Hades paced back and forth outside, his arms crossed over his chest as he strode back and forth down that horrid, dreadful, terrible hall. Every once in a while, he would stop by the door hopefully and wait for a moment, but it never did open with any news.

The suspense was killing him. How long were they going to take? How long did it take to give birth to a beautiful, bouncing bundle of joy?

Hades had came as soon as he had received news that his daughter was having her baby. He had seen her for a few minutes before a bout of labor pains came upon her and the hospital staff had disrespectfully ushered him out. Of course, when Mal wasn't looking, he had lit his hair afire and silently threatened them.

Needless to say, they treated him much more nicely after that.

He was sure he was going to wear a ditch into the floor. It was almost too much for him to bear, imagining his baby in pain as she struggled through her intense bouts of agony.

"Would you like some potato chips?" the goofy voice of that stuff-shirt his daughter married suddenly sounded off. Hades whipped around to stare at the boy, his eyes narrowed as he mentally turned the greasy bag into blue flames.

Hades barely held back the smirk at the expression on Ben's face. The boy looked terrified, and he dropped his gaze to the floor, settling for stuffing his face with the nasty food that he had just offered to the enormous man.

Hades began pacing again.

Against the god's will, he couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for the boy. Even after Hades had been so mean to him throughout this entire ordeal, Ben was still nice and offered his disgusting chips to him. The kid really wasn't so bad. And it wasn't like it was his fault. He had been waiting outside that cursed door for as long as Hades had been.

So far, Mal had only allowed Evie inside, and judging by Evie's occasional yelps that were perfectly timed with Mal's chilling screams, she must have gotten the lucky job of being the hand-holder and encourager.

Hades had to give it to Ben. He handled not being allowed to come in rather well, even though the father generally stood inside with the wife while she was in labor. He never even got mad when Mal had wanted Evie instead of him on the premises that she was comfortable with Evie witnessing the birth.

Hades knew how his daughter worked. It was more likely that she didn't want Ben to see her pain. She trusted Evie just as much or more than Ben in some ways, so she got the bluenette to be her support.

Jay, Audrey, Jane, and Carlos hadn't come yet. Jay was most likely wrestling with Audrey, trying to drag her out of her castle and away from her beauty sleep and makeup to go to the hospital. Jane and Carlos were several cities away and they had packed their things and were on their way back as soon as they heard Mal was going into labor.

Adam and Belle were somewhere in the hospital. Hades believed Belle had made some excuse of attending to some work that they needed to do there, but the blue-haired man knew better. Belle was just trying to keep Adam away so he wouldn't go all beast again. Something about Hades must have made old Beast man a little bit angry.

But despite all of the drama involved with the other people that were supposed to be there and that were there, it was driving the god absolutely nuts not to hear any news of how it was going at all. He had practically memorized by now how many tiles were in the hall. He would have gone outside, but he was terrified that she'd have the baby and he'd miss it.

He wanted to see his grandchild. That was his flesh and blood and he wanted to witness the very moment that the nurses or the doctor came out to tell them that Mal had a beautiful baby boy or girl.

"Do you think you might want to sit down? You don't like chips, but maybe we could talk to get your mind off of this?" Ben offered, and Hades stopped in his tracks, looking down at the floor.

He considered the boy's suggestion for a moment before finally sighing deeply. He turned around to head back to the young king, only pausing when he was even with the door to that room.

Hades stared at it for a moment, willing it to magically open before his very eyes, and was sorely disappointed when absolutely nothing happened. He grumbled under his breath as he plopped down in a chair nearby Ben.

"How long have they been in there?" Hades asked in a manner that was more of a command. With only a small jump, the boy looked down at his watch to check the time.

"Well, Mal got here at six, and Evie got here at about six-thirty. Mal's been in there for about three hours now and Evie's been in there for two hours and thirty minutes," Ben explained, looking back up at his father-in-law. Hades rolled his eyes with a barely withheld growl.

"Jeez, I didn't ask for a friggin' math lesson, Florian." He victoriously noted Ben's form stiffen beside him.

"So… I've been meaning to ask you. How do you know my middle name?" Ben questioned with a slight wince and Hades' gaze flickered over to his.

"Oh, please, your mom and dad pronounced that royally stupid name all over national television. I just happened to remember it," Hades skillfully told him, weaving the lie easily. Hades was sure they painted his name everywhere. However, the untruth was that Hades didn't really remember his middle name for that particular instance.

