Tareq sat in the office with a camera in his hands, fiddling with the lens on the camera. He hummed to song that blasted from his headphones, the office unusually quiet and empty today. He put down the camera and rubbed his eyes, leaning back into the chair. When he took his hands away from his eyes, he got up and put the camera away along with the lens then took his headphones off his ears. He put it back in the backpack that leaned against the chair he sat in and walked out the office, looking around the warehouse for people.

He spotted Karl who was on the floor with his son in a little area they made for him. Karl looked up when he heard approaching footsteps and saw that it was Tareq.

"Hey Tareq." He gave the toy to the baby who tried to shove it in his chubby mouth. Tareq smiled softly and stepped over the gate that prevented him from getting out. He sat on the floor and watched the little boy drop the toy from his mouth and crawl towards an abandoned teddy bear.

"Hey Karl. How's Theo?" Tareq looked at Karl who was looking at the little boy. He smiled and picked up the little boy who was trying to crawl into his lap.

"He's doing okay, he just turned seven months old yesterday and I can't believe it. I still remember when I founded out I was pregnant with him. Time flies by way too fast." He planted a kiss on top of the little boy's head and smiled, brushing back his light hair. The little boy looked up at his father and smiled at him, cooing and making grabby hands. Karl placed his fingers into the hands and let him play with them. Jimmy entered the room and stepped over the gate. He knelt on the floor next to Tareq and put out his hands for the little boy. Theo noticed and gasped, taking his hands off his fingers and crawling off of his lap to go over to Jimmy. Jimmy picked him up and smiled at him.

"Hi Theo." The little boy reached up and clung to his shirt, looking up at him. Tareq smiled at the sweet moment between the uncle of the little boy and the little boy. Jimmy held Theo and sat on the floor. Theo sneezed, making Jimmy scrunched his nose and Tareq aw.

"Jim Jam, when are we filming the video?" Chris's voice yelled from down the hallway. Jimmy looked at Karl then at Tareq then at the little boy who was trying to eat his shirt.

"In about fifteen minutes!" Jimmy yelled back, taking the baby off him and placing him back on the floor. The little boy gasped and looked up at the man who stood up and started to walk away. Theo followed him and crawled onto Tareq's lap to try and get over the gate when he stepped over it. He started to cry, putting out his hands and screaming. Jimmy looked back at him and pouted, but walked off. Tareq picked up the baby and held him close to his chest, bouncing him up and down. His other father came walking over to them and he stepped over the gate to kneel on the floor in front of Tareq. He gestured him to give him the baby and Tareq gave him the baby reluctantly. He took the baby and stood up, walking around while bouncing him. He kissed the top of his head when he had calm down.

"Thanks Chandler." Karl stood up and patted his shoulder, looking down at Theo who was pouting as he laid against his chest. Tareq got up and put out his hands, gesturing to him to give him the baby. Chandler nodded and transferred the baby over to Tareq. He held him and watched as the baby perked up, clinging onto his shirt.

"Hey, we're ready to film. Tareq, you have to watch Theo." Tareq raised his eyebrows at Chris, who was chuckling at his reaction. Chandler patted his shoulder then leaned down to kiss Theo's head.

"You'll need this." Karl handed him a small security blanket and a pacifier, which Tareq took and popped the pacifier in his mouth. He shifted the baby onto his hip and handed him his blanket. The little boy grabbed it and held it close, sucking on his pacifier and looking around.

"The bag is in here if you need it, which you'll probably will." Tareq nodded and felt the baby put his hands onto his jaw and chin. He stepped over the gate and followed behind the three men.

"Hey Chris, do I have to film?" He asked, shifting the baby onto his other hip. Chris looked back at him and shrugged, turning a corner. They entered the warehouse, the bright lights making the baby whine and cover his face with his blanket. Jimmy fixed an item in one of the sets of the challenge, then coming out to greet them.

"Jimmy, do I have to film?" Jimmy looked over at him then at the little boy who's pacifier fell out of his mouth as he cooed at Jimmy. Tareq grabbed the pacifier and placed it back into his mouth, who whined but then accepted it.

