Near-term birth was a new word Matilda was learning. It was what the doctors had described the baby as, a near-term birth. Children born around a month early than they were supposed to. There were a couple of other complications that the doctor has spoken about but Matilda had stopped listening after he had assured everyone that Mal was out of danger. The baby however, wasn't. The little girl was having trouble breathing so they had to keep her in a scary looking box.

Mal's parents had come over when they had driven her to the hospital. Mrs. Audley had been in hysterics initially, blaming Phil for not taking care of their younger daughter. Eric had to physically hold the woman back till she calmed down.

Phil had looked absolutely devastated while they all had waited for the doctor to let them know what the situation was. Things settled when the doctor reassured them that premature birth was not unheard of and that Mal was out of danger.

Once things had settled, the gang had left, one by one. First to leave were Eric and Ursula who had to return to the failed baby shower. Eric gave Matilda a pointed look as they were leaving. This was the second time now that something had gone wrong at an event at his place and in both instances Matilda Merryweather had been involved. Matilda knew then, that her friendship with Eric would be on thin ice from now on.

Someone had called Sebastian after discovering his brother passed out in the garden. A swan had been pecking at his hair. He had left after that, needing to go see if Alton was alright. He too gave Matilda a pointed look as he left with Gwendolyn still stuck to his arm like glue.

Back at the Alderon estate, when everyone had been panicking and getting Mal in the car, Gwendolyn had told Matilda to call her broom. Both witches had ridden above the car, invisible, making sure the traffic lights all turned green for them and that no other vehicle got in their way as they sped across the road.

At the hospital, Gwen had taken full charge, giving Mal all of the soothing spells that she knew and making sure she was okay. Matilda had felt lost and stupid the entire time. She admired how Gwendolyn was able to keep herself in control and make sure Mal got everything she needed. Phil had just stood by as well while the others took care of him and his wife.

"Shouldn't you be doing something?"

"I'm filling out these papers, aren't I?" He had said when the nurse had brought them the forms that needed to be signed before anything could be processed. They had called over Mal's obstetrician who had served the Alderon family for a couple of generations now. She seemed a little too old and a little too crass in her attitude, but she was cooperative with the emergency doctor and soon the chaos was settled.

"Thank you." Matilda told Gwendolyn before she left. "I wouldn't have been able to do anything if it... if it weren't for you."

Gwendolyn didn't give her signature smile, not even a smirk. "Don't mention it." She said with a cool face. "Seriously. Don't. I have a reputation to protect."

Matilda was the last to leave. She stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Audley till the doctor assured them that Mal was out of danger and they could come back tomorrow for a visit. After they all shared hugs of relief, Matilda said goodbye to Mal's parents.

"Where's Phil?" Matilda asked before leaving.

"I don't know, kiddo. He said he was going out for a smoke." The tall, skinny, Mr. Audley replied.

Matilda simply nodded her head and went out. She expected to run into Phil outside but he wasn't there. Thinking she should give Phil at least a reassuring talk before leaving, she went around looking into the designated smoking areas but Phil wasn't there either. Just some orderlies, nurses and a couple of doctors on their break.

Matilda pursed her lips, wondering where he had gone off to. She took out her cellphone, which on the way over here had cracked it's screen—nothing a little magic couldn't mend. She called his cellphone but instead of Phil's frat boy drawl, she got a mechanical voice telling her the phone she was trying to reach was off.

Now she frowned. Phil should have at least charged his phone because clearly it ran out of battery. She sent him a quick text telling him that she was available if he needed anything, even a quick chat, then left.

Back at her tiny apartment, after hours of tossing around, Matilda drifted off to sleep. It was early morning when Matilda was woken abruptly by the shrill sound of her phone.

"Till, you were the last person to leave the hospital right? Have you seen Phil?" Ursula's panicked voice came through her phone. Matilda yawned, her brain unable to process what Ursula had just said.

"What time is it?" She said in a scratchy voice.

"It doesn't matter what time, Till. Were you the last to leave the hospital?" The urgency in Ursula's voice woke Matilda up.

"Yeah. I was. What's happened? What's wrong?"

"We can't find Phil." Ursula spoke quickly, her words almost garbled by how fast she spoke, "Mrs. Montfort just called me and I made an excuse that he's crashing with us but I don't know where he is and neither does Sebastian." Ursula took a deep breath of panic. "Please tell me you know where he is Till. Please."

Matilda pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to remember when she last saw Phil. "I don't know dude. I tried looking for him at the hospital when I left but he wasn't there."