He figured it was better to lie, since there was no chance that he was going to rat out his daughter for accidentally telling him her beau's middle name.

To his credit, Ben did look a little skeptical of his statement, but he nodded his head anyway. Hades held back the grin at his success. He still had it. Auradon hadn't tamed him completely.

"Okay."

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" Hades inquired after a few moments of silence.

"I don't know," Ben shrugged, looking down at his chip bag that was now empty. "She said that her water must have been broke for a while before she finally found me," Ben guiltily explained and Hades' first instinct was to ask why in the heck wasn't the king there when she needed him.

"I told her that she could've asked some guards to come find me, but you know Mal. She's nothing if not stubborn," Ben told him nervously, before completely freezing upon the realization that he criticized Hades' daughter right in front of him. The blue-haired man considered the possibility of terrorizing the young man and making him think that he was angry, but he decided to take pity on the boy.

"Yes, she certainly can be stubborn."

Things went quiet for a moment, until the sounds of Evie's outcry and Mal's screeches pierced the air. Hades immediately looked back at the door, reminded of the situation. He clasped his hands on his lap, fiddling with his fingers as he waited her out.

However, when Mal's pained yells weren't letting up, Hades immediately stood and stalked over to the door. After only a moment of hesitation, the god spoke up.

"Is everything okay in there?!" Hades called, but Mal's screams never stopped. He felt his heart beat harder and harder in his chest as he grew more agitated.

"Hey?! Is everything okay?!" Hades knocked on the door, knowing that there was surely someone that was free in there that could respond.

"HEY!" Hades rose his voice to its full capacity, and he absently registered the hands that were on his shoulder, pulling him back. He jerked out of the hands grasp and jerked at the doorknob, realizing it was locked. Just as he was about to charge forward and knock down the door, Evie opened the door.

She immediately looked terribly afraid as soon as she registered the look on his face. But she quickly recovered and swallowed hard, keeping her eyes firmly affixed upon the taller man's.

"She's had the baby and you both can come in now," Evie joyfully told them, unable to keep the pleased grin off of her face despite the fact that she was more than a little afraid of Hades' current state.

"Really?" Ben eagerly stepped up beside the god, his entire posture reflecting his excitement. Evie grinned widely and hugged Ben tightly, wrapping her arms around him. Hades awkwardly stared at the both of them, really hoping that the girl didn't deem it necessary to hug him, too.

"Congratulations!" Evie told the boy before breaking away. She then glanced over at Hades and opened her arms, offering a hug to him as well.

Even though he didn't particularly want one, he couldn't deny the sweet girl. He could see exactly how much she wanted to hug him, even though she was a little bit terrified. So he dropped his defensive pose, moving forward a bit.

"Well, when you've got your mind set on hugs, nobody's going to be able to deter you," Hades offered as an explanation before the girl latched on tightly, squeezing him in a surprisingly strong grip.

When she finally let go, she stood to the side of the door, allowing the both of them entrance.

"Well, Daddy and Granddaddy, go see that baby," Evie gave them permission, waving Ben in eagerly. Hades walked behind him but stopped momentarily when he was next to Evie. He leaned over so that his mouth was next to her ear.

"Do you need to get that doctor to look at your hand?" he questioned, slightly grinning at the low chuckle it earned from her.

"I don't know. I'm definitely going to have bruises tomorrow," she laughed. He spared her a small grin, but as soon as she had replied, Hades hurried into the room.

His eyes went wide as he took in the sight of the absolutely gorgeous baby in his daughter's arms.

Ben stepped to the side respectfully as Hades absent-mindedly walked forward to see it, his eyes wide and focused solely on the child that Mal was holding.

The most beautiful sprigs of blue hair were coating its head, undoubtedly inherited from Hades himself. He kneeled beside Mal, able to easily see the baby as he held onto the metal arm on the edge of the hospital bed in order to steady himself.

It opened its eyes- they were unfortunately colored just like its father's- and he could've sworn he saw them flash its mother's signature bright green for a moment. It looked around the room blankly, and Hades allowed himself to marvel at the little thing.

He hadn't seen anything as beautiful and as amazing as this child since Mal had been born. Hades could feel a sense of nostalgia overwhelming him as he watched it reverently and adoringly.

After its gaze had scoured the entire room, the little one's eyes finally settled on its grandfather. It looked enamored by him and it never stopped in its intent stare. So, running on his instincts alone, he hesitantly reached over. His hand dwarfed the child as he tentatively touched its closed fist with a large finger.