"We need two people to film, so yeah. If Theo starts to cry, you are more then welcome to walk off to calm him down. Let's see how good you are at multitasking." Jimmy handed him a camera and he slipped the strap around his neck, shifting the baby up. Chandler noticed his struggle and ran off, all the men looking at where he went. He came back with a baby carrier that went on his chest and handed it to Tareq, taking the baby away from him. He handed him the camera and slipped on the carrier. Chandler placed the baby on his chest and held him as Tareq strapped up the carrier, letting Chandler take away his hand when he was done. He grabbed the camera and put the strap around his neck, adjusting it in his hands. He made eye contact with Jimmy and nodded, who nodded back and waved to everyone to get in their starting places. Tareq pressed the button and nodded.

He zoned out as he filmed, the little boy squirmed around on his chest. As he filmed, his mind started to wander into some deep thoughts. Did he want a baby? The answer was unclear to him but he knew ever since he saw Theo while he laid in his tired mother's arms with his father hugging him from behind.

If he did want a baby, the real question was is he is ready? No but then again, no one is ready for that situation. The questions ran through his mind and made his mind spin, but he took his mind off the questions and decided to focus on filming. He zoomed in and out, moving around the set. He heard the baby start to wake up against his chest and he looked down quickly to make sure he was okay before looking up to film the rest of the take.

Quiet fusing started to come from the little boy, making Tareq curse under his breath, so quiet that the camera didn't pick it up. He made eye contact with the other cameraman and nodded, gesturing him to take his position. The cameraman rushed over and stood in the place, nodding with his head to leave. Jimmy watched the scene but didn't say anything, not wanting to break character. Tareq walked off and went to the baby room.

"Hey hey, it's okay. Shh shh." He whispered to the baby, who was starting to whimper. He unstrapped the carrier from his shoulders and carefully pulled it down, allowing himself to grab the baby. He picked him up and bounced him around, going over to the bag and sitting down on the floor. He grabbed an already made bottle and moved the baby to where he were laying in the crook of his arm, holding up the bottle for him to eat. He tried to place the bottle into his mouth but he spit it out, whining even more. He moved around in his arms and tears started to gather in his eyes.

"No no, it's okay. Don't cry." He picked him up and smelled his bum; he was clean. He grabbed a pacifier and placed it in his mouth. He accepted it but then immediately spit it out, crying hard. He grabbed a toy for him but he refused to grab it, making him sigh. He picked up the baby and cradled him to his chest, bouncing him up and down soothingly.

Tears started to fall out Tareq's eyes as the minutes went by and he didn't seem to be calming down. He looked around frankly, trying to find something to calm him down. He lean back against the wall of the tiny room that was feeling like it was shrinking every second. He heard a knock and he looked over at the door to see Chris.

"Hey, you need help?" Tareq nodded and Chris stepped over the gate, going over to him. He sat down on the floor and put his hands out for the little boy, which Tareq gave. Chris held up the baby and started to pat his back gently. After a minute, the baby let out a belch and sighed happily. The little boy yawned and closed his eyes, leaning over to the right as he fell asleep. Tareq looked at the little boy then at Chris with a shocked expression.

"How?" Chris shrugged and picked the baby up to place back onto Tareq's chest, strapping him back into the carrier.

"Sometimes they are just gassy, so that's why they cry." Tareq nodded and put out his hands so Chris could pick him off up off the floor. Chris got up and placed his hand into his, pulling him up gently as to not disturb the sleeping baby. Chris exhaled and patted his shoulder.

"Hey, you alright? You were crying when I came in, is it too stressful? I can take him." Tareq shook his head, walking back to the warehouse. His arm brushed up against Chris's arm and he jerked it away, then shook his head. When they reached the warehouse, Chandler came running up to them and looked at Tareq.

"Two things. One, Jimmy wants you for the challenge and two, Theo's okay?" A father who loves and cares, Tareq thought. He nodded, smiling a little. He unstrapped the carrier from his shoulders and let Chandler take the sleeping boy. He pouted and held him close, rubbing his back.

"He's spoiled with love, I swear. Anyways, Tareq you ready?" Jimmy's voice came up behind Chandler, causing everyone to look at him. Tareq nodded and took off the carrier, handing it to Chris and walking off with Jimmy. While they walked to his set, he fidgeted with his fingers and stared straight forward. He was nervous but for what? Being in front of camera didn't scare him as much as it used to when he was first shown on the channel.

