

"Oh, stop crying," Jordan said with a sniffle. "You're having a baby," she said as they all loosened their hold on me.

"Yeah," Jane said, making me turn to her. "Those better be happy tears," she said.

I huffed a laugh. I was glad that they weren't mad about the baby, but were they going to be mad at the fact that the baby might not be Ben's?

"I can't believe you and Ben are going to have a baby," Ryder said in amazement, but made me frown and look at the floor.

"What? What's wrong?" Lonnie asked.

I looked up and saw Ben move his way through our friends and wrapped his arm back around my waist.

"Um… we don't know if the baby is mine, biologically," Ben said. "Mal is only 4 weeks along and that means the baby could biologically be Trevor's, but that doesn't matter to me," he said, making me look up at him. "Like I told her at the hospital. They are mine just as much as they are hers," he said, smiling down at me. "I just hope that all of you can understand that. I don't care what any DNA test says. Hell, I don't even care if we get one done on them or not," he said, making me look up at him in shock. "That is how much I meant it to you, when I said that I don't care," he said as he locked eyes with me. "I love you and I never EVER want to lose you. The paternity of OUR baby means nothing because they are mine regardless," he finished.

I wrapped my arms around him tightly. He tightened his hold on me and buried his face into my hair.

"Well, good," Jordan said.

I turned my head to look at her and rested it on Ben's chest.

"Because if you left my friend because of something stupid as not knowing, I would have kicked your ass," she said, pointing at him with crocodile tears in her eyes.

"Same," the rest of our Auradon friends said, making me laugh.

"Wow guys," Ben said. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me," he said as he swung us back and forth.

"Alright," we heard Chip say. "Make way. Make way," he said, pushing through the crowd with Mrs. Potts, Lumier, Fifi, Cogsworth, and FG behind him.

When he stood in front of Ben and I he held his arms out with a bright smile on his face. Ben and I let go of each other and were engulfed in hugs from Chip, Mrs. Potts, Lumier, Fifi, Cogsworth and FG.

"I am so happy for the both of you," Chip said over my shoulder. "You are going to make me the hottest and coolest uncle ever," he said, making me laugh.

"Hey," Jay said as he walked up behind me. "I have already taken that title," he stated. "Along with protective, scary, buffest, best hair, best smile, and everything else you can't say best for," he finished, making all of us laugh.

"Woah. Where does that leave the rest of us?" Aziz said, gesturing to the rest of the guys.

"Well, the only one you will slightly outrank me is Ben," he said.

"What about Hades, Hadie and I?" Adam said in amusement.

"Ugh! You and Hades get the title of grandpa!" Jay groaned. "But I guess the rest of us can share, but the protective one is still more me and Ben," he grumbled.

"Is it too early to say I hope the baby is a girl that looks just like Mal?" Belle asked.

"Gods!" Ben exclaimed as we all went back to our seats. "She would be the cutest baby in the world," he said as he pushed my seat in for me.

"Yeah, but imagine when she gets older," Carlos said, making Ben look at him in confusion. "I mean, Mal is gorgeous, and it was hard to get guys to leave her and Evie alone on the Isle," he stated.

I looked at Ben, who now had wide eyes.

"Oh, Gods," Ben groaned, putting his face in his hands. He rubbed his face and then sighed. "That's it," he said. "She's never leaving the castle," he stated, making everyone laugh.

"Ben…" I said in a not so serious tone.

"Nope. Not another word," he said. "No boys will be dating my daughter," he stated with a nod. "If I find out they are, I will sick Jay on them," he said gesturing to Jay who sat there nodding and smiling.

"But what if it's a boy?" My mom asked.

"Then he may leave castle grounds," he said with a shrug.

"Excuse me," Lonnie said. "How is that fair?" she asked looking around the table.

"Well, Lonnie, babe," Jay said as he wrapped an arm around Lonnie's shoulder.

Lonnie looked at him with a look that scared him to his core.

"Nope. Never mind. I'll shut up," he said, making Lonnie smile and laugh. "But still," he said pointing at me. "No boys!"

I shook my head and laughed at my brother.

"So, when are you going to announce the baby to the kingdom?" Audrey asked happily.

"Um… well we have to tell the council first and then Mal's dad," Ben said. "But, Mal and I are going to wait until she is further along to make the announcement."

