How Green Becomes Wood

"That's what the camera is good for, cuts out the noise," Milo replied, bringing it back to his eye.

At that moment, Ivy was sat between Aya and Eman, who were being gentle with her, clearly aware she was getting sleepy, but also knowing perfectly well they probably wouldn't see her in person again for a very long time.

~~

"Since before she and Dark got married," Spencer replied, "When she was recently hired at the museum, and new in the area, I was friends with one of her then-coworkers. I was at her wedding, actually."
 
"Makes sense," Xander agreed. He didn't say anything more, content in the silence. Everyone talked too much anyway.

Alec smiled as he approached them, desperately trying to remember names and giving up. "I'm sorry, I'm here to take Ivy away from you," he said, holding out his hands to Ivy. "She needs her mama, and Mama needs her."

~~

Ciara nodded. "That is a long time. Long-time friends are rare and good to have."
 
Milo continued to sit back and snap pictures. Birthday presents weren't really something he could afford, but he thought this family would like pictures from today. They'd be too busy to remember to take them.

"Oh I'm sure she does," Eman sighed, snuggling Ivy and kissing the top of her head before handing her off.

"It's for the best, we don't want her to be cranky when she gets to have cake," Aya agreed, smiling at Ivy, "I'll see you when you wake up, pretty baby." Then she turned to her bored-looking husband and began to talk about how cute she thought Ivy was and, to his horror, how much it made her wish she had more.

~~

"Daizi is someone who does not really let you go unless you give her a strong reason to," Spencer replied, "And we're all so happy for her, even if we all wish we got to see her as much as we used to. But you have me at disadvantage, I can't ask how long you've known her."
 
Alec hugged Ivy close and kissed her cheek. "She'll miss playing with you all! But she'll be back soon." He headed off back through the people, keeping Ivy tight to his shoulder to avoid anyone who wanted to snatch her from him. He reached Daizi with baby in hand and said, "Mama, I have Ivy. Are you ready to put her down?"

~~

"We have not been acquainted long," Ciara said simply. "I found out about the boys a few months after they began living here, and I came with their biological father to meet them."
 
When Ivy was in her brother's arm and not with strangers, she immediately settled down and curled against him, grabbing hold of his hair loosely.

"I think she's more ready for it than I am," Daizi murmured sympathetically, taking Ivy into her arms, snuggling her in closely. "Let's go take a nap, okay habibti? Yeah, let's go take a nap."

~~

Smiling softly, Spencer pretended like she hadn't been told everything about those days, "She thinks very highly of you."
 
Alec smiled, watching Daizi and Ivy go, and then trotted back to the others. "Mission accomplished!"

~~

Ciara doubted Daizi could thing too highly of her, so she just smiled and inclined her head. "It was a rough start, but I am pleased that we were able to stabilize."
 
"Babies are so lucky," Sloan commented as she guided them towards the kitchen, "As an adult if you get tired during your birthday party, you just have to hope the guests go home."

~~

"It is not part of my own belief system, but I know she believes she can see into people and judge them on that as well as everything else." Spencer said, turning her head as Daizi brought Ivy upstairs, doubting if her friend considered her family to have stabilized on the whole.
 
"I'd just tell them to let themselves out when they were done and go to bed," Xander said.

"He would, too," Alec agreed with a nod.

Peter contemplated that. "I'd drop hints that it was time to leave."

~~

"I do not know that I understand what that means," Ciara admitted, "but I am glad that first impressions are not concrete for some people."
 
Milo failed to fathom even having a birthday party in the first place, so he just continued moving about and taking pictures.

Noor watched this squirrely boy, fairly certain she hadn't even seen his face because it was always behind the camera, and asked, "Who is he?"

~~

"No, I don't understand it either, and I've known her for years. She says it's her third eye." Spencer replied.
 
"That's Milo," the twins said simultaneously.

"Milo is a friend of Xander's," Alec explained.

"He does good pictures," Xander told her. "It's his hobby."

~~

"Oh, yes, I have heard of the third eye," Ciara nodded. "I do not understand, but she is sincere. Her kindness is... nearly boundless."
 
Hearing his name, Milo lowered the camera and looked over at them before waving awkwardly. Noor watched him in her usual, uninterested way until they accidentally made eye contact and Milo reacted in his usual way--by nervously ducking his head away and staring down at his shoes, at which point a light but visible blush came across her face. So of course she quickly went to the kitchen to eat appetizers like nothing happened.