"Are you sure? Are you sure he left the hospital before you did?"

"I don't know. I only checked a couple of places. Have you spoken to—"

"Mr. Audley? Yes. He doesn't know either. He thought Phil left with you. And his phone is—"

"Off. I know. I tried calling him from the hospital. Are you sure he's not just crashing some place else?"

"He's not a the hospital, he's not at his place, he's not at his parents', he's not with any of us. Where else am I supposed to look?"

Matilda sat up on her bed. "Give me five minutes."

Matilda got to work, not even bothering to change out of her pajamas. She pulled out a black wok and filled it with water, placing flat pebbles at the bottom. She felt grateful that she had had the hindsight of keeping something from all of her friends in case she ever needed to locate them. From a cardboard box placed high and in the back of her closet, she pulled out Phil's tie from graduation.

She put the wok on the floor, and held the tie in her hand, casting her locator spell. The water in the wok began to boil and bubble. A fine, pale blue mist began to emerge as Matilda concentrated on finding Phil. The mist from the wok cleared and an imaged formed in the water.

Captain Flint's.

That's where Phil was.

Why the hell is he there? He should be with his wife. Matilda put her anger away. It was likely that Phil was just letting off some steam.

Matilda decided against calling up Ursula before meeting Phil herself. She could call her from the bar. Right now she would go and see Phil herself.

It was the middle of the day, so there were only a couple of patrons present. Matilda couldn't spot Phil right away. She did spot Cara's boyfriend behind the bar. She flashed Jim a smile when she entered.

"Hey, stranger. Long time, no see." Jim said to her, flashing a beautiful smile.

"Hey Jim. I'm here to collect a friend. Have you see a tall, athletic looking guy? Light brown hair."

"Oh you mean that guy?" Jim pointed to a booth way in the back, secluded from most of the bar. Matilda could just make out Phil's massive head.

"Yeah, that's him."

"Seems like he's going through something rough. He was the first one here."

"Thanks, Jim. I'll see ya around."

Matilda went over to Phil who by this point had downed half a bottle of scotch.

"Tillie!" Phil grinned, "Come join me." He said, but his words were a bit slurred so it sounded like "Comb jowin me."

"You know everyone is worried about you. They think you've disappeared." Matilda sent off a quick text to Ursula, letting her know she had found Phil at the bar.

"Aw, I wish I would. I wish I would disappear. Tilly make me disappear." He sounded like a toddler asking for a toy.

"I can't let you do that, Phil."

Phil pouted.

"Come on. Let's get you home." Matilda pulled at Phil's arm, which was twice the size of her thigh (and her thigh was not at all skinny) so she knew Phil was going nowhere without his own volition.

"No. No way. I'm not going there. No way."

Matilda gave up pulling Phil in an attempt to get him on his feet. It was the equivalent of an ant trying to push a giant rock. It was impossible.

Matilda tried a different tactic. "Hey Phil, are you hungry? I'm starving, I haven't had any breakfast yet."

Phil considered this. "Okay. Let's go eat."

Aha! Progress.

Matilda fished out Phil's wallet from his back pocket and paid Jim for his drinks. She took him to a café nearby and ordered their strongest coffee and two tuna sandwiches.

Phil kept blubbering about football and how he could have made pro if he hadn't injured his back.

"Why didn't you become a coach or something?" Matilda asked casually. She was sure Ursula would arrive with Eric any minute. She had texted to her about the café.

"I wasn't ever going to be a football player. I was always going to be in politics."

"Do you like politics?"

Phil laughed. "Does it look like I do?" He rubbed the side of his face. "Ah, I fucked up, Matilda. I fucked my life up. And the worst part is there is no going back."

"Well, maybe try going forward. You never know, life may turn out great after a while."

The waitress brought them their coffee. Phil took his in one gulp and asked for a refil. Matilda had never really realized just how huge a person he was till now. She had had also never realized that they had never been alone like this together.

"We don't really know each other that well, do we Phil?"

"Why would we?" He seemed to be sobering up, which was good. But his attitude still needed some adjustment. Matilda ignored it.

"I dunno, maybe because we've known each other since college?" Matilda said, lightheartedly. Phil didn't say anything, just sipped his coffee.

"So, how does it feel? Being a dad?"

Phil mumbled something incoherently which sounded like a scathing remark so Matilda didn't ask for him to elaborate.

"The Audleys were watching over Mal, by the way. In case you were wondering."

"I wasn't." Phil snapped. Matilda paused awkwardly.