Its grasp unsure and wobbly, it took a digit in its hand, grabbing with a surprisingly tight grip for a newborn. He kept his gaze locked with its own and as its grip grew stronger, he watched its green eyes glow brightly with the magic.

At that very moment, he knew it was a girl. It was somehow, through its iron grip and fiery gaze, telling him that it was a girl.

After a moment of marveling at the beautiful child, he looked up at its equally stunning mother. Even with her hair a mess and sweat coating every inch of her skin, his baby girl was still gorgeous, even if she wasn't such a baby anymore. Mal was contentedly looking on at the exchange between him and her new sweet baby.

Hades moved his other hand up to cradle his daughter's cheek, stroking gently with his thumb.

"Glad it's over?" he joked and was rewarded with a weak laugh on Mal's behalf as she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Yeah," Mal hoarsely replied as she looked down at her new bundle of joy.

"It's a girl?" Hades checked in a manner that was more of a statement. Mal nodded quietly in affirmation. His grin grew wider as he looked between the sun and the moon of his whole world.

Hades felt so much better with this confirmation. He felt a sense of excitement rising within him as he thought of all of the time that he could spend with this little girl. He would be a good grandfather. He wouldn't let this baby down. Not even once.

He now had another opportunity. An opportunity that he wouldn't waste to start anew with a sweet baby that was all his.

Well… Maybe not all his. After all, its mother, father, and aunt seemed pretty darned attached to it. But it was still forty percent his baby.

Mal had fifty percent, Evie had eight percent, and Ben got two percent. Sounded fair to Hades.

"I love you," he whispered, gently wiggling his finger in the baby's grasp. His face lit up in a big grin as he watched her pull his finger closer to her mouth so she could gnaw it.

Before long, he suddenly felt his emotions threatening to spill in the form of tears, so he hesitantly stood up and slipped his finger out of the little one's grasp so that he could subtly recover. After all, he didn't want to upset Mal. She'd never seen him cry and he was supposed to be strong for her.

Hades walked over to the corner of the room where Evie was currently standing and massaging her hand carefully. He nonchalantly wiped at his eyes, and he knew that she had noticed, if her soft smile and gentle squeeze of his arm was anything to go by.

It didn't really matter to him that she had noticed. He knew she wouldn't judge him, and she wasn't expecting him to be that big, strong, seemingly infallible father-figure.

She let her hand slip away so that she could continue rubbing her other, significantly sorer hand. After a moment of struggling with his fresh, raw emotions, he looked back up at his two babies on the bed.

"That's my girl. And that's my grandbaby," Hades told Evie quietly yet proudly as he watched Mal carefully with a giant smile on his face.

"That's your grandbaby alright. It nearly set the whole room on fire when it first came out," Evie told him quietly. Hades' eyes went wide as he stared at the girl, absolutely astounded. Mal's birth hadn't been nearly as interesting. Of course, Mal had been born on an island that had a barrier put up that specifically prevented magic, so it was understandable why Mal had such a boring, commonplace birth.

"What?"

"That baby has at least as much magic as its mother even now. If it is even slightly displeased, it lets you know with a very fiery outburst of temper," Evie explained, grinning at the look that must have been on Hades' face at that point. The man stood there for a moment before recovering easily, his chest puffing up even more in his pride for the little girl. So she was a fighter. Just like her mother.

"Those are my girls. Those are my girls."

"Easy, grandpa, that little one's mine, too. I could just snag her up and take her home with me," Evie cooed, moving away as she joined Mal on the opposite side to Ben so she could look at the baby, too. Hades moved in closer, but still kept close to the corner in case the tears decided to come back.

Mal smiled at the sight of her sister, but her gaze worriedly shifted down to Evie's hand that was already blackening in the shape of fingerprints and handprints.

"Is your hand okay?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Evie assured her sweetly, and Mal reached over to Evie with her free hand, taking Evie's injured one in her own.

"I'm sorry," Mal apologized and Hades could easily see that she felt terrible about hurting Evie.

"Don't be. I'm just glad it was me and not Ben, considering all of the obscene things that you were muttering under your breath about him as you squeezed," Evie chuckled and Hades grinned at the look of utter offense on Ben's face.

"What did she say about me?" Ben questioned worriedly. The girls simply shared a laugh and Mal leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Just things that every pregnant woman says. No biggie," Mal told him.

Hades shook his head, his expression softening at the family that Mal had found for herself.

And as his little girl waved him over, he found himself feeling very lucky that he was a part of it.