"Ma! Ma!"

"Oooh!" Hilary squealed, clasping her hands together. Looking over her shoulder, she chirped, "do you hear that, Tyson?"

"Hear what?" Tyson, who was kneeling down by Tucker, raised an eyebrow at his wife's inquiry.

"Mom told me that Alan should be saying their first words very soon," Hilary smiled. "And Alan's been saying "ma" nonstop! I think his first word is going to be "Mama", without a doubt!"

Huffing, Tyson stood up, crossing his arms across his chest in a proud manner. "You're dreaming. Alan's gonna' say "Dada" before he says anything else!"

Alan tilted his head and blinked his big, chocolate brown eyes, uttering the syllable, "da?"

"Listen to that," Tyson smirked, walking over to Alan and gathering the baby in his arms. "He's getting ready to say it! What a great little guy."

"Ma," Alan babbled, smiling at his father as he was held in the air.

"Yeah, that sounds like "Dada" alright," Hilary rolled her eyes and took the baby away from Tyson. Cooing, she held him close and rubbed their noses together. "My handsome little man is going to say "Mama," I know it. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Ma!" Alan giggled.

"Oh please, you heard him say "da" before, and he says it all the time," Tyson shook his head. "He's not going to say "Mama," you silly girl."

Growling, Hilary retorted, "well you're the one who's dreaming if you think Alan's first word will be "Dada"! So you'd better be prepared for when his very first word is "Mama," because it's coming!"

"Da?" Alan squeaked, his eyes shimmering. "Ma?"

Sighing, Tyson eyed the baby and muttered, "Now you're just teasing us, champ."

Alan started to clap his hands together, jabbering, "baba ya! Bababa."

"Hey, did he just say "bottle"?" Tyson's eyes widened. "I think he said "bottle"! That's Alan's first word?"

Tyson was visibly saddened by this, but Hilary was quick to roll her eyes and gently yank at Tyson's ear. "He didn't say "bottle," you dunce. He's saying "baba". Just a bunch of syllables strung together."

Alan suddenly whimpered, bringing Tyson and Hilary's attention back to him. He was squirming in Hilary's arms and looking fairly unhappy, which was a huge change from the joyful little smile that had just been on his face moments ago.

"Aw, what is it, darling?" Hilary asked the baby, stroking his cheek. "Did Mommy and Daddy upset you?"

Alan continued to frown for a few minutes before relaxing, his big eyes blinking as his lips turned back into a very tiny smile. "Ma!"

"Oh, you are so precious!" Hilary hugged the infant. "I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful baby boy."

Tyson screwed his mouth and leaned in closer to Alan, who turned his head to observe his father. Squealing, Alan reached out and patted Tyson's cheek, causing the young father to laugh lovingly.

"Silly boy," Tyson chuckled. His eyes flickering, Tyson moved his head closer to Alan and muttered, "wait a minute…"

Peering down, Hilary cocked an eyebrow and inquired, "Tyson, what in the world are you doing?"

Picking his head up, Tyson stared at Hilary and informed her, "I know why Alan was acting all weird and frowny before."

"Why?" Hilary tilted her head.

Pointing downwards, Tyson stated, "he needs to be changed."

"Huh?" Hilary raised Alan into the air, causing him to giggle and hang his arms down towards her. "What happened, munchkin? You had to go?"

Alan opened his mouth and stuck one of his hands in, still staring down at Hilary with his sparkling eyes.

"I'm not lying to you, Hil," Tyson folded his arms across his chest. "Alan's in need of a fresh diaper."

Hilary lowered Alan and felt the back of his diaper, cringing as she grasped it. Alan must've found this funny, because he giggled as she did so, resting his head against her shoulder.

"Daddy's right," Hilary sighed. "Someone does need to be changed."

"I have to get it every once in awhile," Tyson shrugged.

"No problem," Hilary stroked Alan's hair. "I'll fix you right up, yes I will!"

"Can ya' check on Vanessa while you're up there?" Tyson called as Hilary began up the stairs. "I think she's still playing, but she was pretty upset when I put her to nap a little while ago."

"Of course," Hilary nodded, continuing up the steps.

Turning his head to look at Tucker, Tyson showed his dog a foolish grin as he prompted, "so, Tucker, how about we go outside and begin setting up our little surprise for the kids?"