"Aren't you afraid the council might make you abdicate as King?" Aziz asked, making me snap my head toward Ben in shock.

"What?" I asked in a panic. "Can they do that?"

"No, they actually can't," he said. "After Trevor was sentenced to the Isle, I found out that he was supposed to take the crown after Ariel and Eric, because Melody was going to live with her grandfather in Atlantica next year, but things have obviously changed," he said.

"So, even though this baby is out of wedlock and may or may not be yours, biologically, they can take the throne?" I asked.

He nodded his head and looked at me. "Yeah. They can. So, no need to worry about it," he said.

"I was more worried about you being forced to abdicate your throne, because of me," I said.

"The rules have changed a lot from when I was a prince," Adam said, making us all look at him. "Many years ago, yes, if Ben had chosen to be with you and had a baby out of wedlock, then he would have to choose between the throne and you," he said, making my throat start to close. "But, like I said, that was many many MANY moons ago, and I for one am happy that those rules have been changed," he said as he smiled at me. "I know I am WAY too young," he said, making us all laugh. "But I am excited to become a papa."

The relief I was feeling after this whole situation felt amazing. I never knew that everyone cared this much. I never knew I would have the support that I have. I was stupid for thinking tha they would be mad. I should have come to them sooner. All of them. Especially Ben. He's the one I am supposed to tell everything to and the one I am supposed to lean on for support. I get that now. I was going to try and be better, no matter how much doubt I was going to be feeling.

We all enjoyed a lovely dinner and conversation amongst each other and it was filled with laughter and happiness. Everyone was even taking votes on what they think the baby would be. It was an even split between all of them, besides Ben and I, on whether they would want a boy or a girl.

"Well, it is about that time where we drag ourselves back to school," Ryder said as he hung his head.

"Yeah, we have school tomorrow," Aziz said, mocking Ryders actions.

"Um… did both of you forget that tomorrow is the open house for Auradon Prep and classes are canceled?" Ben asked.

"SLEEPOVER AT THE CASTLE!" the both of them yelled at the top of their lungs, making us all laugh. "Well, if it's okay with Belle and Adam," they added as they sat down in their seats.

Both Belle and Adam nodded their heads, making all of us cheer.

"Well, then since we are staying the night," Jordan said as she stood up from her chair. "It's time to raid Mal and Evie's closets to find something comfortable to change into," she said as she started to run toward the stairs with Audrey, Jane, and Lonnie running behind her.

"Nothing with lace and satin!" Evie yelled as she started to run after them. "Nothing with lace and satin!"

I shook my head and laughed as I stood from my seat and started to clear off the table.

"No no, Mal," Mrs. Potts said as she walked up to me and took the plates out of my hands. "I will do this. You go and have fun with your friends," she said.

"I really don't mind helping," I said.

"I know you don't dear. You can help anytime you want, but not tonight," she stated. "Chip will help me," she said as she looked over my shoulder and saw Chip, Jay, Carlos, Dough, Chad, Ryder, and Aziz walking out of the room.

Chip froze and turned to look at his mother.

"Oh, I was," he said pointing to the door with his thumb.

"You were going to help your mother clean up and do the dishes," she answered with a tight smile, making him nod his head and walk over to take the plates out of her hands.

Lumier, Cogsworth and Fifi tried to offer their help, but Mrs. Potts told them no and told them that they could go home. After a back and forth discussion debate about whether they were going to help or not, Mrs. Potts finally put her food down and told them to go home.

Ben took my hand in his and we started to walk out of the dining hall when Lumier tapped Ben on the shoulder.

"I am sorry, your majesty," he said. "I forgot to mention that there was an envelope delivered to you while you were looking for Lady Mal," he said.

"Oh. Who sent it?" Ben asked.

"I am not sure. It was addressed to you, so I left it on your desk in your office," he said.

"Okay, thank you. I'll do and grab it," Ben said.

He pulled my hand to walk out of the room when I saw my mom and Ben's parents still sitting at the table. I took my hand from Ben and walked over to the table.

"Mom, are you going to be staying for a while?" I asked.

She turned to me and smiled. "Yes, Mally. I will be up in a moment. I just wanted to chat with Belle and Adam for a while," she said.

