Seasons (Ari AU)

Mrs. Claus to the Rescue

Ari POV

  "These instructions are starting to go cross-eyed, beautiful," I groan while moving the third set of instructions closer then further away from my face.  With mock agitation I toss it over my shoulder. "It's a kitchen playset, how hard can it be?"

  Dumbest question I could've asked, which makes me thankful my sister's husband Dean, the police officer, is not in a nearby hearing vicinity. He'd never let me live it down, especially when I finally realize the instructions are in German with other options being Korean and Italian. 

  "Holland!" I yell much louder than I should but since I'm in the attached garage, I need her to hear my plea for help.

  The door from the house is thrown open wide, my wife releasing a large puff of air from her cheeks.  The little wisps of bangs hanging over her forehead, long ago fallen from the messy bun on top of her head, blows up into the air. "Can you please not yell?"

  "Why not?"

  A very pointed finger  is thrust down towards the baby carrier on her chest. The very new addition to the Levinson family by all of two weeks, sweet Nya Lane, sleeping soundly. 

  I show gritted teeth in an apology. "Sorry. I didn't even bother to look and see what time it was." I throw a glance over my shoulder at the radio clock hanging off the cupboards over my workbench. "Damn it, baby. I missed bedtime didn't I?"

  Holland shrugs as she takes a couple steps down further into the garage. She settles on the next to last step. "Technically, no. I mean, both of them think you're working tonight so no harm no foul, I suppose."

  "I mean, I am working," I respond, waving my hands out in front of me. I'd already put together a Barbie miniature four-wheeler, a plastic playground set for the backyard and now I'm staring at my last project. 

  One that may actually beat me, big, buff, hard headed, Ari Levinson, into submission.

  "This didn't come with directions in English, baby."

  "So?"

  My  head snaps over to her direction. "Did you really just so me, beautiful?"

  "Sure as hell did, Levy. Need me to do it again?" She straightens her body up to look all prim and proper with the shoulder of her shirt stained in spit up. She quietly clears her throat. "So?"

  "If you weren't holding our daughter-"

  "You'd what?" she tests me. 

  "You know exactly what," I remind her with a piercing glare.  

  Holland's hand runs over the back of the cloth carrier. "I know exactly what. It's the same 'what' that gave us our third little miracle."

  With a quick wiggle of my brow I toss her a wink before starting to stare at all the random pieces once more. "Come take her and I'll work on it."

  I hold back a full round of laughter but some how a small scoff dislodges from my chest. "What the hell was that, Levy? Do you doubt my abilities? Need I remind you-"

  I hang my head because I definitely don't need to be reminded of what an absolute badass my wife has always been. "No, beautiful. You don't need to remind me. It's just, there's no directions. How are you going to know what to do?"

  I only glance up when I see her socked feet standing in front of me.  She has her cell phone in one hand. "Take her," she nudges me up to the baby. 

  It took a bit of time but I have learned that when my wife gives me directions, or sometimes orders, I really should obey them without putting up too much of a fight. Which is why I stand and grab up the newborn with only a faint sigh of resignation. 

  The sound of her cell goes off and I realize she's found a video of someone putting this exact kitchen together, piece by piece. The words are still in German, but thanks to the guy showing each piece slowly she's able to put the entire thing together in about an hour and a half. 

  I'd have been there all night and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

  "Don't ever tell your mama that she can't do something. She's spent many years proving a lot of us wrong," I whisper over Nya's head as she begins to stir awake.  

  As soon as she realizes that rooting around my chest will get her absolutely no where, her whimpers become more insistent. "Beautiful?"

  "I know, I know." She stands, brushing her hands off on her sweat pants. "I swear Levy, your whole world would fall apart if not for your very own Mrs. Claus."

*Something cutesy with a little surprise for the Holland and Ari lovers out there. Did you catch it?