"Ka!" Tucker nodded enthusiastically, his ears bobbing up and down.

It was nearly the middle of July, and the weather was certainly sweltering. Hilary had been taking the kids into the pool since Vanessa were just 2 months old, holding onto them the whole time, of course. She wanted to get them used to the water and to fall in love with it, just like she was. Hilary would tell them how nice the water was, and gently swim around with them in her grasp.

That had always been in the pool, however, so now that it was the summer, Tyson had the perfect idea that he was sure Hilary would just love.

Stepping out into the backyard, with Tucker still walking besides him, Tyson approached the side of the house and pulled down a big round object with a hollow middle.

"Graww?" Tucker looked at his trainer.

"That's right, a kiddie pool!" Tyson chuckled. "See?" Tyson kneeled down and stuck his hand in the empty pool. "It's nice and shallow! It's really just for Alan to splash around in. He can't really go swimming in it."

"Ka," Tucker's ears twitched as he examined the pool. It was cerulean blue in color, made of plastic and not even capable of being filled with a foot of water. There was even a small slide on the inner side of the pool, with two little steps leading up to it. "groo?"

"The slide?" Tyson asked. "Yeah, I guess they can't really use it by themselves now. But Hilary or I could just slide 'em down it. I'm certainly not letting Alan be in here on his own."

Tucker jumped off into the empty pool, peering over the edge with his bright black eyes. Chuckling, Tyson stroked behind Tucker's ears, causing the dog to mewl in delight.

"That pool is a good size for you, too!" Tyson laughed. "I bet the kids would love to go swimming with you."

Hopping out, Tucker's tail shifted back and forth as he looked up at Tyson, questioning, ''woof-woof!''

"Oh yeah, good question," Tyson closed his eyes. "How am I gonna' fill this thing up? With a hose?"

XXX

Back inside the house, Hilary was just finishing up changing Alan's diaper. She had checked on Vanessa before going to clean up her brother, and found that she was still asleep. That left her free to change Alan in peace. Once he had a new diaper on, Hilary lifted him up in front of her and once again rubbed their noses together, which always made the baby laugh hysterically.

"Who's my handsome little man?" Hilary cooed. "Who is?"

"Ma!" Alan reached out past her face.

"No, you are!" Hilary giggled. "Can you say "Mama," my beautiful darling? Say "Mama," sweetheart!"

"Da!" Alan giggled.

Groaning, Hilary shook her head and responded, "no, Alan, we don't want you to say "Dada" first. We want you to say "Mama" first! It'll be much cuter."

"Ya?" Alan himself looked confused by his mother's statement, even though Hilary was sure he didn't understand it.

Suddenly, a yawn broke through the air, causing Alan's eyes to widen, and Hilary to sigh.

"Well, sounds like your sister is up," Hilary showed her little son a delicate smile. "Let's go pick her up, huh?"

She wandered over to the opposite side of the room, where Vanessa was laying in her bed all sprawled out, in a fashion very similar to Tyson's.

"Morning sweetie!" Hilary teased the preschooler, scattering away the soft toys piled on the little girl. Brushing her lips against the girls's cheek, she murmured, "come on now!''

Instantly, Vanessa opened her eyes, making throaty noises and reaching out towards her brother. The little boy giggled and reached out his own arm, grabbing onto Vanessa's arm and shrieking happily.

''Hey there, cutie!'' Vanessa cooed, instantly jerking up at the sight of her brother becoming pellucid.

"Such friendly kids," Hilary giggled, watching the girl play with her brother. "How wonderful!"

"Hey, Hil!"

The mother of two turned around and found her husband running into the Vanessa's room, a big, hopeful smile set on his handsome face.

"Well, you certainly look happy," Hilary drawled before smirking. "What have you done?"

"Nothing bad," Tyson chuckled. "But I have a surprise for you downstairs! Well…you and the kids."

"I'm scared," Hilary replied honestly.

''Yay! Surprise!'' Vanessa threw her arms up in the air.

"Don't be scared!" Tyson smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm and turned to his wife. "Why would I ever hurt you or the kids? I love you three more than anything! It's a fun surprise. But we have to put the kids in bathing suits first."

"Bathing suits?" Hilary repeated. "I'm still scared."

