As my eyes rolled slowly out of sleep they quickly landed onto my sleeping husband underneath me and I smiled; memories of what had happened came to the forefront of my mind, which only made my smile bigger. I felt a sharp pain in my bladder which told me that I needed the toilet so I slowly and carefully climbed off Ben and the bed.

After watching my sleeping Beast for a few seconds I then pulled the bed covers back on top of him, so he wouldn't get too cold. I then quickly walked into the bathroom to relieve myself, but not before throwing another loving look before I left the room.


When I walked back into the room I felt too wide awake to just be lying in bed; so I decided that I wanted to draw. However I didn't want to wake Ben up so I decided to go and sit on the balcony of Adam and Belle's suite.

So with this thought in mind I quickly put my clothes back on and gathered my sketching pad and pencils; and went to go and leave the room, for some very much needed drawing time.


When I walked onto the balcony I quickly turned the lights on before setting onto one of the large two seater love seats. I then got myself settled as I pulled out one of the black drawing pencils and found the next empty page in my sketching pad.

I then started to draw a sketch of me and Ben as I was holding a bundle, but you couldn't see their face. Yes I had thought about what our little one was going to look like; but I didn't want to get stuck in my ways about this. I didn't want to imagine our child looking like me or Ben and then get the surprise of them looking completely different when I did get to hold them for the first time. And in all honesty it didn't matter who they looked like, me or Ben - they were going to be very loved and cherished.


"Mal?" I heard a voice say, and when I tore my eyes away from my sketch I saw a very tired looking Belle walking towards me in a bright yellow dressing down. "Is everything ok?" she advised as she stood in front of me.

"Yes" I nodded. "I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I came to draw" I explained. "But I didn't want to wake Ben up so I came here" I finished, but then froze when a realisation hit me - had I just woke her up? "Did I wake you up?" I quickly questioned.

"No" she answered with a tired smile. "I was going back to bed from the toilet and noticed the light," she explained. "Is it ok if I sit with you?" she questioned.

"Of course" I nodded and I moved over slightly and she sat down on my left hand side.

"What are you drawing?" she enquired.

"Look" I advised as I gave her my drawing pad and I watched as a large but tired smile spread across her face when she saw what I had been drawing.

"You are a talented artist Mal" she said happily. "You have captured yours and Ben's likeness" she noted.

"Thank you" I replied modestly.

"Why can't you see the baby's face?" she asked as she looked up at me.

"I don't know who they are going to look like" I shrugged. "Even though I have thought about it plenty" I admitted. "A boy that looks like Ben but with my bright purple hair" I smiled as I started to think about it. "A boy that looks like me but has Ben's hair" I added as I started to think about this version of how our baby was going to look like. "Same for a girl," I stated.

"Either way Mal" Belle answered as she handed me back my sketch book. "They will be so loved" she advised.

"Of course they will," I nodded. "I can't wait to meet them" I added as I smiled down at my stomach.

"Me neither" I heard her say, which made me look up at her. "I can't wait to be a grandmother," she admitted. "I have always loved children, I only wished-" she started but quickly cut herself off.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"That me and Adam had more," she confessed sadly. "But it wasn't meant to be" she was quick to add.

"I'm sorry" I quickly apologised. Ben had told me that his parents wanted to have children; but they suffered three miscarriages and two stillbirths. Ben was apparently their third baby - which seemed strange to me; as if things had worked out Ben wouldn't have been King - which seemed really strange to me. However given Ben's kind and caring nature I knew that his siblings would be very similar to him; so there was still a chance that I would have been brought across to Auradon. But as Ben was my soul mate I would have liked to think that we would have always found each other.

"Don't be," she dismissed. "We were only meant to have Ben" she smiled warmly as she said her son's name. "Have you and Ben discussed whether you would like more children?" she questioned, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"Not really," I replied. "But I know he wants more than one," I added.

"What do you want?" she enquired.

"More than one" I nodded. "I know how it is to be an only child, I would like to give them" I continued as I looked back down at my stomach. "At least one brother or sister" I smiled as I looked back up at Belle, and I watched as she smiled back. "Belle?" I asked.

"Yes?" she replied sincerely.

"And I will need your help," I confessed.

"You don't need to ask me twice!" she exclaimed, causing us both to giggle. We both then moved on to a lovely and long conversation about the things that we were going to need to start planning, like the nursery and the christening. Yes I knew that these things were months away but I wanted to make sure that it was perfect; and as I had Ben, Adam, Belle and the rest of our family around me - I knew it would be.


"Mal!" I heard a voice say which broke me and Belle out of our conversation to look over to the balcony doors and I smiled. I watched as a very tired looking Ben was slowly walking towards us, wearing nothing but a pair of dark blue boxer shorts with little gold crowns on them. "I got worried when you weren't there when I woke up" he advised as he rubbed his left eye with his left hand.

"It's ok Benny" I answered. "I haven't gone anywhere" I chuckled. "I just came to draw; and your mother found me," I explained.

"I see" he yawned.

"Well maybe it is a good time for us all to go to bed" Belle interjected, which made me look over to her and I nodded. "We have to be up early" she reminded us both.

"Yes" I said. "Unfortunately" I sighed as I started to collect my things together. I then stood up and followed Belle back into the suite, with Ben following behind us.

"Good night!" Belle yawned as Ben closed and locked the balcony door behind us.

"Good night" me and Ben called together, before we walked back into our bedroom.

"I think I owe you an apology-'' I started as I set my things down on a nearby table as Ben locked our bedroom door.

"Right?" I heard him ask, which made me turn and look at him. "How?" he questioned in confusion.

"I should have left a note" I stated as we both walked up to our bed. "To tell you where I am" I added as we both climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over us. "Waking up to find that I am not here probably made you panic, like your nightmares were coming true" I finished as I started to mentally kick myself. In my defence I thought that Ben would have realised where I had gone; given the fact that I had left lights on; but in hindsight I could see that I was going to have to ensure that I left a note to show Ben that me and his baby was in fact safe.

"Well that thought did cross my mind-" he admitted. "But when I heard you and my mother's voice that reassured me" he smiled as I rolled onto my left side as he rolled onto his right. "Especially as you were making plans for this one's nursery" he added as he cupped my stomach with his left hand, causing me to smile.

"Yeah" I answered. "We have a lot to do before they arrive," I reminded him.

"Yes" he agreed. "I really can't wait to meet them, they are going to be so perfect" he purred happily. "Like you" he offered as he looked up lovingly at me.

"Like you" I smiled at him and Ben pushed his face close to mine and pressed a brief but loving kiss against my lips.

"I know how you can make it up to me" he teased as he pulled away.

"How?" I questioned.

"Cuddle time" he replied playfully.

"Oh I think I can do that" I laughed, which made him chuckle as we cuddled together with me snuggled into his chest.

"Mal" I heard him say as he started to run his fingers through my hair.

"Aha?" I answered as I slowly looked up at him to see concern on his face.

"I don't want you to think that you can't leave the room without me worrying-" he started. "I want you to have your freedom," he told me.

"And I have" I answered with a warm smile. "I honestly was just trying to make sure I didn't wake you up" I explained.

"I know baby" he advised before he pressed another kiss against the top of my head.

"Let's not give this another thought" I dismissed. "Let's rest my love" I told him as I snuggled my face against his bare chest once more.

"Ok" I heard him answer as I felt him snuggle his face into my hair. We then lay like this in perfect silence as we held each other; I didn't know how long we were lying like this before we both fell back asleep but this isn't what mattered to me. What mattered to me was that me, Ben and our baby was safe - and after everything that we had been through I knew that me and Ben were going to ensure that this was always going to be the case.