A/N: The new chapter of "We Three Hearts" is now available!

July 8th 2021

Chapter 189
Our Space For Family

After a much more laidback start to their day than the previous one, with breakfast, and packing up the camp site, they'd gotten back into whatever vehicle had brought them in and made their way to Susanne Babineaux' house. They didn't go directly there, not after two days in the woods, no. The three cars made their way to the home of Diana Zvolensky, their best access to multiple bathrooms at once. There, they freshened up, changed, and finally went off to Zay's aunt's house, the site of every Babineaux family party as any who'd been attending for any number of years would remember them.

And it would be the last. At this house anyway… Susanne was moving to Florida in a month, and while a lot of her house was already in boxes, she couldn't possibly leave the place where she had lived all her life and not host one final party, as she'd done in some capacity or another for as long as she had lived here. It was very much the end of an era.

But it was not going to be the end of the summer parties, oh no. This wasn't an event that was dying out in any way, not in the slightest. If anything, it was only getting bigger by the year. Everyone was free to invite people, whoever they believed belonged here, that was the rule. How many of them had become regulars of the event because of their friendship to Isaiah Babineaux Jr? When Susanne had revealed her intentions to leave Texas, selling the house to go and live with her son and his family, it hadn't been the immediate concern to decide what would become of the party, but then as summer had advanced, as they'd all gotten closer to this day and started planning Susanne's last hosting year… There were so many memories attached to this event, for all of the extended family and for their regular guests. They had to keep the flame burning, they just had to. For everyone who was still here, for those they had lost along the way, and for those still yet to come who deserved as much as anyone to experience it.

Before this last party even took place, the discussion had been opened as to who would take over for Susanne. Plenty of people had started to say they would like to do it, or that they should do it. The whole thing went down a lot smoother than they might have expected. When it came down to it, the solution was very easy. The party had been hosted by Susanne for over thirty years. It felt like an era, because that was what it was, and whoever would take over should have it in them to kick off a new era, to understand why this was so important and do it justice. Once they had established that, the rest was easy. It was going to be Zay, him and his young family. Starting next year, it would be their turn to gather the Babineaux under their roof – or in their backyard – at the end of the summer.

"Just won't be the same, not coming here…" Lucas stated as they walked out the back door of Susanne's house and into her yard to join the party. He had Marianne in his arms, where he had to hold on to her as best he could, to combat the fact that she was in a new place – as far as she remembered – which would make her very curious, looking all around. She won't remember this place at all. After we leave here today, we won't be coming back.

"I know…" Maya was looking around, too, though unlike her daughter it wasn't a new place she saw. It was an old place, one that was so familiar to her, even if she rarely came more than once a year, except now, well… So much of it was no longer the way she remembered it, furniture either gone or displaced, and so… so many boxes accumulating as they were brought from upstairs or from the basement. It didn't feel like she was leaving in a few weeks, more like she was going in a few days. "If you ask me, the date she said wasn't the real one. She's leaving soon. One more party and then it's over."

So much of their lives were in constant change. That had been normal for a while, as they were going through middle school, high school, college, moving out into the world, starting careers, starting families… When everything else was in flux, there was really just something about those things in your life, the constants. No matter how much the world changed, they didn't. They were always there. Susanne Babineaux' house, in many ways, had been one of their constants. Seeing it disappear around them, it was just… unsettling.

"Does it ever feel to you like she's still here?" They looked back to Nadine coming their way. She and Zay had been held back with more greetings as they arrived, which was to be expected. They were the 'heirs to the party.'

"GiGi?" Lucas guessed, and Nadine nodded.

"Absolutely," Maya breathed and smiled. No matter how many years went by, she was always by their side in some way, wasn't she? So, what happened when they didn't have this house to go to anymore? Would she be gone from them in a different way?

"She'll be at our house, too," Zay joined them, with Mia sat on his shoulders. The girl, almost three years old already, looked perfectly at ease, her arms draped over the top of her father's head. "I mean, come on, that woman is too stubborn to just float away, especially when there's a party to be had. Family and food, that's what she was all about. So long as we bring that, GiGi will be there."

"GiGi!" Mia cheered.

"That's right, pip," Zay turned his eyes up to his daughter with a grin.

"Pop Pop!" she pointed now, over to where Isaiah Sr. was waving to them.

"You want Pop Pop? Okay, go get him," Zay lifted her from his shoulders and put her on her feet. She sped off at once.

"Mia!" Marianne pointed to her. She was put down, too, and she took off in pursuit.

"You know…" Nadine started, stealing a look to Zay, who quietly nodded, "Seeing them together like that, it's really something."

"It is, isn't it?" Maya smiled.

"Got us thinking about how it was really long overdue for us to start the process again, to get her a little brother or sister," Nadine went on. Maya and Lucas looked to their friends at once. It wasn't like they'd just announced a pregnancy, there was no baby already attached to them, not with how their past attempts had ended up, but they had this, they had… plans, they had a goal. The last time, it had gotten them Mia, and she would be an amazing big sister to a child who may or may not have been born already.