Without another word, Tyson took Alan from Hilary and brought him over to his dresser. Vanessa whined softly in her mother's arms, seemingly not pleased about being separated from her brother, but quickly scattered away to don into her own swimsuit.

It was easy for Tyson to change Alan. He just reached into the drawer and picked the first bathing suit he pulled out, which happened to be a pair of swim trunks that were gray on top with three thicker stripes of color on the legs: orange, navy blue, and red.

For Vanessa, however, it took a little longer. She adored her clothes, especially bathing suits and, even if it would only be seen by her parents, Hilary was insistent on having the kids look absolutely adorable and well dressed. She strapped on a single piece of swimsuit, a pink gringham print one-piece with hearts sewed on the backside.

As for Hilary after much thought (and a little aggravated probing by Tyson), Hilary selected what she thought was the perfect swimsuit for her mood: a predominantly sky blue one piece with four thick ruffles on the front: sky blue on the top and bottom, with yellow and light green in the middle.

"Great, let's take them outside!" Tyson cheered when Hilary was finally done dressing .

The young parents carried their children into the backyard, led of course by Tyson. Hilary was still concerned; she knew Tyson always meant well, but sometimes his efforts were a little less than half baked. As soon as she stepped into the backyard, however, Hilary's fears were quelled, and instead a huge grin broke out on her beautiful face.

"Oh, Tyson, you bought a kiddie pool?" Hilary beamed at her husband.

"Sure did!" Tyson nodded. "I know you usually take Vanessa to the YMCA with you, but its summer now, so I figured it would be fun for them to go swimming outside! Plus, in here, you don't have to go in and hold onto them. The water isn't deep at all. They can just sit in there and splash around!"

Hilary looked completely overjoyed, which was exactly the reaction that Tyson had been hoping for. He could do things right every once in awhile, after all.

"Ma!" Alan squealed, reaching a little hand out towards the pool.

"Yes, Daddy bought that for you and your sister to play in!" Hilary giggled. "Should we go try it out?"

"Ma…" Alan babbled.

Hilary skirted over to the pool and kneeled down, sticking Alan into the water. The boy just sat there for a few moments, confused as to what he was supposed to do.

"Here, Alan," Hilary patted the water, causing it to splash up. "Hit the water! Can you splash around, like Mommy?"

Alan smacked the water just once, causing it to splatter. Hilary gasped, and Alan let out a delightful, shrieking laugh, clearly amused by what he had done.

"Ba! Ba! Ba!" Alan yammered as he smashed his hands against the surface of the water, creating a torrent of water around him.

"Good boy!" Hilary laughed. "Isn't that fun?"

Alan looked up and reached his hand out towards Hilary, opening and closing his fingers. "Hee…"

"It's funny, isn't it?" Hilary giggled, grabbing Alan's hand and holding onto it.

But Vanessa had a whole different meaning to the word 'funny'(on account of being Tyson's daughter too). The little girl shrieked before leaping into the pool, oblivious to Hilary's remonstrance, creating splashes everywhere off which some splashed right over the little baby present in the pool with her. Glad that Hilary held onto the little boy, or he would have been bounced right away.

Everybody expected the boy to throw a fit and bawl out but instead~

"Hee!" Alan looked at Vanessa, his eyes shining. Vanessa sighed, glad that she was off the hook.

"Hee!" Alan splashed the water again. Vanessa shrieked and began to giggle, joining Alan in his actions.

"Aw, look at that!" Hilary giggled. "They're splashing together! That's so precious."

"Hee! Hee!" Alan squealed.

"That seems to be Alan's new favorite thing to say," Tyson chuckled. "He's been saying "hee" over and over again!"

"Woof!"

Tyson looked over at Tucker, who was now standing on his back legs with his ears twitching.

"What's up, Tucker?" Tyson asked.

"grroo…" The dog scampered towards the front of the house, not even responding to Tyson's inquiry.

"Uh…okay…" Tyson blinked.

"Tucker probably senses something, you know he's like a little guard," Hilary assured her husband with a small giggle. "I'm sure he'll be back in a minute!"

"Gah…"

Hilary turned her attention back to the pool, where Alan had turned around and was now crawling towards the tiny slide that was built into the side of the pool.

