Hi! I'm REALLY sorry I haven't posted in forever! High school is harder than I thought it would be :p
But here's something I wrote a while back that I have decided is at least kind of fit for the public to read. It will remain as a one-shot for a while, but I might write some more one-shots in the same 'universe' that this is set in if you guys want.

This was written before I read Exposure, so no spoilers if you haven't gotten your hands on it yet!

I don't own the Virals. If only I did... (evil grin)

Rated for implications (wink, wink) and language.

Also, there is an important note at the bottom, so PLEASE read it.

As soon as my shift was over, I was out of there and in the car. My heart was hammering in my chest. Something was wrong. I could feel it. Fear attacked me, enveloping me in its grasp, suffocating me. I sped down the highway, not realizing until much later that I'd broken the limit by at least fifteen.

I wasted no time once I'd pulled into the driveway. I jumped out and jogged up to the porch. Opening the door to my house, I walked in and glanced around desperately. She wasn't here.

So where was she?

I didn't know, but I was going to find out. I checked the kitchen and dining room, the two most likely of places. Panic rose in my chest when I didn't see her. How the hell did she manage to convince me to go into work today? I should have stayed home with her. Frantically, I raced upstairs to look in the bedroom. Nope.

Where is she? I knew something was going to happen if I wasn't here!

I imagined the worst- her kidnapped, her dead, her kidnapped and dead, her body in a ditch or at the bottom of the ocean. I couldn't think straight. I could hardly breathe.

There was one last place to check before I started calling the cops and family.

I opened the door to the media room and my shoulders sagged when I saw her lounging on the couch, reading a magazine and eating an apple.

"And you say I'm over dramatic," she said without looking up. "Honestly, Ben. I'm not going to spontaneously combust. I could feel your anxiety while you were still at work."

My heart slowed, going back to normal, and I walked over to the couch, kissing her chastely. "You okay?"

"The usual," she replied, looking slightly irritated. "I want this thing out of me." Tory glanced down at her large stomach with a sigh. "My due date is in only two days. It's been long enough."

I stared at her in shock. This had been the first time she'd said that about the baby. In fact, she'd been getting onto me for the past month when I assumed that she was in labor when it was obviously just Braxton Hicks contractions. (Obvious to her, not me.) She'd said, "The baby will come when it is good and ready, so put the damn keys down."

"Do you want to go to the hospital and get a-" I started to offer, but she cut me off.

"Don't even say it. I'm not letting a surgeon cut me open. I'm having this child the natural way." Her anger faded, and she put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I know you're trying to be helpful. I just..." A shuddering breath. I started to rub her shoulders. "I love this baby, Ben. I really do. You know that. I know that. But my back is killing me, and I can't fit into my jeans, and I'm almost always hungry, and I'm so over emotional. I know this is all normal- healthy, even, but I don't know how much more I can take..."

I sat down next to her, and she leaned against me. I'd learned how to handle the various mood swings during the first few months, even how to make her laugh about it. Just don't ask me to be away from her for more than a few minutes at a time- I'd proved, to myself and probably her, today that I couldn't handle not being there for her, in case anything happened.

"Oh, Ben," she whispered after a few minutes, wiping her eyes, "will I ever be normal again?"

I brushed some of her hair out of her face. "Hon, you were never normal to begin with."

She laughed. "You have a point." Her arms slid around my neck and she kissed me. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I knew her mood pattern by now: angry, sad, easy to amuse, tender, then back to her regular (as she could be while nine months pregnant) self. "So what're you reading?"

She grabbed the magazine. "An article on how to induce labor without a professional."

Of course. "Anything interesting?"

A shrug. "Eating spicy foods, taking walks, using the birthing ball, soaking in the tub, sex. I've tried over half of them, but nothing's working." She closed her eyes. "There's only so much I can do anymore. And I can't work, so I'm bored almost all the time. At least once the baby's born, I'll be occupied with diaper changes and feedings."

"You'll have very different views when that happens, you know."