I looked at Ben's parents and saw that they had smiles on their faces. I nodded my head and then walked back over to Ben. We walked upstairs to his office and when he flicked the lights on we saw a big manilla envelope sitting on his desk.

"What do you think it is?" I asked.

He walked over to his desk and picked up the envelope and shrugged.

"I don't know," he said.

He unclasped the top of the envelope and pulled out another smaller envelope, but this one was pink and covered in lipstick kisses.

"Oh, Gods," Ben groaned, making me look at him in confusion.

"What the hell? Who sent you that?" I asked as I walked up to him.

"Ariana," he sighed.

I snapped my head up and looked at him in shock.

"What? Ariana?" I asked as he nodded his head at me.

"Yeah," he said as he took a seat in his desk chair.

He ran a hand through his hair and down his face and I could tell that this bothered him, and that this wasn't the first time Ariana has done something like this.

"Since the trial, Ariana has been trying to flirt with me," he said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him as I sat on the edge of his desk.

"You weren't you," he said, making my heat sink. "I mean, you were there, but you weren't in the right space and I didn't want to bother you with something stupid like Ariana."

Was I really that far away from everyone that I didn't even notice another girl trying to flirt with my boyfriend? I looked back at Ben and I saw how frustrated he looked. He threw the envelope on the desk and ran his hands down his face again. Has she really been doing this so much that it has made Ben that frustrated? I stood up and climbed into his lap. He leaned back as far as he could in his desk chair and held me close.

"I'm sorry," I said. "If I would have just opened up to you and told you I wasn't okay, maybe you would have told me what was going on with her," I said pointing at the envelope.

He shook his head. "No, you don't have to blame yourself for that. She honestly probably would still be doing this crap even if the incident didn't happen," he told me.

"What has she done?" I asked.

I mean, I really didn't want to know and I trusted Ben to not do anything, but I still feel like he should be able to tell me after what I did.

"She has been following me around school, when I'm not with you obviously. I have found her in my office at school. She leaves me letters in my locker and has sent me gifts," he said in frustration. "I don't know why she's doing this, but I have told her multiple times to stop."

"Im sorry, baby," I told him as I played with the hair behind his neck.

"It's fine, but the worst was when Aziz, Ryder and I found her in my room," he said, making me look at him with wide eyes.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah," he said nodding his head. "We walked in and she was laying in my bed in lingerie," he told me.

She was in his bed wearing lingerie!? What the fuck!

"She wasn't expecting Aziz and Ryder to be with me, and she told them to leave," he said.

"What?!" I exclaimed again. "What did you do?!" I asked as I stood up from his lap and crossed my arms across my chest.

"I told her to get the fuck out and to leave me the fuck alone," he told me as he stood up. "What do you think?" he asked. "That I told Aziz and Ryder to leave so I could have sex with her?" he asked me.

"No," I grumbled. "I just was wondering," I told him. "I didn't know what you would do…" I said and then looked at the ground. "Because I was in my own world," I whispered.

"You really think I would cheat on you because you weren't yourself?" he asked me.

I looked up at him and saw that he was looking at me and I could tell he was getting irritated.

"No," I said as I threw my arms to my side. "I'm sorry for getting mad. I just don't like that she is doing all of this crap," I said as I pointed to the envelope on his desk.

"Babe," he said as he walked up to me. "I would never do that to you, no matter if you weren't yourself," he told me as he closed the space between us. "You are my world. The only person I ever want to be with," he said as he took my hands in his and brought them up to his face. "I don't ever want you to think that I would ever cheat on you. Okay?" he said.

I nodded my head as he kissed my knuckles. I felt bad for getting mad and jealous about this, but what girl wouldn't?

"I'm sorry," I told him.

"It's okay," he said. "I guess you know how I felt when Trevor was flirting with you now," he said, making me roll my eyes.

He chuckled and laughed as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"But, I never found Trevor laying in my bed in just a pair of boxers," I said as I poked his chest.

"Okay. Okay. You win that argument," he said as he kissed the top of my head.

We heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Ben said.

My mom walked in with a small smile on her face. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, mom," I said as I leaned my head on Ben's shoulder.

"I was coming to see if you wanted to video call your dad," she said as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

I sighed and looked up at Ben who looked like he wasn't breathing.

