Ready? ((Dixie))

[Professor Adam Greene]

Dad. Daddy. Father. D-A-D. Dad.

The realization had gradually set in, and with each passing day Adam became more accustomed to the thought that he would soon be a dad. A DAD! How exciting, right? For most, it might have been exciting, but for Adam, the excitement seemed to be overshadowed by the fear and doubt. Sure, he was still excited at the deepest of all things, but every passing day brought him one step closer to the day when he would truly see if he was up for the challenge that life had brought his way. With a new year of school starting at Hogwarts, he knew that his abilities would be tested both physically, mentally, and especially emotionally. Could he handle all of the new responsibility?

It had just been recently that he and Dixie were back to "normal" terms, or at least as normal as he might expect. He still knew that she harboured some level of disappointment that he hadn't accepted the news of her pregnancy with the right response. Then again, in retrospect he could understand why. It didn't help his feelings of fear though, and no matter how many times Dixie reminded him that it would happen anyways, he was still doubtful that he'd be able to do everything right when the baby finally arrived. In a few months though, which would go faster than he could imagine, Adam would find out what being a father was all about.

Rolling over in bed after starring up at the ceiling in a realm of deep thought (quite like he did every morning), Adam brushed his fingers through Dixie's hair as she was rolled over on her side, her back facing him. "You awake?" he asked, knowing that she probably was. He was thankful that it was a Saturday, and that they had no major plans for the afternoon. "What are you thinking about?" With everything that had happened recently, aside from the pregnancy, Adam was sure her mind could have been on a million things. Clay and Bryce's deaths had taken a significant toll on Dixie, and even Adam had a tough time accepting the incident. Still, he knew life would go on, and tragedy did nothing to hinder the other unexpected things of life, like his oncoming fatherhood that seemed to loom over him.

"I think I'm ready," he then blurted, an odd sort of confidence washing over him. Perhaps his statement wasn't as confident as the message he was trying to convey, but simply saying it seemed to make him believe it more than he had in the past. "To be a father. I think I might be ready." It felt good saying it, and Adam wondered if the words truly could help him to prepare himself for the journey ahead of him. He couldn't forget all of the joy and happiness that having a child could bring. Sometimes though it was so easy for him to overlook the optimistic side of things whenever the fear inside of him paralyzed his mind, causing the feelings of inability and doubt to creep in and take over. "I don't know why I just can't wrap my mind around it completely, but I think that together we can do this. We've gotten through a lot worse... and... and this is actually a good thing." He sounded as though he might have been assuring himself of the thought, but Adam knew that Dixie might appreciate his newfound change of heart. "Right?"

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

She was awake. Of course she was awake. Dixie didn't sleep well these days. There were many reasons. She had insomnia, the baby kept kicking her, she was hungry, she was depressed. There were billions of them. So, when Adam asked if she was awake, she knew she needn't answer. He knew she was awake. Just as she had been every morning for the past two months or so. She didn't reply at all, barely even moved at his touch. She had been up for half the night. Partially because the baby was really kicking and partially because, well, she had so much going through her mind. So much pertaining to Ash, to Rae, to Bryce, and to Clay. Things that haunted her thoughts daily but she never told anyone about. She had to be strong. Why burden them?

Dixie opened her mouth to answer Adam's question, but found herself choking back her words instead. She didn't know how to put it. She didn't know how to tell him any of the thoughts that were running through her head. How unfair it was to lose Bryce and Clay but gain a baby. Dixie wasn't a religious person, but as she thought about this – every time the saying 'the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.' Well, Dixie came to the conclusion that it generally suck-eth and she was about ready to just… Wait. What had he just said? Slowly, Dixie rolled over to look at her husband. Her neck craning to look at him before she moved onto her other side, her elbow propping her up, her brown hair tickling her bare shoulder.

As Adam spoke, Dixie found herself blinking at him blankly. Things had returned to as close to normal as they possibly could have with the deaths of Bryce and Clay, and with the growing belly Dixie bore. She had known that Adam needed time to adjust. She had known that Adam would come around eventually. She had envisioned the scenario many times in her head. But him saying it, it was so different than how she had imagined it – and Dixie should have expected that. When he finished, Dixie looked at him a moment longer and then smiled a slow smile, one that slowly warmed up her face, lit up her features.