"Oh, and you're the baby expert, aren't you?" she snapped, then her eyes widened. "Oh, I did it again, didn't I?"

I placed a hand on her stomach and felt a movement. Even after months, it still surprised me that our child was in there, and I smiled.

"How can you stand to wait, Ben?" she asked. "I mean, don't you want to be able to hold our own baby in your arms?"

"Of course I do, but I guess I just don't know what you're going through." I was kind of impatient, not that I'd tell my wife. She'd probably yell at me for some reason if I did.

Tory and I had been together for nine years, give or take a few months, and married for roughly three of them. We'd started trying about a year and a half into our marriage, and taken a break from it six months later when she wasn't conceiving. On our second anniversary, we had a very nice, long night where neither of us slept all that much. Three weeks later, I got home and heard Tory on the phone with someone (who I later found out was her doctor) and the first thing she did after she hung up was throw her arms around my neck and kiss me like the world was ending, for about ten minutes. While I was trying to think of the closest place to be intimate with her, she told me she was pregnant, and that apparently meant her libido was very high. We decided on the couch.

Two days came and went, and much to Tory's dismay, she didn't go into labor. I didn't go to work for those two days, or the one after that. Somehow, though, she managed to convince me to go the next day.

"It'll be fine," she assured that morning. "Ben, if my water breaks, I promise I will call you, and you can freak out and speed home."

"Second thought, maybe I shouldn't-"

"Ben. I'll have Whitney over for part of the day, then Emily." Emily was Hi's wife. "I won't be alone, all right? Go." Her eyes were soft, but firm. "I know you're doing this because you love me and want to protect me, but I'll be okay."

I wanted to argue, but I knew she'd eventually win anyway, so I kissed her before going out the door. I'd be calling her every hour or so to check in, and I think she knew it.

The baby didn't come that day, so I went to work the next day, as well. Around noon, I called her.

"Ben, I promise you I'm okay," she said when she picked up.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Who else could it be?" I could hear the annoyance in her voice.

"You're absolutely sure? I could be home in five minutes-"

"Ben, Emily's over. She's taking good care of me. We're watching a movie. There's nothing new to report. I'm still pregnant, I'm not in labor, and there's no sign that I will be any time soon. The baby's just squirming a little. Now please get back to doing your job before your boss notices and fires you."

I scoffed. "He has three kids. He knows what it's like."

"Ben, I love you, but you're really pissing me off. I told you I'd call if my water broke."

"Have you been having Braxton Hicks contractions?"

"Yes, but that's all they are."

"What movie are you watching?"

"The Burning Bed, and it's giving me some ideas, Ben," she said in a warning tone.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up, and I went back to doing my job distractedly until my cell rang a few hours later. I answered it. "Is the baby coming?"

"I didn't know I was pregnant. I'd better tell Emily," Hi cracked.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose and stepped away from the car I was trying to repair. "What is it, Hiram?"

"I'm trying to distract you. Figured you could use someone to talk to that doesn't want to bite your head off."

I glanced at the clock. "And if Tory tries to call?"

"Emily will call the house and tell me to get the hell off the line while Tory calls your office." A pause. "So how are you?"

"How do you think?"

"I'm trying to make conversation. Shelton popped the question to Michelle."

This wasn't news to me. "Last week, I know. He told me."

"Did you know they're planning for an August wedding?"

It was early April. "Yeah. Michelle's pretty excited, from what I hear. So is Shelton."

"I still don't know how he got the balls to do it, and... hold on a sec. The phone's ringing."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Ben, it's Emily. She's telling me to hang up because Tory's in labor. Oh, wait, she just told me not to tell you that because then you'll freak out and-"

I hung up the phone. It wasn't two seconds that I did before it rang again. "I'm on my way home, Tory," I said, walking towards the door.

I heard laughter and stopped. "Hiram, what're you doing on the line?"

"As I was saying, you'll hang up before I get the chance to tell you I'm messing with you!" he exclaimed.

