At six in the evening, Zack was about to arrive home to drive Raya to the party so they could tell their friends about the upcoming arrival. He puzzled over what exactly he should tell his pregnant wife when she saw his black eye. He knew just telling her that he was fighting some gorillas over a glass vial wasn't going to cut it. Should he tell her about Dan and Amy? Should he tell her about the worldwide scavenger hunt? Should he tell her that the world could be in trouble? Zack decided that he might tell Raya about his friends and the scavenger hunt, but the last thing was just too much to tell a pregnant woman. He came to his decision just as he arrived home to find Raya tapping her foot in front of the front door,
Here we go!
"Where have you been?" Raya asked impatiently.
"I got a little…" Zack tried to explain.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Raya shrieked when she saw Zack's black eye.
"There was this idiot who made it quite clear that he didn't like me so I had to defend myself," Zack answered.
Raya sighed and shook her head with her arms folded across her chest.
"I wish that you could stay out of trouble!" Raya complained.
"I don't look for trouble," Zack refused. "Trouble finds me."
"Is that from Harry Potter too?" Raya asked with a hint of a smile on her face which made Zack breathe a little easier.
"As a matter of fact, it is," Zack confirmed.
"Care to explain?" Raya probed.
"It's a long story," her husband replied.
"We don't have time for long stories," Raya objected. "Look, I'll go back inside to get some ice for your eye and then I'll drive us to Starlight house. This is one party that I don't want to be late for."
After Raya went back in the house, Zack counted his blessings that he got through this sticky situation with a minimum of explanation. He then looked at the bulge in his pocket and frowned.
I wish that I had never found this stupid thing!
Raya brought the icepack with a kiss and they headed to Starlight house.
"I hope that we don't miss dinner," Raya whined when they got there.
"I'm sure we're fine," Zack murmured while knocking on the door.
"Care to explain?" Kimber quipped when she opened the door.
"Not really," Zack refused.
"Have it your way," Kimber gave in after hugging the newcomers.
Zack approached the dinner table to find a large salad along with hamburgers and hotdogs.
"Get into trouble again?" Pizzazz needled with a grin.
"Yes, I did," Zack sighed since he knew that he would have a field a lot more questions before the night was over.
"Was it Shego out for revenge?" Roxy pressed.
"I wish it had been," Zack grumbled.
"Oh, my!" Jerrica gasped with her hand over her mouth.
"Worse than Shego?" Shana squeaked.
"I'm afraid so," Zack confirmed as he sat at the table to notice Pizzazz winking at him.
"Where's Aja?" Zack asked.
"She's upstairs dealing with a problem of our own," Jerrica confided.
"What…" Zack started to ask.
"You are going to need glasses to see the board at school!" Aja ordered.
"But glasses will make me look stupid!" Ashley complained.
Zack slapped the table in disgust and headed for the stairs.
"Someone's in trouble!" Pizzazz laughed.
"What did you say?" Zack barked when he appeared in front of the stairs.
Ashley gasped loudly and slapped her hands over her mouth while blushing as red as she had ever done before.
"You're on your own," Aja giggled while patting Ashley on the shoulder and stepping back.
"So glasses make you look stupid?" Zack growled with his arms folded.
"I… uh…" Ashley choked.
"Do I look stupid?" Zack demanded.
"No, sir," Ashley replied.
"Then, why do you think you will look stupid?" Zack probed.
"I don't know," Ashley sighed.
"Whoever said that clothes make the man was wrong," Zack declared. "A man's choices make the man."
"Okay," Ashley agreed.
"I suggest that you think about that," Zack suggested before returning to the table.
"Are you okay?" Jerrica asked while Ashley was walking to a separate dining room to eat with the other girls.
"Yes," Ashley responded before leaving.
"I like how you handled that," Raya complimented when Zack sat down.
"So do I," Stormer agreed.
The dinner progressed without incident. The impending bombshell that they were going to drop was all Zack and Raya could think about. Eventually, Zack remembered the wink Pizzazz had given him and he wondered if she already knew.
After dinner was finished, everyone split into two groups. One group played Scrabble and one group played Monopoly. Zack was content just helping Raya watch for the letters that she needed to drop her bombshell. Aja, Jetta, and Jerrica were also playing. Pizzazz was watching from behind the couch because she wanted to see if her theory was correct. Zack was frustrated in the first round because his wife hadn't drawn any of the necessary letters. It took four rounds for Raya to draw two B's and a Y.
All we need is for someone to play an A.
Zack was happy when Kimber played the word 'plant'. However, it was Aja's turn and she was starting to place a word on the necessary letter.
"Uh, Aja, could you please use a different letter?" Zack pleaded.
"Why?" Aja responded with an eyebrow raised.
"I can't say," Zack hedged while Pizzazz was grinning from ear to ear.
"Okay," Aja sighed while playing the word 'donut'. "It's your turn, Raya."
"First, I need everyone else to be here," Raya ordered.
The happy couple waited for Jerrica to break up the Monopoly game and bring everyone else into the room.
"What's going on, Raya?" Shana demanded.
Raya calmly spelled out her word causing several people to gasp and Pizzazz to high five Stormer,
"Is this your way of telling us something?" Kimber asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, I'm having one!" Raya cried out while standing up.
A loud chorus of cheering, crying and hugging erupted. The Holograms got to Raya first so Zack started with the Misfits. After that, they switched hugging partners.
"Did you know?" Zack asked Pizzazz.
"You never cared what game we played before!" Pizzazz cried out.
The next day…
"This is Lin-Z reporting with wonderful news. Former Hologram security guard Zack Morgan and drummer Raya Morgan are expecting their first child. The couple have been reported to have told their friends by playing a Scrabble game. Their friends are extremely happy because of this special occasion."
"Hm…" Isabel Kabra mused after scratching her chin after turning off the television.
"How are we going to get the vial from Zack Morgan?" Natalie Kabra asked.
"I think we should throw a party for his friends," Isabel answered. "We can invite his wife too."
"We don't want to hurt her!" Ian Kabra protested. "She's pregnant!"
Isabel responded by smacking her own son over his right eye.
"Don't you ever talk back to me!" Isabel shrieked.
"Yes, mother," Ian gave in.