~~

"Nearly," Spencer replied knowingly, "I hope you never see when she reaches her limit."
 
Alec noticed, and he smiled to himself. Adorable!

Xander didn't have a clue about what may or may not have transpired. He followed after Noor because she was aiming toward food, no other reason.

Peter caught Milo's attention and asked a few questions about the pictures he was getting, showing interest in the process.

~~

"I can imagine. Perhaps this is too soon to ask, but will you be considering children?" Ciara asked because that was what people asked newly married people. At least she wasn't assuming that children would happen immediately.
 
Milo awkwardly and haltingly explained what he was doing and tried to point out the sort of things he looked for, "There's, you know, no way for me to tell if they're coming out well, but I think some will be really nice, actually. Yeah. I mean, I think so. Lots of people are moving around and laughing, so it's nice to walk through, you know? There's a lot to capture."

~~

Spencer looked at Ciara with some surprise in her eyes. Given what she had been warned about, she hadn't expected Ciara to bring up the possibility of her and her wife having a lesbian baby together. Still, she overcame the surprise quickly enough, though, and answered, "We aren't sure, yet. We only just married in September, and we both work such busy hours it doesn't seem fair to any potential child. You'll be shocked to learn neither lawyers nor doctor's, especially in her specialty, like to take time off." Spencer paused for a few moments and then asked, "How about you? Do you ever see yourself getting married or having children?"
 
"Good heavens, no," Ciara said instantly, shaking her head. "I am quite a bit beyond the age for either of those things. I am quite content with how things are, in any case. I live a fully self-centered life. I do not see how I could possibly think to include someone in my life to that degree."
 
Spencer smiled at Ciara, holding her cup up slightly, "Good for you. There are many tragedies in this world and not the least amongst them is when women are pressured into 'settling down.'"
 
Ciara returned the salute more or less automatically. "I suppose this is true. I was more interested in a career and did not have the opportunity for such things. That was my sister's calling."

~~

Jack was still by the fire with Dark, alternating between watching the fish and getting pictures of the cooking fire, the flowers, or the yard in general with a small digital camera.

Xander wandered out to check on them, munching on one of the finger food options. He held out a small plate loaded with appetizers to Dark.
 
"Do you know, my grandmother once told me it'd be okay if I just went ahead and had children even if I was always at work, because, to her, men have only been saying hello to their children at bedtime for generations." She thought about this for a moments and then said, "I just think we're allowed to have ambitions which aren't centered around the home. Not everybody's idea of a happily ever after is a wedding and mouths to feed."

~~

Dark poked the fire again, took a sip of lemonade, and then turned towards Xander, "Thank you. How is Ivy? I had expected more people would come outside."
 
"This is true," Ciara agreed, feeling as though she'd stepped into a minefield. Actually, she would had preferred it was a minefield. She had training with those.

~~

"Down for a nap. Yeah, they're all huddled up inside. Not for lack of trying. Cooger and Lex are out here. We were all out here for a while. Nobody else wanted to follow," Xander shrugged.
 
Spencer looked over at Ciara for a few moments and then, with a gentle sigh, finished her drink and said, "You don't need to be afraid of offending me. I support the choice you made, unless you turn around and say you think every woman except for you should be housewives, we're just two women in the justice system who are proud of the careers we've built. You're not on cross."

~~

Cooger waved when he was mentioned while Dark turned back to his work, "Daizi will usher them out, I am certain. Otherwise I will look like I am avoiding my daughter at her party."
 
"What other women do is not my business," Ciara said calmly. "I do think children should be the main focus when raising them, and if two people choose to do activities that may result in children, it is my hope and expectation that they will both make an effort to raise those children. However, children are not everyone's future, chosen or not, and there is no shame in that. Likewise, some careers are simply too demanding consistent be fair to children. Even so, with these opinions, I still recognize that they are opinions only, and life does not always align to out expectations. This is something I found recently to be true. I thought that those who said such things merely did not have strong enough goals or focus and determination to see it through. It is not always the case."

~~

"Who wants to miss out on this great fire and fish sizzling?" Xander commented. "It's not that bad out."

Alec came out and looked around. "Where is everyone? They should be out here!"
 
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