I hung up and stomped over to the car, reaching for the wrench. My office phone rang, and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Okay, that was uncalled for. I'm sorry," Hi said. "I just couldn't resist."

"You have no idea what it's like," I growled.

"I know. When I asked her a few months back, Emily said that she wants to wait until after your kid's born to start trying."

I looked at the phone. Hi actually wanted kids? "You asked her to start trying?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Ben. I want to share my good looks with the rest of the world, and who'd miss the chance to have someone to boss around? They'd be like my little minions."

"I can tell you're going to be a great dad," I said dryly.

"Aw, thank you. If only I could convince everyone else..."

We talked for another half hour, and I was able to get some more of my work done while we did so. Having an actual conversation, even with Hi, distracted me from my worries enough to focus on my repairs.

I clocked out at five and hurried home. "I'm home," I called as I walked in the door.

Tory walked into the room and kissed me. "How was work?"

"Fine." I kissed her again. She was smiling. "What's with the grin, Tor?"

"Ben, we should probably get into the car."

"Huh?" I pulled back and stared at her. Get into the car? Did that mean…?

"We should go to the hospital, Ben."

No way. I gaped at her, and she rolled her eyes. "My god, Ben. When it's nothing, you freak out, but when I'm actually in labor, you stare at me like a fish. Let's go."

When my brain finally was able to register what was happening, I looked at her stomach, then at her face, panicked. "You mean, it's time? We still have to pack, we-"

"You and I both know I've been packed for six months." She picked up a duffel bag that had been sitting on the end table. I hadn't noticed before. "Come on."

I grabbed her hand and led her outside. "And you're sure that it's the real thing?"

She got into the passenger seat as I put the bag in the backseat before getting in and starting the car up. "I've been having contractions for about an hour. I'm pretty sure it's real."

"You WHAT?" I turned to her. "You've been in labor for how long? And you didn't tell me?!"

"Yes. Now back out and get onto the road so I can have our child."

I complied, but was still shocked and angry. "You said you'd call."

"If my water broke. Besides, labor can take anywhere between five to twenty-four hours. We don't even have to go now, but you'd have forced me to anyway." She looked out the window.

"Are you okay?"

"It doesn't hurt that bad yet. I know it will, but not yet. Surprisingly enough, I'm calm. I guess one of us has to be."

"Well excuse me for being a little frantic, but you're in labor, and you've apparently been for an hour, and you didn't tell me until five minutes ago."

"You were at work."

I shot her a look, but made myself calm down a little. "I could have come home."

"Ben, it's not like I'm ready to push. I still have a while."

"Not the point."

She put a hand on my thigh. "I'm sorry I didn't immediately alert you. I didn't think it was necessary." I accepted her apology, even though sarcasm was dripping from every word. Now was not the time.

We pulled into the parking lot, and I jumped out to help her, but she was already stretching and walking around to my side. I took her into the delivery area and stopped at the front desk. The secretary looked up.

"Can I help you?"

"My wife- baby- doctor- she's-" I rambled, trying to form sentences that made sense. Too many things were running through my head.

Tory smirked and stepped forward. "Hi," she said to the secretary. "I'm his wife, and I'm about to have our first child."

The secretary put a clipboard on the desk. "Who's your doctor?" she asked.

"Phoebe Markson."

"I'll tell her you're here. Do you need a wheelchair?"

Tory shook her head. I frowned. "You sure?"

"Ben, I'm fine."

A nurse came out to escort Tory to the room. When I started to follow, she said, "Fill out the paperwork first."

I grabbed it and sat down reluctantly, watching her go. I got a pen and completed it as quickly as I could before giving it back to the secretary.

"She's in room 116. There are scrubs outside the door. Put them on and then go in." She smiled. "She'll be fine. If she can walk to her room, the birth won't be too much trouble at all."

I walked down the hall, looking for 116. When I found it, I slid the scrubs on before entering. Tory was dialing a number into her cell phone. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.