"I can't wait to see the baby. I mean, I'm not usually interested in kids but Mal's the first friend of mine who's had a kid and I'm oddly—"

"Matilda, why the hell are you telling me this?" Phil said impatiently.

"I mean... I don't know. You've just had a kid, I thought you'd like to talk about that."

"Why would I talk to you?"

What is his problem?

"Because we're friends?"

"But you're really more Mal's friend, than mine."

That stung a bit. "But we hang out all the time."

"Only when Mal is around." He sounded defensive.

"Sure but we are friends... aren't we?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Can't you just get off my case, Matilda?"

"I'm not on your case, I'm just making small talk. Jesus!"

"Yeah well I don't want it. I don't want this small talk and I don't want you butting into my business."

"Butting into your business?" Matilda couldn't understand why he was being so hostile.

"Yeah. No body has asked you to get involved with me or Mal or... or my family. So just stay out of it."

"I'm not in it! Jesus, what the hell has gotten into you?" Matilda snapped back. She had had enough of Phil's mood swing or whatever this was. "You'd think you would be more happy about becoming a father."

"Well I'm not, I'm not, okay? I hate this. I can't fucking do this!"

Phil slammed his coffee mug on the floor. Matilda did not breathe.

"You can't be serious."

Phil looked at her, dead in the eye and she knew, he was serious.

"Phil... look I understand..."

"You know you always do this. You always put your nose where it doesn't belong. You did it when Mal and I got together, you did it with Eric and Ursula and you did it with Bas and Kat. You got me stuck in this God awful situation—"

"You love Mal."

"I do. But I fucking loved my old life too, Matilda. I don't..."

Something shifted in Phil. He lost his hostile hunched shoulders and was suddenly very awkward. He looked down at his plate for a long while before he just simply shook his head.

"What? What does that mean?" Matilda asked, unable to breathe properly.

"I can't do it."

"Do what."

Phil had the same devastated look he had back at the hospital. "I can't be a dad, Till." His voice was barely audible but Matilda heard him.

Don't react. Don't explode. Matilda told herself.

"Why Phil?" Matilda said in a measured voice.

Phil sighed. "I don't think I can handle that responsibility. I don't think I can raise a kid." He was starting to tear up but Matilda didn't care.

"Have you seen her, your daughter?" Matilda asked in a panicked tone.

Phil looked at her with glistening eyes. "No. I haven't."

"Maybe you should see her. At least—"

"No." Phil shook his head.

"She's your daughter Phil."

"I never wanted a daughter, Matilda. I didn't want that kid."

"You can't possibly be serious." Matilda said in her harshest tone, glaring at Phil.

Phil got up, patting the pocket of his jeans to search for his wallet. Matilda pulled it out of her coat pocket. He sighed, then took it from her hands.

"I'm sorr—"

"Don't. Don't bother." Matilda clenched her jaw.

Eric's car pulled up then, they both saw Eric and Ursula through the glass front of the café.

"Your ride's here. Have fun telling Mal that you're abandoning her." She gave him a sarcastic smile and walked out of the café, in the opposite direction of her friends and didn't look back.

*************

Over the next couple of days, Matilda saw Mal go through all stages of grief. She was sure Mal would not have been reacting so quickly and changing her stance so rapidly, had it not been for the healing spell Gwendolyn had given her.

Denial:

"He can't just leave me. He's not going to do that. He's just... he's just panicking. That's what it is." Mal said, still bedridden with an IV poking through her arm. Matilda had simply nodded not knowing what to say. Her briefcase lay in one corner, her hands itching to open up her laptop and check her emails.

Matilda had to leave work early since Ursula called all of them up saying they needed to be there for Mal. It appeared Ursula had taken the news of Phil walking out on Mal worse than Mal. She had been hysterical when Matilda had arrived, crying and fuming over Phil. Threatening murder.

Matilda had come to the hospital with Sebastian. He had seemed indifferent to the entire situation.

"So what? This problem is between Phil and Mal. We should butt out of it."

"You can't be serious, Bas. Your best friend broke my best friend's heart." Matilda said.

"She's my friend too Matilda. And I think we need to leave Mal and Phil alone instead of pushing them to solve this."

Matilda didn't know what to make of Sebastian and his recent change in personality. She didn't have the patience to deal with him right now. She had to deal with Mal and her sudden conviction that Phil was going to return to her and say he had made a mistake.

"Did you call him? I can't seem to get through." Mal asked her mother.

"Don't you dare call that boy!" Mrs. Montfort fumed. Matilda thought she could almost see steam just out of her ear. "I just got off the phone with Mrs. Montfort. I gave her a piece of my mind but the gall of that woman! Telling me that I didn't raise you well? The nerve!"

