How Green Becomes Wood

The bouncing of the wagon made Ivy giggle as though she were on a carnival ride. All of the bumps were so much fun and she had no possible expectation of possibly being hurt! "Ah-wa!" She'd sometimes exclaim, pointing at a particular flower, but mostly she just babbled and laughed, having the absolute best time a one-year-old could.

"It's not your birthday," Sloan teased, playfully sticking her tongue out at Peter as she followed after the wagon. As they passed by guests, they'd wave or say hello to Ivy (and to the teenagers, a little bit, but mostly the fun was seeing how the baby would react), their faces Milo also made sure to photograph.

Having been so focused on his daughter in the wagon, Dark hadn't fully recognized who exactly was around them until Tristan spoke, at which point he swallowed again, blinked up at the sky, and then looked down at Tristan, "She was very small. And six weeks early." He looked back at her in the wagon, listening to her squeals of delight and leaned into his wife's hand.

"We actually started calling her 'Hummingbird' because her kicks felt like the flutter of wings," Daizi explained, "Then when we met her... It stuck."
 
"Maybe not, but that didn't keep me out of joining the parade," Peter grinned at Sloan. He started waving at the people watching. "I wish I had a dorky hat."

Xander reached where he'd started and hooked his thumb at Alec. "You, out. Who wants a ride? Sloan? Noor? Hassan?"

"That is very sweet," Tristan said softly. He watched the teens talking about wagon rides. "She loves flowers just like a butterfly, too. I cannot imagine handling something so small and delicate."
 
"Somehow I doubt my uncle," technically, her first-cousin-in-law, but who was keeping track. Arabic didn't even have a word for 'cousin', "would ever abide by dorky hats." Noor commented blandly, trying to ignore the part of her which desperately wished they had a kazoo.

"Oh, can I get the wagon ride!?" Hassan asked excitedly.

"Shouldn't it be someone who actually knows her?" Noor asked.

"Ivy-Qadira is our second-cousin, so I think she knows us well enough," Hassan replied brightly.

"Honestly, it was terrifying," Daizi admitted, moving her hand away from Dark's hand and instead holding his arm. To her recollection, Cooger had said they were allowed to treat Ivy's birthday under date conditions, claiming it'd be cruel to not let them hug on such an important day for them. "We had two weeks in the NICU with her. You wouldn't guess it, now."

With a quiet exhale, Dark carefully watched his daughter and remembered the moment she was born. He had been kneeling in his bed, supporting Daizi and at the sound of those weak, desperate cries, Daizi's nails dug into his neck. The pair of them had begun to cry but didn't realize it and it wasn't until the midwife called for him that he could remember what it was he was supposed to do next. Guided by the midwife, he cut the cord, and suddenly held in his hands this person who fit perfectly in just one of his and helped Daizi hold her. She was perfect and little and cried until she was in her mother's arms. Dark had felt just about as small as his daughter, he was so scared. He sat in bed with the two of them and held them both, and felt truly giant, and capable of protecting them from anything. And Ivy had been so little, and so weak, and they didn't know how sick she was, but she had cried. It was frail, but she had. And now---there she was. Standing in the wagon, laughing, babbling about flowers. And there was his wife at his side, shining with the exact light she had a year ago, after bringing their daughter into the world. There were his boys at his daughter's side, playing with her as if to say--you should never have doubted we wouldn't.
 
"Hmm, good point," Peter agreed. "Noise makers would be a good second choice."

"If she'll let you join her, and if you can keep her safe, you can have a ride," Xander agreed.

Alec got out of the wagon. "Here you go, Hassan!"

Tristan watched them silently. There was so many emotions that ran so deep for them both, emotions he could not relate to. A tiny part of him was a little jealous that he would never be able to understand. He would never be able to feel what they felt. It was a strange sensation, and he felt a little guilty because he also knew there was more pain than he could imagine. Why would anyone want that kind of pain? But with the pain came joy. Deep, deep joy.

"She is a beautiful, healthy child," he said at last. "And your boys work so well with her."
 
Hassan climbed into the wagon with Ivy, who stared wide eyed at this stranger and then turned back to her brothers, quietly grumbling at them.

"I don't know if she's accepting you," Noor said.

~~

Daizi gently rubbed her thumb against Dark's arm, recalling not only Ivy's birth and thinking about her apple tree and her roses. Most people at this party didn't know what that frail, determined little tree meant. It still hadn't born fruit. For so much of this year she had felt guilt over not being able to make it to term. It didn't matter how many people told her it wasn't her fault, every delayed milestone seemed a result of her personal failure. And it had been such a difficult year. There was CPS, and the FBI, and Dark's depression, and Xander's difficulty, and all the while, she was happier than she'd ever been and sadder than she'd ever been, but now Ivy was a full year old. And she was talking early, and all day Daizi was uncertain if she wanted to cry from joy, pride, or from how much it all hurt. Probably all three. But the only one allowed to cry at a one-year-old's birthday party was the birthday girl, so she smiled even more brightly because of it. Earlier she had feebly attempted to try to talk to Alec about how strange it all was, and she didn't know why. It wasn't because she thought for a moment he'd actually understand. But he was there, and she was on his arm, and all of it had been on the tip of her tongue all day.

"I cannot express how relieved we are they get along so well," Dark said, putting his hand over his wife's since she was holding too tightly to his arm to free himself and wrap it around her, "They had only been living with us for a few months before she came into our lives. It was disorienting for all of us. In December, they will have been home for two years."
 
Alec crouched next to the wagon and smiled at Ivy. "It's okay! We're right here beside you, okay? Here we go! Let's go for a ride! Look at the flowers!"

Xander started pulling the wagon - Alec had to step back to give him a helping push - and began the circle around the yard again. Alec walked next to Ivy and pointed out the flowers while Xander slowly gained speed.

~~

"I hadn't realized they have only been with you for two years," Tristan admitted. "I knew it was short, but not that short." He watched them quietly. He had the sense that Ivy was a miracle child, and miracle children always came at a price, but he didn't think it was his place to ask. Was it simply a lack of conception? Problems? Deformaties? IVF failures? Worse? He dared not ask. Especially not here. He was content in likely never knowing the full story with their children.
 
Ivy settled down as the wagon began to be pushed again, because she did really enjoy it. Hassan, to his credit, didn't just sit back and enjoy the ride, he did keep a close eye on his cousin to make sure nothing happened to her in the ride.

"Are you going to take a wagon ride, Xander?" Sloan asked.

~~

"It's funny," Daizi said, still holding firm to her husband, still needing it, needing him, "To us it doesn't seem like a short time at all. I guess it is, technically. But they've been long, long years. Wonderful ones, ones I wouldn't trade, but it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing."

Dark murmured in agreement, "It has been two years. I think I have aged about twenty."
 
"When Ivy's tired of it, you bet," Xander said. "Are you queuing up to be next in line?" He glanced back to make certain Ivy and Hassan were secure before speeding up even more.

Alec and Peter trotted after, one on each side of the the wagon as they made faces at Ivy and sometimes Hassan.

~~

"Teenagers, yes?" Tristan chuckled. "I hear they are remarkably challenging."
 
"I don't know," Sloan chuckled, "Are you adamant to pull me around?"

Whenever they made faces at him, Hassan made faces right back, which only made Ivy laugh more. She turned in the wagon, and her face brightening even more, pointed, "Mama!!!"

~~

"Teenagers and then teenagers alongside an infant," Daizi said, choosing not to mention any of the once seemingly insurmountable pains along the way.

"And in between the two, teenagers and a pregnant wife," Dark added with a glimmer Tristan probably couldn't detect, completely accepting the way Daizi whacked him for that comment before she turned to the sound of her baby calling for her.
 
"I don't see why not!" Xander said.

"Faster, Xander! We have to get the princess to her destination!" Alec yelled excitedly.

Xander took a wide turn and guided the wagon toward Daizi. "As she commands!"

~~

"I do not think it would be wise of me to make any comments about that," Tristan chuckled.
 
When the wagon began going faster, Ivy laughed more, bouncing slightly from excitement as they approached her Mama. Sloan said nothing about how the twins played with their sister because, frankly, she found it endearing, and didn't want to comment on it and risk them feeling embarrassed. Even Noor would find it difficult to deny how cute it was Alec was calling Ivy 'princess.'

"I was perfectly sane and lovely for all 34 weeks," Daizi said confidently, and then after a brief pause while Dark looked straight ahead, keeping whatever he thought about her sanity during that time confidential, added, "Well. I had severe morning sickness, but with that one exception, I was perfectly sane and lovely." When the sound of the wagon came close to them, she turned and scooped Ivy up, lifting her above her head, "There's Mama's Hummingbird! Are you having fun, habibti!?"
 
Tristan bit his lip and looked away, refusing to react even if he really wanted to. They were ridiculously cute together, those two giants. Then Ivy came around, and Tristan ceased to exist.

Xander grinned when Ivy got scooped up. "Alright. The carriage is empty! Who's up next?" He glanced at Hassan. "Sorry, Weaver, you're out."

"She had such a fun time, Mama!" Alec told her. "I bet you could hear her laughing all up and down the block!"
 
"I bet you could!" Daizi cheered while Hassan climbed out of the wagon, "What a fun parade for a darling girl on her birthday!" She lowered Ivy just far enough to kiss her tummy and then lifted her straight back up above her head, silently she'd never forget the sound of that laugh, "She'd have loved a parade up and down the block, too, I bet!"

"I believe you said, as soon as the Mini was tired of the wagon it'd be your turn," Sloan quietly teased Xander.
 
Xander plopped into the wagon, and without Ivy there to look after, he spread out widely. "All set!"

"Go real fast," Alec whispered to Sloan. "Don't knock him out, but go for it!"
 
Just like when Xander was pulling, Sloan needed a bit of help to get the wagon started, but once it was going, she was able to successfully pull him fairly quickly. Admittedly, she may have found it marginally more difficult than Xander did, purely due to the size and weight differences between them--- but she was still a highly skilled athlete, likely the most skilled athlete at the party, having been trained in gymnastics since she was four-years-old and spending about half her week in the gym these days, so if Xander thought he was in for an easy, gentle ride around the garden, he was sorely mistaken.
 
Since it was Sloan and he knew Sloan pretty well, Xander was locked in and waiting for the ride. He pretended to be chill, but he was strategically positioned to stabilize himself. He cheered, waving a hand lazily. He was actually enjoying himself, but heaven forbid he show it too much.

Alec laughed and jogged along with Peter in tow. "Go, Sloan, Go!"

"I call next ride!" Peter cheered.
 
"Who's a dweeb?" the twins both demanded.

"I'll pull you around," Alec offered.

Xander hopped out and waited as Peter took his chance to climb in. "Peter, you're small enough I bet we could fit another person in here. Who hasn't had a ride yet?"
 
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