"Hi, honey!" She kissed me.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

She shook her head. "Phoebe said I should probably stay standing until it hurts too much. It lets gravity pull the baby down more, so I won't be in labor as long. I'm about to call Kit and tell him the news. I'll put it on speaker. I have a feeling this is going to be good."

Tory held the phone in her hand as it rang, and I kept an arm around her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kit," she said.

"Hi, Tory. How are you?"

She smiled at me, and it was contagious. "Daddy," she said slowly, "I'm in labor."

Silence. Then a strange thump sound. We exchanged a glance.

"Sorry, I dropped the phone. I thought I heard you say that you were in labor."

"That's because I am."

"What?! Oh my god. Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes. Ben's here too. Where's Whitney?"

"She's in the living room. Whitney!"

We heard footsteps. "Honey, why are you shouting?" That was Whitney.

"Tory's in labor!"

"Oh my god! Give me the phone!" After a few seconds of rustling, she said, "Tory? You there?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Are you really having the baby?"

"Yeah."

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Tory gasped. "Whitney, you don't have to-"

"We're coming and that's final." She hung up.

My wife laughed, a bit uneasily. "You wanna call your parents n0w?"

I shrugged and looked at her. "My mom's gonna come up here, no doubt. My old man will once the baby gets here."

"You wanna wait a little?"

I nodded. "How about the guys?"

Tory grinned. "Who do you think will freak out the most?"

"Shelton."

"Me, too. Let's call Hi first, then him."

Tory dialed Hi and it rang for a little before he answered. "Hey, Tory. You're probably calling to yell at me for playing that prank on your husband. It was mean, I'll admit, but-"

"Prank? What prank?" She looked at me. "Hi, I was calling to tell you and Emily to get your asses up to the hospital because I'm in labor. But tell me more about this prank of yours. I'm more interested in that."

A brief pause. "You're about to give birth and all you can think about is a tiny prank I pulled on Ben that wasn't even significant? Shameful. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Ben, what did Hi do to you?"

I decided to let it slide. There were more important things to attend to at the moment. "It wasn't that big. I'd forgotten about it until he brought it up." A contraction hit, and Tory winced. "Do you want to go to the bed?"

"No, it was pretty small."

I didn't like that there wasn't much I could do to ease the pain. "Do you want to call Shelton?"

As the phone rang, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Hey, Tory."

"Shelton, I'm going to cut right to the chase. I'm having the baby."

"You're...? As in...?"

"Contractions, hot flashes, cramps, the whole shebang." A grin.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not too awfully bad."

"Has your water broken yet?"

"Nope."

"Is the hospital room clean?"

"Yes. Very. I checked. Are you going to be here?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"I think it'd be nice, but if you're too squeamish-"

"No, I'm coming. You'd have to be insane if you think otherwise. Just... I may not be in the room for the actual birth, or until it's cleaned up..."

Tory laughed. "That's all I ask."

"Okay. I'll be there soon." The click as he hung up.

"We were so wrong, Ben," she sighed. "Hi was funnier. So tell me about the prank."

"It wasn't that bad."

She shrugged. "I don't care. I still want to hear about it."

I ran a hand through my hair. "He just acted like Emily was calling to tell him to hang up so you could talk to me because you were in labor."

A giggle. "That's so mean, but kind of funny. Did you freak out?"

"I hung up and started for the door when he called again."

"And after he explained everything?"

"I hung up on him again."

She grinned. "Oh, Ben. You're so-" Contraction. She placed her hands on her stomach, gasping. I started to guide her to the bed, but she shook me off.

"Ben, I'm fine in between. It's just these I have to go through." A pained smile. "I think the baby wants out as much I wanted it to."

"Tory, you really should-"

"No. I'm not getting in the bed yet." She looked at me stubbornly. "I still have a while."

The doctor walked into the room. "How are things going?" she asked.

"Fine," Tory said.

"You're having contractions?"

"Yes."

"On a scale of one to ten, how painful are they?"

Tory thought for a second. "Five. Maybe six."

That was over half. "You're sure you don't want-"

"Shut it."

