Half and Half

Chapter Thirty Three

Beast couldn't help but smile as he looked at the calendar. In all honesty, had he been a younger man (or even Chip), he'd probably be bouncing up and down on his heels but he didn't care.

This was the day when Lady Persephone would be returning to the Isle, when Ben would be returning to the Isle.

Yes it wasn't something a normal parent would be happy about and in all honesty, Beast wished for nothing more than for Ben to be able to never step foot on the Isle again so that he could be as far away from Gaston as possible. But he was still human, and he still missed his son.

"Papa!" Ben's voice broke into Beast's thoughts and Beast made his way to the portal room where his son, Lady Persephone, and Mal were. Oh and her Cerberus.

Or rather the room where Lord Hades was trying to gently shoo Mal and Ben out of the way as he tried to guide his very pregnant and visibly in labor wife to be anywhere other than a standing position.

"Hey Ben, Mal, why don't you two get Estelle set back up in his bed?" Beast suggested and Estelle perked up. "I think Lord Hades and Lady Persephone would like a bit of private time?"

"Are...are you sure papa?" Ben asked as Beast gently ushered them out of the room. If Beast was mistaken, he might have seen a thankful look on Hades' face. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light. Either way, Beast knew from his experience with Belle's labor with Abby, it was better to not have young children underfoot.

Gods I wish Chip was here, he's always so much better at corralling young kids, Beast thought.

"I'm sure Ben," Beast nodded before an idea came to him. "Hey, how about we play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Ben asked.

"It's called the 'Get Anastasia Tremaine' game," Beast said. Ever since the hospital's construction had been completed, Anastasia Tremaine had shocked everyone by becoming an intern to the OBGYN assigned to the hospital. It had especially shocked her mother who had assumed that, with the arrival of the hospital, she and her daughters could resume dedicating their time and efforts to the hair salon if that was all they were going to accomplish in life.

The argument that had occurred after she said that was one people on the Isle were still talking about.

"Mother I like it! I like being able to make a difference!" Anastasia Tremaine exclaimed as Beast walked past Curl Up and Dye. He knew it was out of character for the two upper crust women to argue out in the streets but apparently there was no helping it this day.

"Anastasia, enough with this foolishness," Lady Tremaine ordered. "Now I may not care for it but at least the hair salon is a respectable career. The only reason we even became midwives in the first place—."

"Was to give myself and Drizella the chance to get off the Isle should they release us," Anastasia finished and Beast knew Anastasia would have rolled her eyes had they not been in public. "I know mother. But I also know you can't dictate my life anymore. You lost that ability when I married my husband."

"Oh yes, the baker," Lady Tremaine sniffed. "And how often is he here? Once, maybe twice a year? Honestly Anastasia, had you tried for a proper match with a man of your station—."

"I married for love! Like you did! Twice if I recall," Anastasia shot back. "Or are you saying you only married Richard for his status and that you merely lucked out that he treated me and Drizella like his own daughters? You honestly think with all your talk of wanting to elevate Drizella and my standing that you would have risked marrying a man who would have treated us cruelly? That you would have married a man who, if Gods forbid something had happened to you, would have treated us the same way you treated Cinderella?"