"Right," she barely said, a whisper, but one that was meant to be a whisper. She was afraid, too. Motherhood was a new thing to her, and she knew that if they worked together – their child would end up wonderful. To hear that Adam felt he might be ready, even might be, was something Dixie hadn't been expecting up until the birth of the baby. It was a wonderful feeling. She reached over and took his hand, tugging on it so he moved closer to her considering it was so much easier for him to move than for her to. When he was close enough, she kissed him gently and smiled at him again, another small and slow smile. "We'll get through it easily. You're right, we have been through so much worse; and look at how we ended up. Everything worked out fine. This is going to be… an adventure. Not a challenge. Don't think of it as a challenge."

Dixie linked her fingers with his and laid her head back down on the pillow, her eyes never leaving his. It was such a reassuring feeling to know that he felt he was ready to be a father. There wasn't much he could do about it, because either way he was going to become one. But now that he was ready, ready to start doing the things that he would need to do, it just made Dixie feel less alone. "What made you come to this conclusion, love?"

[Professor Adam Greene]

Adam let his happiness show, a grin spreading across his face as Dixie pulled him closer to her. She laid on the bed, her growing belly unable to hide beneath the blankets which simply turned it into a soft mountain rising up from her otherwise slender body. Adam found her round stomach sexy in a way, once he pushed past his fear of fatherhood. He leaned over top of Dixie, supporting his weight on his elbow so that he wasn’t crushing her. He didn’t want to hurt the baby. Their stomachs touched though as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. He was glad to see her smile after so long. He was sure that it hadn’t been easy for her while he was being fearful and complicated about the whole situation. It brought him comfort, knowing that he might finally be able to provide the support she needed.

“I like the way you think,” he said. “An adventure.” Adam took his hand and gently brushed Dixie’s hair from her face. He starred at her for a moment, thinking of the adventure that already lay behind them. Perhaps they had experienced enough of an adventure; enough adventure to last them a life time. But this adventure… this new adventure would really last a lifetime. Then again, life could change in an instant. Adam didn’t need anymore reminding of that.

“You’re so amazing.” He shook his head just slightly, in disbelief that he had found someone like Dixie to spend his life with. “Beautifully perfect.” Another grin graced his face, growing into a full smile. Just then, he felt a sudden pressure. Near his waist, he felt it again. It was subtle yet noticeable. “Was that…” He pulled back the blankets and lifted Dixie’s shirt. Her stomach was now uncovered, and Adam placed his hand gingerly on top of her bellybutton. Another nudge. “Is it really kicking?” Adam was quick to notice that he had just called the baby and ‘it’ and he quickly corrected himself. “I mean he or she… is kicking!” He was unable to hide his excitement, but Adam noticed the tired look on Dixie’s face, her soft smile was not enough to hide it. Suddenly, he began to understand how hard this must have been for Dixie. “Oh… wow. I guess I didn’t realize.” His smile was replaced by a look of sympathy, and Adam rubbed Dixie’s belly slightly before turning and swinging his feet over the side of his bed. He sat for just a second, his back to his wife, and then jumped up enthusiastically, quickly rushing to find a pair of pants and a t-shirt to throw on.

“Wait here,” he said, pausing at the door and turning back to look at Dixie. He flashed an impish grin before hurrying to the kitchen.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Her eyes followed him as he sat up a bit, leaning over her. She stared up at him, her breathing shallow. Pregnancy, while the end results would be nice, was no picnic. She had gotten past the morning sickness thing, which was probably the worst part of her day back then, and she was now getting bigger. Growing. Like a balloon. Rae had made a joke about taking a pin to her abdomen and popping it. Dixie hadn't found it funny, but Ashley hadn't been able to stop laughing. Along with the bigger stomach, came the back pains and the difficulty with breathing. Not to mention, her breasts hurt with the slightest touch. Yeah, no, pregnancy wasn't fun. She had heard the most women during their second trimester, felt amazing.

Dixie was still waiting for that amazing feeling to come. She had figured it might do something with the fact that Adam had been so distant about this entire pregnancy ordeal. He wasn't there, not totally. They weren’t arguing anymore, which was something good; but the baby just loomed over them like a dark cloud. Would she start to feel those second trimester good feelings now that Adam seemed to be ready for the baby? She would have to wait and find out. She smiled up at her husband and managed a small shrug, "Well, I am the brilliant one in this relationship." Her tone was teasing, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mirth.