The doctor laughed. "You mean well, Ben, but I think it'd be better if you didn't give suggestions. Tory, take a seat and let me have a look."

She checked my wife out and said that everything was going normal. "You're dilating at a steady pace. It'll probably start really hurting soon. Keep that in mind."

"Great," Tory said, sarcasm smothering the word entirely.

"If it keeps going at this rate, it'll only be another six hours or so before you can push."

That seemed like a long time to be in labor, but it obviously wasn't, judging from the relieved look on her face. Well, until another contraction hit that had her gritting her teeth and clutching her stomach. I rubbed her arm and kissed her head.

The doctor left, and I continued holding Tory until Hi strolled in with Emily.

"Now how did you get past the front desk?" Tory snarked.

Emily hugged her. "Does it hurt?"

"Only the contractions."

Hi smiled and leaned against the wall. "Hang in there, Sunshine. You've been shot at, chased, beaten up, and held captive. I think you can handle having a baby."

She sent him a look that had him shrinking back slightly. "Don't tell me what I can and can't handle," she hissed.

Emily bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. "Hi, be nice to her. She's giving birth."

"Thank you," she breathed.

We talked for a little bit before Kit and Whitney arrived with Laney, their eight-year-old daughter.

"How're things going?" Kit asked as Whitney hugged my wife.

"Contractions are painful, Dad. Be happy you're a man."

He glanced at me. "Translation?"

"She's glad to see you."

"And how'd you deduce that?"

"She hasn't tried to kill you yet."

"Ha-ha, Ben. Hilarious," Tory snapped. "You try being in labor for two and a half hours, with another five to go!"

"That's actually pretty short," Whitney said. She got a look for that.

Laney looked at Tory. "You're having the baby, right?"

Tory loved her sister, so she tried to be patient. "Yes, I am."

"How will it get out of there?"

The room filled with an awkward silence, and Whitney decided to take her daughter into the waiting room. Kit pinched the bridge of his nose. Tory apologized, but he told her not to worry about it. Whitney would probably explain it in terms that Laney would be able to understand.

Someone knocked on the door, and Shelton walked in. He and Kit nodded at each other before Shelton sat down in a chair.

"How's it coming along?"

"Not fast enough."

I thumb-rubbed the hand I was holding. She looked up at me, and for a brief second, the pain faded from her eyes, until another contraction hit that had her tearing up. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arms around her. Kit placed a hand on her leg. Shelton shifted uncomfortably, but I could see the sympathy in his eyes. I think everyone in our pack could tell she was hurting. Coop was probably going nuts- as much as an eleven year old wolfdog could.

When it passed, she sniffled and looked up at me pleadingly. "That's as bad as it gets, right?"

I kissed her forehead. She and I both knew that it would only get worse.

Over the next two hours, people stopped by and said hello or offered comfort. I got around to calling my parents to tell them the news. My father said, 'good on ya, son' and promised to be there for the birth. Mom started crying and was in the hospital room twenty minutes later, hugging me, then Tory, and adopted the role of go-getter. The title was self-explanatory.

Tory was still able to walk, and I went with her- only down the hall and back a few times every fifteen minutes. In between, she'd have her contractions and cry, and I'd hold her in my arms if she let me. Then she'd cuss me out and tell me that we were never having sex again so long as she lived. After that, she'd sweetly ask for a backrub, which I most certainly couldn't deny. I'd talk to her and keep her occupied for as long as I could, to distract her from the pain. The doctor would watch and not say anything, but she'd grin every once in a while.

When it became too much for her to walk anymore, she lay back against the pillows and held my hand. I stayed next to her the entire time, offering encouragement when she'd take it.

"This is all your fault," she groaned after a particularly painful contraction.

"How?"

"You got me pregnant."

I arched an eyebrow and glanced at the doctor. She made a go on gesture with her hands. "You were the one who started to unbutton my shirt," I came up with then realized how stupid it sounded.

It didn't seem to bother Tory, however. "You were the one who kissed me."