"Mom. Did you talk to Phil?" Mal said in a small voice.

"He is home, with his parents. That coward! Don't you dare talk to that boy again! I will kill you if you do."

Anger:

"How dare he just leave like that? I mean how DARE HE?" Mal said in a sudden burst of anger. "He thinks he can leave me? I'm leaving him. Tell him that, Matilda! Tell him that!"

"Mal, calm down." Ursula said, concerned.

"Tell him that!"

It was getting late and Sebastian had left this time without even a goodbye. Eric had been busy at work so only Ursula and Matilda had managed to visit. Matilda had sent Mr. and Mrs. Audley home to freshen up. She was waiting for them to return. They were lucky that Eric had enough connections to allow all of them to stay beyond the hospital visiting hours.

Mal went around pacing like a caged tiger looking for an opportunity to pounce on it's captors. She carried her IV pole with her, the bag nearly empty.

Matilda got up to call the nurse so she could change the IV bag. She returned to find Mal ripping up the flowers that her well wishers had sent her.

"Stupid, stupid flowers. Stupid." She said as she tore out the petals, her face contorted in fury.

Bargaining:

"Phil, please call me back. We can talk about this. We can work this out, okay?" Mal was saying to the phone. Matilda knew Phil wasn't on the other line and Mal was only leaving a message. Mal clicked off the call and began crying. Matilda went over to her and silently held her in her arms.

The nurse came over and quietly changed the IV bag, giving the women enough space to have their moment. Matilda flashed the kindly woman a grateful smile as she went out.

"Tilly. What if I told him we could change things?"

"Mal..."

"We can start over. We can change things."

Matilda didn't know what to say to the woman. If Ursula had been there she might have said something soothing, but tonight it was just Matilda. Ursula had been caught up with some disaster at the bakery. Matilda had assured her that she could handle everything but that had been a hollow promise. Matilda didn't have a clue about comforting others.

All she could do was give a hug.

Depression:

She had stopped eating. She had stopped talking. She had just stopped.

Both her parents were worried about this sudden shift. Matilda even worried that she might have messed up the spell.

"She's just depressed. The spell does that. Give her time and she'll snap out of it."

"She's not even moving, Gwen."

This gave Gwendolyn pause. "Okay. You can't use another spell to counter the one already on her. You just have to help her ride this out. Try getting your gang to gather around her, but make them act like nothing is wrong. The more normalcy you give her, the better. Try to compliment her, encourage her, the whole jazz."

"She's not eating either."

"Well then give things that she likes. She'll find her apetite when she sees something she wants to eat. And eat with her, don't just push things in her face."

Matilda didn't have the guts to tell Gwendolyn, that her little gang was more or less non-existant at this point. Sebastian had gone completely off the map, Eric was just as aloof. Matilda figured their loyalties were more with Phil than with Mal. The only people really caring for Mal were Ursula and Matilda.

"Can you send Sebastian over then?" Matilda said.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"We're not really speaking at the moment."

"Why? He steal your lunch or something?"

"Or something. Just get him to come over this weekend. Please."

"Ugh. Fine. But this will only be added to the growing list of favors you owe me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, put it on my tab."

Sebastian had shown up and Matilda was surprised to find him alone, sans a certain redhead.

"Gwen didn't come with you?"

"Who, Winnie? Nah she said this wasn't for her. And why do you keep calling her Gwen? You know she prefers Win right?"

"I dunno. That's just what I call her."

Eric had to be dragged away from his work by Ursula.

"Some of us have to make a living you know." He grumbled. "I don't exactly rely on my trust fund anymore."

This meant he had blown through most of it on foolish things like buying an island that later turned out to be uninhabitable.

"Mal is your friend too and you are going to be there for her whether you like it or not!" Ursula ordered like a general. Eric's face softened at her stern tone.

"Yes, ma'am." He smirked. Ursula punched him in the arm.

Matilda punched him from the other side. "You pull that shit in front of Mal and I will personally see to it that you don't—"

"Alright, alright. Jesus, you two are nasty when you're mad."

Both Ursula and Matilda smirked.

The gang had decided to gather first outside of Mal's room. Eric had arrived with balloons and flowers, though they were all in shades of pink and red on account of Valentine's day being just a few days away.

Fucking Valentines day. Matilda thought as she looked at the atrocious pink balloon floating towards the roof. And snapped her fingers and they all turned blue. No one seemed to notice the color change.

They all entered together. Mal not moving or responding to their greeting.

"Hey Mal, how ya doin?" Sebastian said, trying his best to sound his old chipper self.

"Mal, look what I got you." Eric wrapped the balloon strings on the metal bars of her bed.

"And look, I baked you your favorite, red velvet cupcakes." Ursula held up the Tupperware.

Malvina Audley-Montfort did not respond.

Matilda had already told the gang that they had to act normal, at all costs. So they did. They pretended there was nothing wrong with Mal, that her silence and refusal to even move did not hurt all of them, that they were okay with seeing her waste away on her bed.

Mal's sister Trisha also came over. She had been away for a while but had decided to move back home to help her younger sister. Trisha Audley was a very tall, very athletic woman, built more like a Greek god than a goddess. She was a professional athlete but beyond that, Matilda didn't know much about her.

"Don't ya worry Mal," Trisha said upon her arrival, "Imma punch that sissy till he pees his pants. He's gonna pay for what he did to you."

An awkward silence fell in the room. None of them had mentioned Phil at this point and wondered whether Trisha in her blunt aggressiveness had thwarted their attempts at making Mal feel better.

"Don't do that," Mal said, surprising everyone, "I want Jane to be able to recognize her father."

"You're naming the baby Jane?" Ursula said in shrill excitement. "Aw! That sounds lovely."

Mal managed to give a weak smile of acknowledgement. "It was my grandmother's name."

"That's a lovely name, Mal." Eric offered cautiously.

"Jane. I like it." Matilda said in approval.

Trisha went around meeting everyone. She hugged both of the girls, nearly squishing the breath out of them. Matilda laughed when she hugged her.

"How are you, kiddo?" She asked Matilda, sounding just like her father.

"As good as I can be I guess."

"You look down though. And what is this?" She squeezed Matilda's arms. "What's with all this flab? You need to work out."

Matilda chuckled, "I know! I really do."

Trisha moved on to Eric next, giving his hand a meaningful squeeze. "You still in touch with that ass?" She asked.

Eric simply nodded, hiding the pain he was feeling from that excessive handshake which was squeezing his fingers so tight they were losing blood.

"You give that man a message from me." Trisha squeezed his hand even tighter, making Eric squeal in pain.

"Okay." Eric said, strained in keeping his voice measured, "I'll tell him," he looked down at his hand, "that."

"Good."

With Trisha there, Mal seemed to be finally talking, although very little. She nodded her head or shook it in response. Gave weak smiles when she could.

And then Alton arrived.

He looked around the room, wide eyed. Everyone looked back, silent. None of them had been expecting him, of all people.

"Um, I apologize. I did not realize there was going to be a gathering here. I asked Mrs. Audley what time was appropriate to visit you." He carried a bouquet of white daisies in his hands, artfully wrapped in white paper.

"Alton," Mal said, shocked like everyone else, and the she burst out in tears and everyone's head turned to her. "You-you said..." She sobbed uncontrollably, shaking. She covered her mouth with her hand.

Alton quickly went over to her and she reached out to him. They embraced each other in a very unexpected display of intimate friendship. Matilda saw Eric and Sebastian give each other looked of confusion. It appeared that even Sebastian hadn't known that Alton had been giving Mal lessions to fit into higher society.

"It's okay, Malvina." Alton reassured her, his chin resting on Mal's head.

"You told me this would happen." She cried, face red, snot dripping from her nose. Alton let her ruin his pale grey suit.

"It's not your fault, Malvina." He said quietly. Then he looked to Ursula and Matilda and motioned them to come over.

"Mal, Mal it's okay." Ursula hugged her from the other side but Mal stuck to Alton's arm.

"You told me, you told me." She sobbed.

Everyone converged to her bed. Eric came and sat by on her feet, Trisha stood at the foot, Sebastian came over besides Alton and took Mal's hand. She grabbed it with a vice like grip.

"It hurts, Bas." She told him. "It just hurts so much."

Sebastian's face softened and for the moment, he let his own hurt show. "I know, Mal." He said. Because he did.

Matilda stood behind Ursula, unsure of what to say or do. There was no room around Mal for her to squeeze into and she felt too awkward to say anything.

She looked at Alton, his golden head bent over Mal's. His curls falling in an artful disarray. The flowers discarded to the side table.

Matilda almost felt jealous of him. She was Mal's best friend. She had known Mal longer, yet this heartless, icy man had been able to get through to her, where all of them had failed. His could heart had been able to comfort Mal, where Matilda could not.

Or maybe the spell had just completed its course. Because Mal had finally reached the last stage of her grief.

Acceptance.