"I guess we should get it over with," I said, making Ben look at me. "Don't worry. He's not going to kill you," I told him.

"Mal, baby," he said. "He is Lord of the Underworld. The King of Death. And I am having a baby with his daughter," he told me. "Obviously, I am going to be scared of him killing me," he said.

"Well, then it is a good thing that I won't let him then," my mom said as she walked over to us. "Now, let's get this call over with so both of you can enjoy your night with your friends."

Ben and I walked behind the desk as Ben pulled another chair with him for my mom. Ben sat in his chair and I sat on the arm of it. Ben opened his laptop and started the call to my dad.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a call from…" my dad said as he appeared on the screen. "Oh! Mally! Hi, princess! How are you doing? Are you okay?" he asked.

"What?! Mally is calling?!" We heard Hadie yell.

Hadie ran into the frame almost shoving my dad out of the way. He smiled brightly at seeing his sister. Mal couldn't help the smile on her face either. It had been forever since she had seen or talked to her family.

"And what are Ben and I? Chopped liver?" my mom asked.

"Sorry, babe," my dad said. "We just haven't talked to Mally in a month and we were worried about her," he added, making me feel bad about ignoring all of their calls.

"I'm sorry, dad. I wasn't… myself," I told him.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked me.

I nodded my head and adjusted myself on the arm of Ben's chair. I felt Ben snake his arm around my back. I looked down at him and he was giving me a small smile as he rubbed his thumb up and down my side.

"Why do I feel like I am missing something?" my dad asked.

"Well, you see Lord Drakos," Ben started.

"That doesn't sound good," my dad said. "What happened?"

I looked at my mom who sat up straight and cleared her throat.

"Honey, there was an incident," she said. "Mally was in the hospital today, but obviously, you can see she is okay," she said as she took my hand in hers.

"Why were you in the hospital? What happened?" he asked in a panic.

"I almost drowned," I said.

"WHAT?!" he and Hadie exclaimed.

"How the hell did that happen?" he asked.

"Well, why don't we start from the beginning," Ben said.

"I'm getting impatient here," my dad said in an aggravated tone.

"I was feeling sick for the past couple of days," I stated. "I came to Ben and told him why I wasn't feeling good and then I teleported to the lake where Ben takes me on dates," I told him.

"Okay. There are so many hikes in that story, but continue and we'll come back to it," he said.

"My friend, family and I went all over to find her," Ben started. "Evie, Jay, Carlos, and I went to the enchanted lake and Carlos saw her in the middle of the lake. I dove in and pulled her out, but she wasn't breathing. I did cpr on her and she spat water everywhere. We took her to the hospital and had her checked over," he said.

"Okay. Thank you for that. I'm glad you got to her in time," he said. "But what I want to know is why you were in the water? What were you sick with? And why did everyone have to go and find you?"

I started to feel my throat close. What was he going to think? Was he going to yell and scream?

"Dad," I said. "I'm pregnant."

I looked at the screen and saw him and Hadie staring at the screen with my facial expression. My dad stood from his seat and walked out of the frame, leaving Hadie looking at where he walked off to. I looked back at my mom who squeezed my hand and rubbed my arm. We heard a crash and saw Hadie jump. Things were being thrown across the room. I felt Ben tighten his hold on me. Hadie dodges a couple of things that would have hit him and then froze when everything stopped. My dad walked back into the frame with a box in his hands and he sat back down in his seat.

It was a purple and blue box and I didn't know what was inside. He rested his hands on the side of the box before sighing. He looked at the screen and then took the top off the box. He pulled out a stack of what looked like pictures.

"What are those?" I asked in a soft voice, hoping that he wouldn't yell at me.

He looked back at the screen and then a small smile appeared on his face. He turned the stack around to show me a picture of him and I when I was a baby.

"What?" I asked as I sat forward.

"I know most, if not all, the other kids on the Isle don't have pictures of themselves when they were growing up, but Seph brought cameras whenever she came to the Isle," he said as he turned the pictures back to him.

"I never knew there were pictures of me," I said.

"I know. I had them put away because I never wanted them to get ruined," he said as he flipped through the pictures. "This one is my favorite," he said as he turned the stack toward us.