"You wore that red dress."

"You told me you were taking me out somewhere nice."

"Which I did."

"And it was great, except you couldn't keep your eyes or hands off of me the entire time."

"You wore that bustier thing."

"It was our anniversary. I wanted you to... I don't know, enjoy yourself."

I snorted. "And I did. But you married me."

"You proposed."

"You said yes."

"You asked me to move in with you."

"You initiated our first time."

"You asked me over that night."

"How could I resist? You kept looking up at me with those big green eyes."

She cried out in pain, and I hugged her. "It's all your fault, you bastard," she growled. I nodded and told her that she was right, I was a terrible person and it was all my fault. I was humoring her, but it seemed to make her feel better.

The contractions were getting worse, but she kept refusing medication because she didn't want to take any chances on hurting the baby. After another hour of the doctor and nurse assuring that she was far enough into the labor that the baby would be safe, she agreed to take a half-dose, which was enough to dull them enough so she could get a little bit of sleep in.

As she napped, I rubbed my face before getting up, stretching, going to the bathroom, checking on her, getting some water, checking on her again, trying to calm down the hordes in the waiting room, and finally giving up and going back to the room.

"You look exhausted," Phoebe observed. "You wanna sleep a little, too?"

Like I'd be able to.

I guess she could read my thoughts because she said, "Everything's going smoothly. She's doing a great job, Ben. And so are you. Get some rest."

I looked at my wife, lightly asleep on the bed, and joined her. "Wake me up as soon as she shows signs of any..." I started to say, but drifted off before I could finish my sentence.

That twenty minutes I'd gotten to sleep felt like ten hours. I was awake before her and felt better. As I was yawning and rubbing my face, her eyes opened and she groaned.

"Feeling any better?" I asked.

"A little. That medicine really works." She smiled tiredly. "How much longer?"

The doctor answered that one for me. "Two hours if you keep this up. You're doing great."

The medicine didn't last much longer after that. Soon she was sobbing from the pain and digging her nails into me, or cutting the circulation to my hand off. Her water broke, which was a good thing, according to the nurses. It meant that she was going to start pushing soon.

Soon meant an additional hour of misery in their odd language.

"You're fully dilated," Phoebe finally told her. "In about five minutes, you'll have another contraction, and that's when you'll push, okay?"

Tory nodded, turning her head in my direction. When her eyes met mine, she looked as if she was just now seeing me here for the first time. "Hi," she said, voice tired and small.

I kissed her forehead. "Hey."

"Did you hear that I can start pushing soon?"

"Yeah, it's great."

She nodded, then laughed. "I probably look terrible."

I shook my head. "You look beautiful, Tory. You always do."

Her smile reached her eyes and she entwined our fingers. "Are you ready to become a parent?"

"Are you?"

"I don't think anyone really ever is, no matter how much they claim to be. Do you even think I'll be an okay mom?"

I brushed some of her hair back. My hands were shaking. "You're going to be a great mom. You wanna know how I know?"

"Mmm, how?"

"You're really smart and caring by nature. You can keep calm in a high-tension situation. And you're willing to do anything for your family."

She kissed me. "And you'll be a great dad because you're strong and honest and protective, and you'd give your life for those you love."

I pressed my lips to hers again softly. "I love you, Tory."

"I love you, too."

We each held the other's gaze until the contraction hit- one that was so bad that she was screaming in agony. I rubbed her arms, shoulders, face, anything I could touch that might comfort her.

It's time.

"Okay, Tory. Push!"

A scream. The doctor looked up at her.

"Good! Again!"

Her muscles clenched, and she wailed.

"I can see the head. One more big push, Tory!"

She pushed, grabbing my hand, and howled with misery. Then she wasn't anymore. She was panting for breath, eyes filled with even more tears. I heard another cry and looked over at the doctor, who was holding a baby with an umbilical cord still attached.

Our baby.