"Oh, how cute, there's even a little slide in there!" Hilary beamed at Tyson. "I didn't notice that before."

"Ma!" Alan made his way over to the slide, sitting on his knees as he patted his hands against the slide. Vanessa seemed to have got the message as she approached Alan, where his back was turned against her.

Hilary's face lit up as soon as she'd heard Alan utter that simple syllable. She felt better every time he said it.

"Do you want to go down the slide, baby brother?" Vanessa crawled over to the other side of the pool. Alan looked up at her and smiled, instantly melting the elder sister's heart. Leaning over, Vanessa gathered the baby in her arms and carried the child over to the slide, sitting him atop herself and gently sliding him down along with her, holding onto the baby's sides the entire time. "Whee!"

Alan giggled wildly as Vanessa slid him down, clearly enjoying the ride. When they reached the bottom, landing back in the water, the laughs continued and Alan once again looked up at his mother, babbling a simple, "ma!"

"Do you want to go again?" Hilary's eyes were bright.

"Ma!"

"Okay, sweetie, let's go again!" Hilary pulled Alan out of the water and once again placed her at the top of the slide.

"Woof!"

Tyson, who had been gently splashing Vanessa, looked over his shoulder and found Tucker darting back to him, a smile on his furry face.

"Hey there, buddy," Tyson smirked. "Everything alright out there?"

"Hello there, Tyson!"

The blunette's head shot up, finding his mother-in-law to be walking into the backyard beaming at him.

Shaking off his surprise, Tyson grinned at her and greeted, "hi, Mom!"

"Hee…" Alan cooed.

''Grandma, look! Daddy got us a kiddie pool!'' Vanessa declared, the obvious.

"It's a very nice pool, my dear" Kathy gasped, covering her heart with her hand. "What little darlings!"

"Hi, Mom!" Hilary welcomed, bringing Alan down the slide and back into the water. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I had something to do in the city, so I figured I would drop by and pay you all a visit!" Kathy giggled. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Hilary shook her head. Looking down, she cooed to Alan, "Look, champ, it's Grammy! She came to visit you!"

Kathy kneeled down next to her daughter, stroking the baby's hair and murmuring, "well, hello there little sweetheart!"

"Hi!" Alan chirped.

And then, silence set in amongst everyone in the backyard. Tyson and Hilary both stared at one another with wide eyes, while Kathy kept her gaze transfixed on the baby boy in front of her.

Unaffected by the adults' shock, Alan giggled and held his arm out, trying to touch Hilary with his fingers. "Hi!"

"Tyson…" Hilary finally broke the silence, turning her focus onto Tyson, "was that…Alan's first word?"

"Yeah…it was…" Tyson blinked. He was trying to hide the fact that tears were filling his eyes. Not tears of sadness, mind you. Alan's first word not being "Dada" didn't hurt Tyson in the way he thought it would. Not at all. Instead, Tyson's eyes were swelling with tears of happiness. His little son, who was just a tiny thing, half of him and half of Hilary created by their love, and he had just said his first word. He was beginning to talk. "Alan…"

"Hi!" Alan repeated, laughing after he said it. He was clearly having fun saying this strange new word over and over again.

Hilary herself was experiencing the same reaction that Tyson had. Her joy was unspeakable; she had never felt so proud in all of her life. Her baby boy had just talked, and it was more beautiful than Hilary could have ever imagined.

"Oh, Alan!" Hilary squeezed the boy into her arms, not caring that her shirt was getting soaked as she wild kissed the top of his head. "My little boy, so smart and wonderful! Your first word…it's so perfect!"

"Hi?" Alan squeaked.

"Yes, hi, baby," Hilary sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her hand. "You can say "hi"! That's so good…"

"Ma…" Alan turned around and began to crawl around the pool, occasionally lifting his hands out to hit the water and make a splash.

"He's completely unaffected," Tyson chuckled gathering Vanessa into his arms, still trying to make it appear that he hadn't been on the verge of tears.

"Alan doesn't understand what it means," Hilary smiled shakily at her husband, jubilation still rushing through her veins. "But we do."


And that was cute! Tomorrow Vanessa's first word!

There's something I want to run past you guys. I'm desperately trying to come up with a plot of my own as I see most of you don't enjoy reading one-shots. So I'll jam up something definitely.