How Green Becomes Wood

"No, just a warning," Daizi replied with a shrug, "When your father held you, you weren't so desperate to be set down then."

"If you are so antsy, you can go and wait in the front yard," Dark suggested, "but do not walk through the house, go around the side."
 
"That's because I knew where," Alec started to say, but then Xander let go. He dropped into the snow with a grunt. "Hey!"

"I think I'll do that," Xander agreed. He tossed Enkidu another snowball and made his way around to the front of the house, going the long way.

When Xander reached the front, he looked across the road at the Applebaum house. After a moment, he walked to the very edge of the sidewalk and scooped up a handful of snow, shaping it into as close to a perfect snowball as possible. Then he took careful aim, checked for traffic, and stepped forward as he slung his ammo right at Sloan's window. The snowball was nowhere near hard enough to break the glass, but it would make a massive thump!
 
A few moments after the giant thump, Sloan walked up to her window confused, taking off a her teal bunny-ear headset and letting them rest on her shoulders. When she saw the snow lump on her window, she frowned and opening it up looked down at Xander, "There are other ways to get a lady's attention, you know," She called down.
 
"I am. Someone chucked me into a snow pile," Xander called back. "If I promise not to do the same to you, will you come out? It's the first real snow! You can hibernate through the rest!"
 
Xander gave her a salute. "See you soon!" He went around the back and called to Alec, "Hey! Sloan's coming out. Want to do a three-way battle?"

"Sure!" Alec agreed. "Let's make some piles of snowballs while we wait!" They headed out front and started making extra snowballs for the presumed battle.
 
As the twins were preparing for battle, Cooger's truck pulled up and parked on the side street since the driveways hadn't been shoveled yet. Getting out he looked at them and said, "I sure hope those weren't prepared for me."
 
"Wow, I come all this way to bring y'all a sled, and this is the thanks I get?" Cooger replied with a laugh, going into the backseat to retrieve the sled, "I should just drive this home. Where're your folks?"
 
"You wouldn't take it back because it's not for us. It's for Ivy," Alec told him with a grin.

"They're out back," Xander answered his question. "Thanks for loan of the sled."
 
"Great, I will tell them how you have attacked me," Cooger replied and started heading that way but, hearing his voice, Dark and Daizi headed to the front with Ivy.

When Cooger saw his niece in her puffy little snow suit, he put one hand over his mouth, "Oh what the hell," He said holding his hands out to take her, "It's just not fair to dress her so cute. How you doing, Kitten? You like the snow?"

"We're probably going to need to take her in for a little bit soon," Daizi said, grinning at the noises Ivy was making when she got to see her uncle, "We'll let her try sledding first, though. Thanks for bringing it over, especially in this weather."

"Oh its no problem, I love to see y'all, even if your sons are menaces," Cooger said.

"I am well aware." Dark said dryly.
 
"We didn't toss people into snow piles," Alec countered. "I would say that is a much larger menace."

Xander examined the sled and pulled on it lightly. Satisfied, he moved it to the sidewalk as it was a nice, straight runway. "One sled ready for one baby!"
 
"You started it and you were the ones who tried to pull me down into the snow," Dark replied indignantly.

"I can't trust any of you," Cooger replied, giving Ivy a hug, "Not even you, you've got too much of your Mama in you. And your Baba. And your brothers. I've got no hope of trusting you." Ivy squealed, trying to grab onto him but struggling to do so because of her mittens, "Right, Xander, want to get her settled on the sled?"
 
"We pulled you in only after you threatened to throw us in," Alec pointed out. Then he grinned. "And now for the moment we've all been waiting for! Ivy on a sled!"

"Yeah, let's do that," Xander said. Then he paused, remembering how he was hanging off of Dark. Then he looked at Ivy in her massive (to her) suit. "Actually... can I... do it?" he asked, trying not to sound as tentative as he felt.
 
"And who decided to shove snow down my back?" Dark asked, turning his head sharply to look at Alec. At Xander's question, everyone turned to look at him, though.

Cooger quickly deferred to Ivy's parents but Daizi nodded and said, "If you'd like too. Just be careful, she's slippery."
 
"Okay," Xander agreed. He stepped forward and took a deep breath before reaching out and gingerly wrapping his hands around Ivy's middle. He made certain he had a good grip before stepping back and away from Cooger. And that was it. He was holding Ivy! She was facing the wrong direction, still looking at Cooger instead of him, but he was holding her. He dared a nervous smile and a breathless, noiseless laugh before carrying her over and setting her down on the sled with caution.

"There we go. She's settled," Xander announced.

Alec clapped happily, not wanting to make too big of a deal of it, but also very proud of his brother. "She's in the sled!" he cheered, pretending that was the best part. He beamed proudly at Xander. "Nicely transferred."
 
Ivy didn't have any major reaction. Being so accustomed to being passed around, she just sort of accepted it as a fact of life. Had she been facing Xander, she might have recognized this was different, but since she wasn't, she just sat there in her giant, puffy snow suit until she was sat down on the sled.

Dark watched, also trying not to make a big deal of it while still recognizing the significance of what just happened. He gave Xander a slight nod and said, "Is somebody going to sit with her?"
 
"I'll sit with her," Alec volunteered. "I think I'm the lightest person here, so that'll be the easiest on whoever pulls her."

"I'll pull her," Xander said as if that was obvious. He crouched down at the front of the sled facing Ivy. "Are you ready?"
 
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