This was what they went on to share with their friends as they stood out there in Susanne's yard. Last time, they had gone in with this vision of adopting a baby, but this time, who knew? They might find their way to another baby still waiting to be born, or one very young, or a toddler. Maybe they would be led to a child of Mia's age, or older still, who knew? They were open to whatever the future would hold, to whatever connection they were led to make. For now, the plan would remain a secret between them. Zay and Nadine didn't want to get everyone's hopes up too early, even if they didn't expect any kind of anxiety the way they'd had as the wait had gone on for them to get Mia. They knew now to trust time and be patient.

Most of their group had been attending these parties since they were children, or teenagers. They would walk into that yard and immediately it would be as though no time had gone by, and they had never left. They always knew exactly what they wanted to do. That usually involved those familiar standards: swimming in the pool, making a stop at the tables to load up their plates, and finding their favorite spot in the shade of the big tree in the corner to sit and eat with their friends. It didn't matter if they were thirteen or thirty.

It wasn't the same, no, but it could be argued that in many ways it was better. They had grown with the years, with the parties, and now to be here with spouses, with children… Riley's belly had gotten felt at so many times by visiting Babineaux family members that both Dylan and Maya had shared a look and a silent agreement. She was so close to her due date, and right now they weren't so much worried that she would burst and that the baby would come out, no. They were worried that she would burst, and fury would rain down. They swooped in at once and 'rescued' her… Some would argue that they'd rescued the touchy people and allowed them to retain their hands.

"What do you think? One last TXNY performance for Susanne's?" Maya asked her oldest friend, her first sister, as she looped her arm with hers. Riley gave a weak whimper at this, like she'd just now realized that they were saying goodbye to the birthplace of their band. "Entirely up to you, we don't have to," Maya promised her, squeezing her hand.

"No, I want to," Riley insisted. "I wish…"

"Isadora?" Maya guessed, and Riley nodded, her bottom lip giving a mighty quiver, showing how close she was to falling prey to her heightened emotions. "We'll do this one for her, we'll send it to her." And to Willow, and to Kayla.

TXNY's final performance on the stage where they'd come to life was not about getting anyone to dance or cheer. It wasn't intended to make anyone cry either. It almost felt like they were back sitting around the campfire, enjoying the end of summer, and it left the gathered guests with good feelings all around.

"Okay, Frills Friar, ready for a dip?" Maya asked as she climbed down the steps into the water with Marianne. She hardly ever used these, usually jumped in at the other end… or tipped over… or was playfully pushed. But easing in with her daughter was pretty good, too, especially as she'd squeal when she felt the water and then tucked her small feet in before testing the water again, and again… Finally, they'd just be in there, and good little swimmer that she was becoming, she could leave her mother's hold and travel the short distance over to her father where he floated in wait. She was so giddy when she got there that Lucas didn't care how he was getting splashed in the face while she celebrated.

"Way to go, pumpkin," he laughed. "Your uncle Keith is going to be so proud when he hears how you did."

"Again!" Marianne decided. She was released, and soon she had made her way back to Maya. The activity was repeated several times more, like she was bouncing from one parent to the other, until finally she reached her father again and decided she'd had enough. She had her arms locked around his neck, so Lucas went ahead and swam on his back, carrying his girl around like he was a raft. Marianne really liked that.

By the time they left the pool and headed to sit under the tree to eat, she was sleeping like a rock in his arms as he sat on a chair, a towel draped over the two of them like a blanket, the better to warm up the small girl and keep her cozy until she was drawn to wake up and eat. Maya went ahead and got a couple plates filled, for herself and Lucas both, even as she just knew that this would turn into the last of their Babineaux party traditions. The group's plates would be filled the better to be shared, so everyone could have a little of everything.

"Need a hand there?" she quietly asked with a smile as she returned to find the nap in progress. Lucas could probably have moved, with caution, without waking Marianne, but he wasn't taking any chances. This would play to some degree into his ability to feed himself.

"Please," he smiled back at her. She held the plate close enough, steady, so he could get a forkful, then follow its progress with her hand to catch anything that might fall before reaching its destination. He raised a thumb in thanks as he chewed, and she assured him that he was most welcome with an equally silent tip of the head.

Another new year was about to begin. For Lucas, it would be the second of his as a resident, one step closer to taking his place at Sullivan Stables for good, which could not come a moment too soon. For Maya, it was the start of her fifth year as a teacher, in class or on leave. It would be the first year where none of those kids who had been there on day one remained, but she was ready for it. Last spring, it had felt like such a daunting prospect, but now… Now she just couldn't wait to get back there, to be reunited with her three returning groups, and to meet her new youngest, her new freshmen. She had boxes filled with a whole new batch of sketchbooks. They'd arrived just before the camping trip, so she hadn't identified them yet, but oh she would be getting right on that when they got home… Well, tomorrow morning, for sure.

"If we cut out early, will it be rude?" Maya wondered, later on, as they were back in the pool, just the two of them this time around. Marianne was dozing along with the rest of the 'new turtles,' back inside the house with Riley and Dylan keeping watch.

"You want to get back to the dogs, don't you?" Lucas guessed with a knowing smile.

"I really do," she freely admitted. They were all still so new here, weren't they? Sure, they'd checked in with Cara and Granny Lizzie, and they'd promised that everyone was doing great, but it just wouldn't feel true until they saw them.

"Maybe just a little longer?" Lucas suggested. He swam up closer to her and she smiled, putting her arms around him.

"For the house," she agreed gladly.

"Yes," Lucas smiled back.

"And for GiGi."

"And for GiGi."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners