Gray Area (sequel to White Noise)

Ch 3 - Crazy Pregnant Lady

"Can you hand me that hammer?"

"Why do you need the hammer? There aren't any nails in this."

"Because this screw won't go in right."

"Dude, I don't think that's how it works..."

"Just hand me the hammer!"

This was by far one of the most hilarious things I had ever witnessed in my life. I was having a hard time holding in my laughter, but I decided to risk a glance at Tori anyway. One look at her face told me that was the wrong move, and as soon as our eyes met, we couldn't hold back anymore. We immediately erupted into a fit of giggles, earning us some not so nice looks from the two guys in front of us.

"Do you mind?" Michael asked with a huff. "We're trying to put together a crib over here."

"Yeah," Calum agreed. "And your cackling isn't helping much."

This, of course, just made us laugh even harder. We were both sprawled out on the floor of the little Hood baby's nursery, holding our stomachs from laughing so hard. I felt something small hit me in the arm and sat up to see what it was.

"Did you just throw a screw at me?" I asked Michael with an incredulous look on my face. "You better hold on to those. You'll probably need them."

"Nah," he shrugged. "That one was an extra."

Tori sat up then, wiping the tears from her eyes from laughing so much. "I'm not sure you're supposed to have extra, Michael."

"Well, we do," he told her with a shrug. "We have a lot of extra stuff, actually."

She turned her attention to Calum. "Um, Cal? Babe? You might wanna take a look at the instructions."

"Ha!" he scoffed, looking offended. "I'm a man, Tori. Men build things. I don't need no stinkin' instructions."

"Calum. Please remember that our newborn child will be sleeping in this crib. And if something bad happens to him or her, something worse will happen to you. Got it?"

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw Calum gulp nervously. "Yes, ma'am. Mikey, hand me those instructions, will ya?"

Michael couldn't stop his grin from spreading, and as he reached for the previously untouched piece of paper holding the assembly instructions, I heard him let out a barely audible "pussy."

"Michael Gordon Clifford."

Oh, shit. I watched as Michael visibly stiffened at the sound of his full name. He liked to push the boundaries, but he was smart enough to recognize that tone in Tori's voice. "Y-yes, ma'am?"

"Call my fiancé a pussy again, and it'll be no video games for a week. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

This time it was Calum who snickered. He was probably appreciating the fact it was someone else who was in trouble this time.

"Come on, Lex," she told me as she stood, me following closely behind. "Let's let these boys work in peace. They've got a lot of reading to do."

We both left the room without a word, Michael looking down at the ground as we passed. Once we got far enough from the nursery that they couldn't hear us, I let out a little laugh. "What the hell was that?"

"Oh, that?" Tori asked me with a giggle. "That's a fun game I like to play sometimes called 'Crazy Pregnant Lady.' Apparently, Calum warned the boys about how crazy pregnancy hormones can be because, lately, they've all been scared shitless of me. I've found I can use that to my advantage, though. All I have to do is get a little stern, and they're putty in my hands. No one wants to upset crazy pregnant lady."

"Tori, you're freaking brilliant!" I told her, bursting into laughter again. "You think you can get Michael to wash my car while he's here?"

"Hmm. That would involve him having to be outside for an extended period of time, but it's doable. I'll just have to throw in some tears or something."

"Holy shit, this pregnancy is the best thing ever."

She laughed with me and gave her tummy a little rub. "Just don't tell my child that I used him or her for my own personal gain, ok?"

"My lips are sealed."

We made ourselves comfortable in the living room, Tori plopping down on the couch and kicking her feet up, and me curling up in my favorite chair. I opened my mouth to ask her a question but was interrupted by the buzzing of my phone, alerting me to a new text message.

From Ashton: I just called Michael, and he hung up on me. Said you and Tori were forcing him to do manual labor. Please tell me you got pictures.

I let out an audible snort which caused Tori to look at me questioningly. "Who is that?"

"It's Ashton," I told her as I was typing out my response. "Apparently, Michael told him you cracked the whip. He wants pictures, by the way."

To Ashton: No pictures yet, but Tori says she'll try to get him to wash my car later, so I'll see what I can do.

"Of course he does," Tori told me, rolling her eyes. "Tell him if he doesn't stop making fun, he'll be next. I wonder how he feels about painting."

To Ashton: Uh oh. You better chill. T says you're next.

From Ashton: Oh, fuck. Talk to you later!

I tossed my phone down with a chuckle and closed my eyes. I'm not sure how long we sat there in silence. We must have eventually fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, we were being jolted out of our slumber by a victorious shout from Calum.

"We did it! Fuck yes! Tori, come look!"

Tori groaned as she slowly stood from the couch. "This better be good," she mumbled as we made our way back down the hall.

When we entered the nursery, we were greeted by a beaming Calum and Michael standing behind a beautiful, fully built crib. I have to admit; I was pretty impressed.

"Wow, boys," I told them, checking out their work. "Nice job."

My comment caused them to grin even bigger before turning to Tori and nervously waiting for her critique. I could tell she was dragging it out as much as possible, and I had to hold back a chuckle as I watched her carefully inspect every inch of the crib. Finally, she stood back and looked at the boys with a smile.

"It's perfect."

They both immediately let out a sigh and relaxed. "Thanks, babe," Calum answered, pulling her closer so he could place a kiss on her forehead.

Little did they know, however, that their relief was premature. Tori stepped back from Calum and looked at the pair with a little twinkle in her eye. "Now, you can move on to the changing table."

I thought poor Michael was going to cry. I gave him a reassuring pat on the back before following Tori back out of the room with a grin. "Toughen up, Mikey. You're in for a long night."