Ingrid is playing a game. She's invented it herself. It's a multiplayer, ages 30 up, timespan freely. Ingrid calls it „How long till my family figures out I'm pregnant".

It's hardly fair to play it right now, that the best player in its prequel - „Who cares about Ingrid?" - is gone. Aunt Wendy used to have some kind of a sixth sense for Ingrid's feelings. Possibly because of the life she'd once taken from her favourite niece. It was crazy that she hadn't put one and one together with the mandragora. Then, maybe If she had they wouldn't be playing this new game now.

What begins as a game for a few days soon turns into weeks. They bury her aunt. Yes, hers, because Ingrid doesn't feel like sharing that day.
Everyone is sharing at the funeral. Killian, - who is somehow behaving very strangely, but the younger Beauchamp should be able to figure that one out by herself for once -, holds Freya as she cries. Tommy squeezes Joanna's shoulder.
Nobody wants to share with Ingrid. The men she loved or thought she had loved are either dead or otherwise occupied. In a moment when nobody is looking she slips a shy hand down to rub her belly.

There is something comforting about the knowledge of this someone, who's not really quite a person a yet. But once they will be, once they are truly with her, they will be hers and hers alone. She won't have to share with no one. Just her person to love and love her back.

Soon she's got her first doctor's appointment. (Her family still hasn't noticed yet. Nobody has. Although she excuses herself quite a bit for box stops at work lately.) It's not Dr. Gardiner, who's taking care of her and – to be honest – it's probably best that way. Not that he could out of his prison cell. She's not gone mad over all of this. Knowing that she doesn't really want him to be there makes her happy, that's all.
All her life, Ingrid needed to be fine by herself. This time, she has chosen to be fine. All by herself.

The picture she takes home from the ultrasound is blurry and although she's done her fair share of studying pregnancy for Barb, she doesn't really have a clue what she could make out of it. She doesn't care a lot. Whether her baby has tentacles or not, she'd rather not know.

Ingrid keeps the first photograph of her child in her nightstand. On the one hand she doesn't want to reinforce the idea of everyone keeping ultrasounds in their purse. On the other, she's still playing her game. 6-8 weeks now, according to her doctor.

Ingrid doesn't really want Dash to be there with her. Really, though, isn't enough. As she's sobbing into tissues to some Christmas Comedy on Hallmark she thinks how nice it would be If she had someone to make her the pepper-onion-cheese-starfruit sandwich she craves so badly. Someone, who'd massage her back and put his hands under hers above her stomach. Someone, she'd turn to and look at with a bright smile. Someone, to hold back her hair. Someone, who will discuss baby names with her.

But. Dash is an imprisoned murderer. And history shows that it wouldn't end well for them.

He'd still be better than the mandragora, she thinks before falling asleep.

It's almost time for her second appointment when her game comes to an end. Completely by accident, so to say. Ingrid is staying over for family dinner with Freya's new fiancé. It's nothing she's not used to. Freya has always been a little romantic. She used to bring over everyone she'd been on 2+ dates with. Ingrid herself only once brought her prom date. The rest was kept private and in her eyes it mostly didn't last long enough to be introduction-worthy.

Anyway, they're having dinner. Which is nice. Not cooking for once, that's relaxing.
Except it's fish. She's read that fish is not good for the baby. Whether that's true or not, it's definitely not helping with nausea.

After a hasty excuse and dash to the bathroom, Ingrid returns in time for dessert, looking relatively pale and sweaty. This draws the attention from the newly engaged back to the spinster sister. She's feeling pretty dizzy, however, assures Freya that she feels fine now.

„You were running off as If hit by lightening", Freya says, „I mean. Mom's cooking has never been the best, but that's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

„Well", Joanna adds handing out bowls of pudding – great, Ingrid is up for that, hopefully there's more...-, „When I was pregnant with you guys I was just like that. Especially with fish. But as you're not pregnant, baby, we should probably check up on you before we eat."

Ingrid shakes her head. Eager for the pudding. „No, it's fine, mom. I'm fine, I'm pregnant, we can eat." She doesn't even realize it. Or maybe she does. Maybe she slips it right there, because that's the best moment to, or she's afraid they'll only notice when she goes into labour.

Everyone is gaping at her now, as she takes a spoonful. Ingrid can feel all eyes on her.

„What?"

Joanna's voice sounds weird, hoarse. It makes Ingrid nervous and the tips of her ears turn pink.

„What did you just say?"

„I'm pregnant. I'm fine", she mutters between two spoonfuls.

Twice can't be a joke. They go crazy immediately.

„Oh god!"
„Since when?"
„Why didn't you tell us?"
„Are you sure...?"
„What If it's the mandragora's? Isn't that dangerous? Should we kill it?"

The last part makes her particularly furious. Shouldn't it be her decision what happens to her baby?

„Silentio", she says sternly, silencing them all. Yet, their eyes remain on her as she speaks up for herself. And her baby. „Guys, it's all good. I've been at the doctor's, it looks completely normal. I can handle this. Besides, I really don't think it would even work, mandragora and witch..."

„Well then, who's the father?", Freya demands. She recalls Ingrid's last boyfriend, Adam. Could she have hidden a pregnancy for so long...?

Ingrid blushes. There's no way to avoid saying it. „I... I think it's Dash." She releases a breath and watches Freya.

However, it's not Freya, who goes completely still and then flees the room as If on fire. It's her fiancé.

A/N: Basically, it's written as a stand alone. But If anyone's interested I might add more. Thanks for reading! :)
non-native, not beta-ed
all the characters belong to Melissa de la Cruz & lifetime respectively.