The set had a table in the middle of a white room, a device sat on the table. Tareq walked up to it but Jimmy pulled him back by his shoulder, turning him around and shaking his head.

"You'll find out later. For now, lay on the table." Tareq raised an eyebrow but nodded, hopping up onto the hard wooden table and laying down, the cold wood making content with his arms. Jimmy nodded to the person behind the camera, telling him to start the camera.

"Tareq! Do you know why you're here?!" Jimmy started to yell to the camera, looking over at Tareq. He put his hands on his stomach and looked over at the camera then at the ceiling.

"No." Jimmy smiled and showed the camera the device he was going to use on Tareq.

"This is a device that reenacts contractions that are experienced in labor and we know this is true as we tested on Karl. Roll the clips." While Jimmy talked to the camera, he lifted up Tareq's shirt and placed the stickers on his stomach. He held up the device and the camera man zoomed in on it. Karl came walking over to the set and he came into the camera's view. He patted his shoulder and nodded over to the other man.

"Alright, for every level you survive, you'll get that much money." Jimmy explained and pressed the first level. "Did that hurt?"

He hummed and felt a little tingle, shaking his head. Jimmy waved to Karl to get $1,000. They kept on going up, the pain getting more extreme every level and the pile of money growing. A cramp started to from and tightly knot in the middle of his stomach, spreading like an infection to the rest of his body. When they reached level five, that's when all hell broke lose.

Tareq screamed and twisted his body when he pressed level five, making Jimmy stop. His stomach had an extreme knot in it and his back screamed in pain. His face was twisted in agony and fear, his torso twisted in the opposite way of his legs. Karl eased him back into a normal position by rubbing his back and gently pushing him.

"That's not even a contraction, that's like a false contraction." Karl patted his back and hugged him as Tareq sat up. He sighed and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Jimmy patted his knee and looked at the camera.

"You just earned $10,000. Do you want to continue?" Jimmy looked over at Tareq who shrugged and laid back down.

"Yeah, I need to get prepared for this later." Tareq spoke and rubbed his eyes, arching his back and stretching. Jimmy looked at him and Karl raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean you need to get prepared for later?" Karl asked and took his hands away from his eyes. Tareq looked up at him and shrugged.

"Well, I need to get this baby out of me one way or other." Jimmy's eyes widened and Karl gasped, his jaw dropping. The camera zoomed on his face and stayed there.

"Wait, you're pregnant?" Tears flooded Tareq's eyes as he nodded, sitting up and Karl immediately pulled him into a hug. Jimmy patted his leg and a smile was wide on his face.

"Chris! Chandler! Tareq's pregnant!" Karl screamed at the men across the warehouse, who came running over with the baby. They went over to him and cocked their heads.

"Seriously?" Tareq looked at them with tears flowing down his cheeks as he nodded. Chris and Chandler hugged him with Theo and Jimmy joined in the hug, basically suffocating Tareq in hugs. The little baby cooed and patted his head, not understanding what was happening but he knew it was a happy moment. The cramp that was formed during the challenge melted away, the sweet affection brought by all the boys relived any pain he had. They started to slowly slither their hands away from him, kissing his forehead and head when they drifted away. Chandler was the last one to let go as Theo was still patting his head and cooing at him. Tareq smiled softly and put out his hands for the boy, who started to make grabby hands towards him and Chandler transferred him, chuckling quietly.

"Who's the father?" Tareq turned his head to Karl who did ask them question and shrugged. The cameraman shut the camera off already, so they could have their privacy.

"I'm not telling you." Chris dropped his jaw in mocked offense and Chandler rolled his eyes, grinning. The baby looked around and saw Jimmy, cooing and wiggling around to try and get to Jimmy. Jimmy noticed and picked the baby up, letting him lay down on his chest.

"I think I'm just going to cut your clip out and end the video there. I'll make the outro later." They all nodded to Jimmy's plan and he got off the table, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Jimmy cocked his head as he studied him, looking down at his stomach then at his face.