It was a picture of my dad and I, but I was a baby, maybe about one and a half. We were asleep on the couch. My dad was laying on the couch on his back and I was asleep on his chest. He had one arm hanging off the couch and the other was wrapped around me. My face was smooshed against his chest and I had short purple curls that were pulled back into a tiny ponytail.

I felt my tears start to water and he placed the pictures back on the box and pulled out some baby clothes.

"I saved a lot of your baby stuff in case you ever did have a baby of your own," he said as he looked at the clothes in his hands. "And now you are," he said as his voice cracked. "I'm not mad that you are having a baby. I wish it was later, but a baby is a blessing. You and Hadie were the best things that ever happened to me," he told me.

"I'm going to be an uncle?" Hadie asked as he moved closer to the screen.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you are," I said as I wiped my tears from my eyes.

"Cool," he said with a smile on his face. "I hope they're a boy," he said.

Ben, my mom and I laughed at him. I was so thankful that my dad wasn't mad.

"How far along are you?" My dad asked.

"I'm about 4 weeks," I told him.

He looked at me and squinted his eyes.

"That means…" he started.

"Yeah," Ben said, cutting my dad off. "The baby may or may not be mine," he said. "But, like I already told Mal," he added as he pulled me back so I was now sitting on his lap. "They are mine regardless of DNA."

"Wow," my dad said in shock. "Now I can never kill you," he said with a hint of humor in his voice. "Thank you."

Ben shook his head. "Why thank me? They're my baby too," he said.

"Well, the baby…" he started but stopped when he realized something. "You teleported to the lake after telling Ben you were pregnant? And you went knowing you didn't know who the father was?" he asked, making me slowly nod my head. He looked at me and his jaw tightened. "I am really trying not to blow up right now," he said as he clenched his fist. I now knew he put all the pieces together. "Are you and the baby okay?" He asked as he took a deep breath.

"Yes," I nodded my head. "We both are."

"Okay," he said.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

"I am assuming you already got a lecture from your mother?" He asked.

"Yes she did," my mom said. "She is never doing anything stupid like that EVER again," she added.

"Okay," he said. "Please tell me everything. I want to know why you did what you did," he said.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head.

It took awhile but I told my dad everything. Ben and mom also told him what they had said and thought.

"Mally. If you ever do something stupid or think that way again… I swear…" he started.

"I won't dad," I said cutting him off. "I promise. I should have just talked with everyone from the beginning and I'm sorry," I told him.

"As long as you and my grandkid are okay," he said, making me grow a small smile. "That's all that matters. But you better answer my calls from now on," he said as he pointed to the screen.

"I promise," I told him.

"Good. I guess I'll let you go so you can go be with your friends, but I'm going to call you tomorrow," he said.

"I'll be waiting," I said.

"I love you, baby girl," he told me.

"I love you too, dad."

"Bye, Ben. Thank you for taking care of my girl again," he said.

"Always," Ben said as he kissed my head.

"Bye, babe. I'll see you next week," he told my mom as he blew her a kiss.

"I'll see you next week," she said with a wink.

"Bye Hadie," I said with a wave.

"No. No," he said holding up his hand. "It's UNCLE Hadie, now," he said, making us laugh.

I shook my head. "You dork. Bye I love you," I told him.

"Love you too, sis. Bye Ben. By mom," he said with a wave.

We all waved at the screen before it turned black.

"Well, that went better than I ever expected," Ben said as he let out a long breath.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. I felt his tighten his hold around my waist.

"Yep," I said as I leaned my head against his.

"I'll be leaving now," my mom said as she stood from her chair. "I'll see you tomorrow and I'll be back before I leave to check on you," she said as she pointed to me.

I nodded my head and smiled at her. "Okay, mom."

She put her hand out to me and I took it. She pulled me from Ben's lap and gave me a tight hug.

"I love you, Mally," she whispered. "So much."

I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in her neck.

"I love you too," I said.

She pulled away and held her hand out for Ben. He took her hand and was about to shake it, but she pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you for being the person my Mally needs," I heard her say.

He shook his head. "She is the person that I need," he said as he pulled away from the hug. "And she always will be."

My mom smiled at Ben before she left. Now it was just Ben and I in his office.

"So, are you going to open that envelope from your admirer?" I asked as I snaked my arms around his waist.

"Can we do it tomorrow before all of us go back to school?" He asked with a whine.

