Choosing Life

Chapter Eighteen

"I'll go ahead and get that right now dearie," Mrs. Potts promised.

"Oh no Mrs. Potts, I didn't mean...and she's gone," Mal sighed as Mrs. Potts got up and left.

Chip chuckled. "You really expected mom to just sit by when you'd asked for something?"

"Good point, I don't know what I was thinking. We'll just chalk it up to pregnancy brain," Mal chuckled before looking over at Ben. "So I take it that everyone's been informed about the change in the number of expected children?"

Ben nodded with a small chuckle.

"Congratulations Mal," Persephone said as she walked over to give her daughter a hug.

"Thanks mom," Mal told her, leaning into the hug.

Hadie shook his head. "So...now that Mal's here, are you going to open that envelope so Chip and I can know if we're expecting two nephews or two nieces or one of each?"

"I love how Rea and Geene aren't included in the aunt and uncle category," Mal snorted.

"And that might be something they'd want to do in private," Hades said as he looked over at his son. After all, Mal and the sunspot go so little in the way of privacy now that he wouldn't begrudge them the little they could get.

Mal shrugged. "I mean, it's not like you guys are reporters. You're going to find out anyway."

"Mal's right," Ben nodded as Mrs. Potts came over with a tray.

"Here you are dearie," she said, setting the tray down in front of Mal. "Now sit down both of you. You've had a long day and some rather shocking news. I'm surprised you're sill on your feet."

"Mom, what did we say about mothering the twenty three year olds?" Chip chuckled.

"Oh hush you, you're thirty two and I'll happily mother you," Mrs. Potts shook her head but gave her youngest son a smile.

Ben chuckled as he helped Mal sit down at the table before taking a seat himself and pulled out the envelope.

"You ready?"

Mal nodded and began nibbling on a bit of chocolate covered strawberry as Ben slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the results for him and Mal to look at.

"Looks like we got our wish," Mal said softly as she smiled and looked at Ben. "One of each."

Persephone smiled. "Oh how wonderful!"

"This is truly exciting! A little Prince and Princess running around the castle," Mrs. Potts said though if anyone looked at her closely, they could tell that the smile had a hint of sadness to it.

After all, other than Beast, she had been the one to see the affects the miscarriage had had on Belle. How much she had wanted a daughter and how devastated losing Abigail had been for the Queen.

"I'm so happy for you both," Belle said, her voice soft but her smile at almost Dizzy levels as she walked over and gave Ben and Mal a hug.

Mal returned the hug but then looked over at her husband. "Ben...we never did tell them what the name we wanted to use if pup was a girl, did we?"

"You told Uma I believe but no we never told our parents," Ben said, shaking his head.

"Oh right, that reminds me I'll have to tell Uma about the whole twin thing," Mal said. "But that can be later."

Hades chuckled. "Pregnancy brain getting to you Mali? Come on, spill. What's the name?"

Mal and Ben looked at each other and smiled before Mal looked back at her parents. "For the boy, we're going to go with our first pick of Maurice Benjamin Adam and for the girl...we're going to go with Stephanie Isabelle Hailey."

"We want to make sure all the grandparents get included," Ben said as Hades tilted his head in confusion.

Persephone, however, gasped in realization as her mind flashed back to a conversation she'd had with Mal before Hadie was born. About what name they could use had Hadie been a girl.

"Hailey...for Hades?"

"It's not the best I'll admit, but it was the best we could come up with," Mal said with a small smile. "As for Stephanie...well that was Ben's idea. We wanted to name her after you mom but as history has shown, favoring one God over another ends in chaos. So we figured since your nickname is Steph..."

"Brilliant!" Hadie exclaimed.

"What's brilliant?" Rea asked, looking over at them.

"Your sister of course," Hadie said as he walked over and scooped Rea up in his arms.

"Oh...why is she brilliant?"

Mal chuckled. "I just am. It's the perk of being the eldest you know."

"Yeah yeah," Hadie shook his head. "Anyway, don't you think your kids are going to hate having a really long name?"

"The third name will only come out if they're in big trouble," Mal said. "Otherwise it's just going to be for show."

Persephone shook her head. "Gods...it's almost hard to believe that May will be here before we know it. That's still your due date right?"

"It is," Mal nodded. "Stephanie and Maurice will be born around the end of May."

"And we'll be here if you need any help," Belle promised.

"Same with us," Persephone nodded.

"I think Lucas and I go without saying," Chip chimed in.

Ben chuckled. "We know, and we're grateful. For all of you. And now, if someone will please go and relax?"

Mal smiled and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Okay, okay," she said as she stood up.

"If it makes you feel better Mal, his father was just as bad when I was pregnant with Ben," Belle told her.

"Your father was worse when I was pregnant with Hadie and Rea," Persephone chimed in.

Hades shook his head as Mal snorted fondly. "Yes well, in terms of your pregnancy with Hadie, excuse me for being concerned about my pregnant wife being in a realm without me."

"And I wasn't that bad when you were pregnant Belle," Beast said.

"You almost banned me from the library, Adam!"

"Belle, we wouldn't have any books left if you had kept reading them."

"We could have ordered more, Adam. You had already forbidden me from reading your paperwork and I was the Queen!"

Ben bit his lip to avoid laughing. Mal had no such restraint however she had the ability to pass it off as pregnancy related.

Beast shook his head. "Belle, I didn't forbid you from reading it. You had developed a habit of reading it over my shoulder."

"And what was wrong with that?"

"Nothing except for when you'd point out grammatical and spelling mistakes."

"So?"

"My spelling and grammatical mistakes Belle. You'd correct my mistakes."

"You can't have mistakes on official documents, Adam."

Mal shook her head and leaned over to whisper to Ben. "Come on, I think they'll be like this for a while...you want to share that bath?"

"I think that would be a great idea," Ben whispered back and the two of them quietly snuck out of the room to enjoy a moment alone.

After all, those moments would soon become fleeting once two became four.