His hand against her skin made her shiver, but not in a bad way – in one of those good ways that makes you want to shiver again and nestle close. Her stomach knotted slightly at his compliment. Dixie was bad at taking compliments, especially from Adam. She always had been, even when they had just met. "You're just saying that because I'm fat," she stuck her tongue out at him but then smiled brightly. It felt nice to be complimented from him. Especially when she was heavier than she usually was. A slight pressure caused her to close her eyes and make a noise of slight discomfort. Didn't the baby ever give it a rest? When Adam spoke again, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He hadn't felt the baby kick before. She hadn't ever dragged him over to her whenever it did kick. She didn't want to risk feeling cast aside.

This was something big for him, something new. She nodded, a small smile on her face as it kicked once more. "Here," she moved his hand to where it was kicking and held it there for a minute. She remembered the first time she had felt it kick. She was working on some sketches for Lovely Lumos! and the baby had kicked her so hard that she dropped her sketching pencil. It was a wonderful thing and a terrible thing at once. It hurt a bit, especially when the baby kicked up close to her breast and she would have to push the foot down. But it was so miraculous to feel a human life inside of her. She laughed lightly and kissed his cheek when he seemed to realize this was why she got no sleep at night, "It's all right. I don't mind it. It's a little work for the greatest thing."

And that was really how she saw it. It had taken a bit for her to completely see it this way. It was ten times harder to do something like this on her own, especially when her husband knowingly wouldn't contribute. She held no hard feelings, though. He had needed time. She understood that. She watched him sit up and then jump up as if he had a big idea. Then she raised an eyebrow at his vague instructions, "Okay," she replied to his retreating back before she nestled back into their bed, pulling his pillow close to her so she could curl up against it.

[Professor Adam Greene]

Adam rushed around the kitchen, cursing under his breath as the smell of smoke filled the air. The toast had burned over the flame he had set on the stove. He levitated the bread out the open window. The birds would pick at the charred crumbs. He took two more pieces, and this time he made sure to watch them as they hovered over the open flame. "The eggs!" It was obvious that he didn't do this very often. Luckily, they had just finished boiling, and so he used the handy spell he'd seen Dixie use to take the shell off of them once they were cooked. Finally, he just needed the pumpkin juice. He read somewhere that it was good for women who were pregnant- something about naturally relieving the pain that happened just prior to giving birth. Surely it would be good for Dixie, he concluded.

With the hard-boiled eggs and toast prepared just the way she liked them (the yolks removed from the eggs and a thin layer of strawberry jam on the toast) Adam levitated the meal from the kitchen into the bedroom, careful not to spill a drop of the pumpkin juice. Once back at the bed, he transfigured his own pillow into a miniature stand which sat nicely overtop of Dixie's very pregnant belly. "Sorry it took so long. The first bit of toast was somewhat well-done," he said with a laugh. Adam picked up the glass and held it out for Dixie. "I know you don't like pumpkin juice, but you should drink it. I read that it helps with the birthing pains." Whether it was true, he wasn't sure. Still, why not try it? "I promise a cup of your famous chai tea after breakfast is done." Adam smiled, taking a bite of the toast. Much better than being burnt, he thought.

"So how are the designing plans coming?" he asked. Adam wasn't exactly interested in fashion, but whatever was a passion of Dixie's would be a passion of his. He was determined to make up for being so uncooperative in the past weeks. "Were those building plans I saw laying around?" he asked. Dixie didn't often share a lot about work with him, bless her heart. She knew he didn't have a clue about the different fashion lingo. He was hardly able to distinguish between cotton and wool. Well, that was a lie. Adam hated wearing wool. It irritated his skin to the point that, when he was younger, he had a wool sweater that he purposely threw into the fireplace when his mother wasn't looking. So much for that dreadful thing. "It was something like Lovable Lumos. Or was it Lovely Luminaries?" He bit his lip, preventing himself from butchering whatever it was that he had quickly glanced at the other night when Dixie's sketches and such were strewn across the kitchen table.

"What's wrong?" he said, a sudden urgency filling his voice. Dixie had clenched her stomach after taking a sip of the pumpkin juice. Had the juice produced the opposite affect that it was supposed to? Surely not.