I took the scissors that the nurse offered me and cut where they told me to, and watched as they put the baby on Tory's chest, then took it and cleaned both it and Tory up. I looked over at my wife, who was laughing, covering her mouth with one hand, tears rolling down her face, staring at our baby. I walked over to her and sat down on the bed, kissing her forehead. She looked up at me with one of the biggest smiles I'd ever seen.

"You did great, Mom," the doctor said, holding the still-crying newborn. "I think this little one's saying, it's about time I got out of there." She handed it to Tory, who held it in her arms carefully. The baby stopped crying as soon as she touched it. "The baby's healthy. Six pounds, five ounces. Congratulations, you two."

We stared at the- our baby for a long time in silence before Tory whispered, "Ben, can you believe it? We're parents now. I can't-" She looked up at me and smiled. "You don't have to cry, honey. I'm doing plenty of that for the both of us."

I didn't know I'd been crying, but I wasn't all that shocked. This had to be one of the best moments of my life.

"Here, hold the baby," she whispered. I was surprised that she was willing to part with it so soon, but wasn't about to object. I carefully lifted the bundle out of her arms and into my own, cradling it to my chest. "How can you love someone you just met so much when you've known them for such little time?"

"I don't know," I answered her softly, not taking my eyes off of our newborn.

After about half an hour, we agreed that I should go and tell everyone the news, but there was no way in hell I was taking the baby in there with me. It could get overstimulated. I kissed both Tory and our baby before walking into the waiting room. Hi noticed me first and stood.

"Did it happen? Did she have the baby?"

Everyone was suddenly standing with him.

I nodded, earning a cheer from the small crowd. Hi and Shelton clapped me on the back, Mom, Whitney, Laney, Emily, and Michelle hugged me. Kit and my father were the last ones in the line.

I felt myself stiffen. "Sir," I said when Kit stepped in front of me.

"Benjamin, this is ridiculous," he said. "You've been married to my daughter for three years, and you two just had my grandchild. You need to call me Kit." Then he hugged me like I was his son, not his son-in-law.

My father put a hand on my shoulder. "Son, you're a father now."

"I know."

Then he smiled. "You'll do just fine." And he hugged me. My father wasn't a hugger, and I only was with Tory, and now my child, unless the circumstances were special like these.

"So are you going to keep me in suspense forever?" Hi asked me quietly. "I want to see the little bambino."

"Me, too," Shelton whispered. "So long as it's all cleaned up."

I frowned. "I don't think so. Not right now. All of us are exhausted right now, so..."

"I will wait as long as I have to," Hi said.

"Me, too."

I rolled my eyes and went back into the room. Tory looked up when I entered. She was holding our baby in her arms. Her smile was soft and warm. "Hi and Shelton want in, don't they?"

"They're willing to wait."

Tory looked at the baby. "I think it would be okay. But everyone has to come in small groups of three or less. Hi and Shelton first."

"You really think it's a good idea?"

She nodded. "Do you?"

I mulled it over. "Any sign of discomfort-"

"And they're out."

"And no one but us can hold the baby."

"Agreed."

I kissed each of them again before grabbing Shelton and Hi, telling them to be quiet or I'd kill them. I led the two back to the room and took the baby, slowly walking back to them. Their eyes were wide, and they couldn't stop smiling.

"Who knew you two could have such an adorable child?" Hi teased.

I looked back at Tory, who nodded. "This is Aubrey Katherine Blue, our daughter."

"She's beautiful," Shelton said. He looked at Tory, who was watching us from the hospital bed, five feet away. "She looks like you."

"I think she looks a bit more like Ben, to be honest."

"Nah, she's too cute," Hi argued lightly, not taking his eyes off of her. "I'm an uncle."

Those two left, and Kit, Whitney, and Laney came in. Whitney started crying when she saw her, sleeping in my arms. "She's so beautiful!" she sobbed, and had to leave the room to collect herself.

Kit stared at his granddaughter, smiling. "What's her name?"

"Aubrey."

"She looks like an Aubrey. She's gorgeous, Ben."