I shook my head. "I showed you what Trevor gave me," I teased, making him smile and chuckle.

"Fine," he said. "I guess that's fair."

He reached behind me and picked up the envelope. He opened the flap and pulled out what looked like pictures.

"What the fuck?!" He yelled, making me jump back from the boom in his voice. "This is discussing," he said as he threw the pictures down on the desk.

I turned to look at the pictures and saw that Ariana had sent Ben nude photos of her.

"Oh my gods," I said as I covered my mouth and picked up the pictures. "Why the hell would she send you these?"

"The hell if I know!" Ben exclaimed as he threw his hand out. "I didn't ask for those," he said.

"Woah," we heard coming from the doorway. "What's going on?" Ryder said as he and the others walked in behind him.

"Yeah. We can hear you from the third floor," Jordan said.

Ben and I hurried and picked up the pile of pictures and stuffed them back in the envelope.

"Nothing," we said simultaneously.

They were all standing there looking at Ben and I with curious expressions.

"What's in the envelope?" Jay asked as I held the envelope in my hand.

"Nothing," I said as I placed it behind my back.

"Is that another letter from Ariana?" Audrey asked.

Ben and I looked at each other in shock and then back to the group in front of us.

"That's a yes," she said as she walked up to us.

"You know?" I asked.

"Yeah. Chad, Jordan and I were there when the first one fell out of Ben's locker," she said. "Even I told her to quit her shit, but she didn't."

I felt this song in my heart because Ben didn't come to me about it, but I couldn't get mad about it because I was always locking myself in my room.

"Can I see it?" She asked, holding her hand out.

Ben and I shook our heads.

"No. I don't think you'll want to see these," Ben said.

"Why not?" Jay asked.

"We've seen the others," Evie added.

They all started to walk forward and around each side of the desk. I walked back and pressed my back and the envelope against the wall.

"Come on. What's the worst it could say?" Jay asked as he stepped in front of Ben, knocking him into his chair.

"Hey!" Ben said as he tried to get up from the chair, but was held down by Chad, Ryder and Aziz. "Don't touch my girlfriend. She's pregnant, remember," he told Jay in a warning tone.

Jay smiled as he walked closer to me.

"I would never hurt my sister and niece or nephew," he said as I turned my back away from the wall.

I felt the envelope being plucked out of my hand and I turned to see Audrey and the rest of the girls already opening the envelope.

"OH MY ZEUS!" They all exclaimed.

"What the hell?!" Audrey yelled. "What the fuck is she thinking?"

The guys all ran to the girls side and their eyes popped out of their heads when they saw the pictures. I felt Ben at my side and we both looked at each other and sighed.

"Woah," Aziz said. "Is she stupid?"

They all looked to Ben and I for answers.

"I'm taking these," Audrey said, making everyone look at her. "She needs to be taught a lesson and I'm going to give it to her," she said as she put the pictures back in the envelope.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"You'll see," she said before walking to the door. She turned back when she didn't hear anyone following. "Are you guys coming to watch the movie?" She asked.

"Yeah," Ben said. "Go get things ready. Mal and I will meet you guys up there soon," Ben said.

They all nodded and walked out of Ben's office. I turned to Ben with a confused look.

"Why aren't we heading up now?" I asked.

"Because I wanted to make sure that those pictures didn't upset you," he said as he closed the space between us.

"I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't a little upset because I was, but I'm not mad. I just wish you came and told me, but again," I said as I wrapped my hands around his neck and started to play with the hair on the back. "I wasn't really there to begin with or even notice it at all. I'm sorry, for not being there for you," I told him.

She shook his head and leaned down to kiss me. "No apologies," he said against my lips. "Beside. You look 10,000 times better naked than she does," he said, making me laugh.

I pressed my lips against his again. "Thank you, but I am going to tell her off tomorrow," I said, making him laugh.

"I wouldn't expect anything less than what she deserves," he told me. "So, shall we join our friends?" I asked, nudging his head to the door.

I smiled and nodded my head. He took my hand in his and we walked out of his office and upstairs to the theater room to enjoy a movie night with our friends. I was happy with how things turned out. Ben wanted to be with me still and wanted the baby no matter what. My friends and family were happy. I was just hoping now that the council and the kingdom would feel the same way.