"Did I hurt you too bad? I feel like I did." Tareq shook his head and rubbed small circles on his stomach that had the tiniest bump on it.

"No no. I think I just have to lay down and rest." They all nodded and Karl followed Tareq as he left the warehouse. Karl caught up with him and tapped his shoulder, wincing when he flinched.

"Hey, you sure you're alright?" Tareq nodded but the tears in his eyes gave it away. Karl raised his eyebrow and shook his head, ushering him into the room that had a mattress in. He pushed him down onto the bed and patted his shoulder, sitting down next to him.

"There's just this painful knot in my back. Can you help me?" Karl smiled and nodded, lifting up Tareq's shirt and putting his hands on his back, kneading his fingers into the tense skin.

"Thanks Karl." He mumbled, biting his lip as the knots went away. He patted his back and nodded.

"I know how much it hurts, trust me. It'll get painful but if you ever need a massage, I think anyone would be glad to give it to you. Just ask and if they don't want to give you one, just come to me and I will." Tears flooded his eyes quickly at the sweet words, the pregnancy hormones already affecting him. He turned around and hugged Karl, the tears trickling down his cheeks. He didn't feel like he was alone anymore, he had a whole support group to help him out. A hand patted his back and a platonic kiss was planted on his head.

"Thank you Karl." And he really meant it.

_______

He yawned and placed his hand onto his swollen stomach, feeling the baby move under his palm. His legs were curled up as he scrolled on his phone, laughing quietly at some of the fans comments. A knock startled him and he snapped his head up.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Jimmy leaned against the doorway and cracked his knuckles. Tareq nodded and tried to get up without help but of course, when a baby is about seven pounds, it's hard to get up. He pushed against the back of the chair and got up wobbly on his legs. Jimmy smirked and looked down at the man who was supporting his back.

"I'm inspired." Tareq rolled his eyes and pushed him playfully away, walking slowly behind him. He breathed heavily and cradled his lower abdomen, supporting it as he walked. Jimmy turned around to face him, walking backwards.

"Hey, you sound like you're about to die. You good?" Tareq huffed and stared at the man, knowing damm well he could kill someone with his stare.

"You try carrying a seven pound baby all the time. And if you run into a wall, I'm going to laugh." Tareq stated, taking his hand off his abdomen and let it lay limply on his side. Jimmy scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"So dramatic." He whispered, crashing into a wall behind him, making Tareq look at him with a "I told you so," glance and laughing. Jimmy smiled, the first time he heard him laugh in a while and rubbed the back of his head. He ushered him into the room and told him to sit down at one of the chairs, sitting in one too.

"So, you know how you're due in about two months?" Tareq nodded and pushed at his bump, trying to ease his child to stop kicking. Jimmy didn't seem to noticed and kept on staring at his face.

"Until then, you are on maternity leave. Don't worry about the cameras, we already hired a person to take your place while you are gone. You are still welcomed to come here anytime you want to, just don't come here thinking you are going to film." His voice sounded so professional, it made him feel off. Like he was his coworker and he was his boss, which he was, and nothing more.

"Okay, thanks Jimmy. When am I supposed to return?" Jimmy hummed and looked down at his bump then back up at him.

"Whenever you want to come back. I know if you have a c-section, it might take longer for you to recover. Just don't wait six months after their born to come back , unless there are complications." Tareq nodded and placed his hand on top of his bump, using his other hand to scratch the back of his head.

"Now, go home and rest. You'll be needing it for later." Tareq smiled and nodded, pushing himself up and walking out the room. Jimmy followed him with his gaze until he gone and sighed, getting up to go check up on the other boys.

________

A groan escaped from his parted lips as he bore down, feeling a hand stroke his sides and chest, bringing in comfort he desperately needed. He flinched from the pain that was mainly focused on his lower part of his body and was slowly spreading throughout the rest of his body.

"And rest." Tareq took his chin off his chest and panted, groaning loudly and cursing the air. The bright lights stung at his tried eyes as he stared at it, waiting for another contraction to take over his body. It was around four o'clock in the morning and his thirty seventh hour of labor, he prayed that the baby was worth it to go through this long journey with the indescribable changes and pain to his body and mental state.