Laney agreed, and hugged Tory. "So I'm an aunt now?"

"Yes, you are."

They eventually had to leave because it was so late, and Mom and Dad came in next. Mom kissed my cheek, sniffling. "I'm a grandma now," she laughed. "I can't believe it."

"I don't feel old, though," Dad said with a smirk. "She's a cutie, Ben. You did a great job. Both of you did." He looked at my wife, who thanked him.

My father had a soft spot when it came to Tory. He'd always seemed to, even though he didn't show it until we'd told him we were moving in together.

"Who do you think she looks like?" Mom asked us.

"Ben," Tory said.

Dad shook his head. "No, I think she looks like you, sweet pea."

He also called her sweet pea, for some reason. But she didn't complain.

"What do you think?" Mom asked me.

I looked down at our daughter and studied her features for the thousandth time. "Tory," I finally decided.

The rest of the crowd came and went, and by the end of the night, everyone had left but us. The nurse eventually had to take the baby to the nursery so we all could sleep, and my wife and I were really alone for the first time in hours. I got into the bed with her, and she curled into me as much as she could.

"I can't believe it," she whispered.

"Me, neither," I murmured.

"You really think she looks like me?"

"Yeah. She has your nose."

"She has your cheekbones."

"Your jaw, chin, mouth, and forehead."

She smiled. "I wonder whose eye color she'll have."

"She has blue eyes, Tory." I didn't know how our daughter had blue eyes- certainly not from my Native American family, but I assumed Tory had some blue in her family somewhere.

She shook her head. "No, all babies are born with blue eyes."

News to me. "I hope she has your eyes, then," I said. Tory chuckled, and I glanced at her. "What?"

"If she looks as much as me as everyone claims she does, then you-" a grin- "are going to be wrapped around her finger."

I felt like I already was.

Tory suddenly placed a hand on my cheek, and I turned to her. Her eyes were filled with tears, and a few of them escaped. I kissed them away, then she pressed her lips to mine. I returned it softly, rubbing her waist.

"I still can't believe any of it," she whispered. "Everything changes now, Benny."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, right?"

She smiled. "No. Ben, you're a daddy."

Ben, you're a daddy.

I could feel myself tear up again and nodded. "You're a mommy."

The smile grew when she noticed that I was crying and cupped my face, catching the single teardrop and kissing me again for a long time. "Who knew you could be so emotional?" she teased gently. "If only Hi and Shelton were here to see it."

I snorted and shook my head with a small laugh. "I'd never hear the end of it."

"No," she agreed. "You wouldn't." She entwined our fingers. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I know." She was fighting sleep. "I still can't believe we created another human being."

I pulled the sheet over us and kissed her head. "We've all had a pretty big day, Tory. I think you should rest."

A tired nod. "You'll stay, right?"

I wrapped my arms around her. "Of course. I'm exhausted, too."

"M'kay..." She drifted off easily, but I didn't have that kind of luck. My head was still spinning. Tory'd had a baby. Not only that, but our baby. It didn't matter that I'd known we were having one for well over nine months; holding our daughter in my arms gave me a huge reality check. But it was a good one. Watching her sleep- noticing she had the exact same pout as her mother when she did- and seeing her look up at me with those big eyes made me feel an entirely different kind of love and joy that I'd never felt before that I somehow knew only came with being the father of the absolute love of your life's child.

And now I have two loves of my life.

That was the best feeling in the world.

My mind finally decided to let me rest, and I managed to fall asleep, holding my wife in my arms.

Is it bad that I was getting choked up as I wrote this? What did you guys think?

And for the oh-so important note!

I have been working on a story for a long time, and am not even halfway done (I'm trying to write a full-fledged novella, as opposed to a one-shot). I just need two or three people to look it over and tell me what you think about it, so I can get a general idea of the overall reception. The only major requirement is that you have read all of the Virals books up to this point (e-books don't count). If you're interested, you can either review or PM me. But if you review, please make sure you're actually logged in.

R+R!

-WiccaChick98