How Green Becomes Wood

"I don't know if she'll ever wear it, but I'd let her if she wanted to," Daizi said, bending down and scooping Ivy up, standing her up in her lap, "Does Ivy want to wear Mama's wedding dress? When she's bigger? Would that be fun?"

Looking his wife and daughter, Dark realized there was no chance he wouldn't tear up if he saw Ivy in that dress. "You should wear it again," he told her with mild uncertainty in his voice, because he didn't know if it'd fit Daizi now any better than his suit fit him.

~~

"I can pick you up around six?" He offered.
 
"If she wears it, she'll be so pretty," Alec sighed happily.

"Okay, that's enough mushiness for me," Xander said, standing up.

~~

"Perfect," Lex agreed with a grin. "I look forward to it."
 
"I mean, it's just upstairs, I can go try it on if you're really interested," Daizi replied, bouncing Ivy on her knee.

~~

"Me too," He grinned back at her, aching about how correct Dark was to force him to bring her those daisies. It was so annoying everytime he was right.

After a few moments, he broke the look and asked, "How is Toby doing?"
 
"I'm interested!" Alec said quickly. "But only if you're sure. I wouldn't want anything to get dirty or rip or anything."

~~

Lex sighed and leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. "Struggling a bit in school. Football kids are teasing him, but he's got a good group of friends. The problem is, a couple of those friends are encouraging him to drop out and hit the circuits with them. Skateboard circuits. I don't mind if he doesn't go to college, I've always known that was not likely a route he'd want to take, but he needs to finish high school."
 
"I think it'll be okay," Daizi replied, handing Ivy to Alec, "Her sticky little hands are all I'm worried about, but if we wash them before I come downstairs it should be okay. Or I just won't hold her while I wear it."

~~

"It's those football kids," Cooger shook his head, "The things I've heard about those jerks from Dark. But, I agree with you, and he would too: you gotta finish high school. Even I finished high school. And Toby's pretty close to graduating, right?"
 
"I'll hold her," Alec promised, bouncing Ivy gently. "I can't wait to see it!"

Xander mumbled something noncommital but sat back down.

~~

"He just needs to finish this year," Lex said. "I actually thought about not moving here until after he graduated, but he said he was okay with it and wanted to see what Pensilvania was like. He would have been done last year, but he got held back to repeat the fourth grade."
 
Daizi went upstairs and for the first time in many years, she went to the dress bag in the back of her closet and took out her wedding dress. For a few moments, she sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the fabric between her fingers. Maybe she'd wear it again, for the renewal. If Dark said yes. And he would, she was almost completely certain of that.

The dress having so much emotion and power over her was a surprise, and it took her some time just feeling the stars before she could bring herself to actually put it on. Lacing it on her own was a bit tricky, but she managed to do it properly, and realizing she could still wear it, ten months after giving birth, was a relief. It was a bit tight in a few places, and as she adjusted it, she realized she definitely filled out the neckline more than she had a decade ago, but it still felt right. It still felt like her.

Once she had it on, it took her another few moments before she went downstairs again. Ten years, ten years of being his wife. In her dress, before going down, she couldn't resist going to her study and taking out the ring box she had hidden and brushed her fingertips against the ring she'd be surprising Dark with. She was going to be as sappy as she wanted, she didn't care, this was a big deal.

Allowing herself a squeak of excitement, Daizi went downstairs to show off how great she looked in her wedding dress.

~~

"See, that's what you tell him. He's got one year left. If he drops out now, what a waste of all the past years!" Cooger said, settling down easily into the couch, "It's not like skateboarding won't be there in a year."
 
The twins waited patiently, and when Daizi came down, they both said, "Oh wow!" She really was a vision! She was amazing! Even without her makeup done or her hair fancy. Most of that was the confidence she carried herself with, but the dress helped.

"Oh, wow," Xander whispered, realizing how much Daizi's top half had filled out, and he averted his eyes, blushing. It wasn't quite inappropriate, but it was more than he was used to!

"You look fabulous!" Alec cheered, also careful not to look at her neckline area.

~~

Lex arched a brow at him. "You remember being seventeen, eighteen, and having adults tell us stuff like that?" she asked dryly.
 
Daizi blushed lightly at her sons reaction to her, and she gave them a little turn to show off how well the dress moved.

Meanwhile, Dark was struggling to form a thought as he gazed up at her. He noticed the changes in how the dress fit her, not only around the neckline, but also how the fabric fell about her waist and draped from her hips. But that wasn't what made the pace of his heartbeat quicken. That was his wife when she was his bride, after so many years of struggling to make it to the alter. He stole her away from a different wedding to see her in that dress, he broke a thousand hearts to see her in that dress, and he survived so much to marry her.

And here she was, ten years later, in it again, and looking just as overwhelmingly beautiful as she had then, only know shaped like the woman who gave him a daughter. Torn between the part of him who wanted to cry from the depth of his love and the part of him who wanted to press her back into the wall, all he managed to say was, "You look as transcendent now as you did a decade ago. It makes me want to dance with you."

"I forgot how fun this is to wear," She said, blushing more deeply at the subtle tone in his voice.

~~

He chuckled, "Good point. But it's better than 'no son of mine is dropping out,' probably."
 
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Xander glanced from Dark to Daizi, noting the way that Dark looked at Daizi and the way that Daizi responded to his tone and words. It was more than just surface-level lust. There was something deeper. Something he had no words for, and while it did frighten him just a little, like jumping into a pool of deep water, it also gave him... hope? Security? A blend of both plus more? He shook the thoughts away for now and stood. "I should head out. I've got some things to do. You do, too, Alec, remember?"

"Hmm?" Alec wasn't paying attention, busy watching his parents like they were a Hallmark movie.

"You have that thing you told me you needed to take care of," Xander gritted out.

"What thi- OH! Yes, that thing." He hopped to his feet. "Yes, thank you. I'd forgotten. Thanks for letting us see your dress, Mama! It was truly an honor and a privilege."

~~

Lex laughed at that and nodded. "True. I dropped out and later had to get my GED to get anything more than a dancing job, and let me tell you, that was a pain in the ass. I don't know what Toby's going to do with his life, and I doubt skating is going to last forever, so I want him to have something, anything, to make things even a little easier."
 
"I had a lot of fun putting it on again," Daizi said, swishing the skirt with one hand, "I'm really glad it still fits me. It didn't occur to me until I was putting it on again that it might not. What is it you both have to do?"

~~

"I've known a lot of people who've had to get it, and I'm always proud as hell that they stuck it out, 'cause a GED ain't nothing to be ashamed of, but life is definitely easier if you don't need one." Cooger replied with a nod, and then looking at her for a moment, "Did you have a dancing job?"
 
"Homework," Alec said as Xander said, "Cleaning our room."

Xander amended, "Homework," as AAlec said, "Cleaning."

"We have to do our homework right after cleaning our room and making sure to get the top of the doors and the baseboards," Alec said, hurrying away.

"Yep, just that," Xander nodded, following him.

~~

"Nope. They liked my ass but said I needed better boobs," Lex said, meeting Cooger's gaze directly. "All the small-chested rolls were filled. That, and I kicked one of the security detail in the shin when he thought he could get handsy while I was wearing my brother's combat boots."
 
"Oh-kay..." Daizi said, with a bemused chuckle, "That's not suspicious at all."

Still, she didn't ask any further questions, and after they were out of earshot, Dark rose to his feet, saying, "At least they are getting along well enough again to plot."

"I wonder what they're up to," Daizi murmured.

"I am sure we will find out in time," He told her, standing close to her, "If they are keeping it from us, we normally find out."

"That's true."

Dark looked her over, admiring more openly how the dress fit, now that it was just the two of them (and a baby, but she didn't know those feelings existed). He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her to him, his touch making her giggle. "Spider?"

"Yeah?"

"You are wonderful."

"Am I?"

"Yes." With one hand, he cupped her chin and tipped her face backwards to kiss her the way she wanted when she came home from the Bachelorette party, "You should change, Ivy does not have a nap soon. I wish she did."

A little breathless, Daizi agreed she should go change, but demanded one more kiss before she did. Dark watched as she went upstairs and then shook his head, recentering himself.

~~

Cooger's face flushed, "Well." He cleared his throat, "I think---some people think---better isn't necessarily bigger." He turned his face away, "You did the right thing by kicking him though, I think."
 
Alec, Xander, and Ivy sat in their room with the twins on either side and Ivy in the middle. They did actually clean up their room, putting things away that had naturally drifted away from their places, and also doing a little rearranging so little hands could not easily reach things like paint. They kept a close eye on Ivy and tried to involve her and keep her interested in things she couldn't hurt or would hurt her. ander put his giant, plush snake around her like a pen. Not a very effective one, but it might slow her down a little.

~~

Lex smiled, amused by Cooger's reaction. "That establishment that 'look, don't touch,' was restricted to the patrons, and even then it was more like a guideline. A girlfriend tried to get me a spot in a nicer place, but I wasn't quite... agile enough for them. So, I ended up bussing tables since I couldn't remember the menu long enough to be a decent waitress for a couple of years."
 
Ivy was delighted to be in the twins' bedroom, because everything was brand new! The snake was surprisingly helpful, because it was so fun (and to her, heavy), that just being able to grab and try to lift it was a huge distraction to her.

Dark sat alone on the couch for as long as he could, but eventually stood and followed his wife upstairs to help her out of the dress and then carefully put it away to prevent anything from happening to it. Only once it was hung up again did they engage in any adult, romantic behavior, but given all three of their children were awake and down the hall, such activities did not progress to anything which would increase their Motion Picture Association film rating.

~~

"No shame in bussing tables," Cooger replied, "I did my stint there, too. You'll be shocked to learn, I didn't make it as a dancer either."
 
"Maybe when I was younger," He laughed, "but I also don't have the best sense of rhythm. I'll let Dark have that role and focus on what I'm good at. I mean, he's basically spent all weekend selling himself to sell flowers."
 
That got an eyebrow bounce. "You wanna run that by me again?" Lex asked, uncertain if she'd heard right. "Same flower place you went to help out? Sounds like quite the interesting flower shop."
 
"It's where Alec works, right, but the kid's grounded, so Dark agreed to help out. Except Dark is 6'8 and 260 pounds of muscle in a suit and tie, so, according to him, all the men and women in town who are interested in men showed up to gawk and flirt like it was a meat market rather than a flower shop." Cooger laughed, stretching out his legs, "Dark doesn't flirt back or anything, but he was telling me how he was basically just coercing them to buy flowers and trying to get them to leave as soon as possible."
 
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