Chapter 4: Happy Birthday Dani!
A/N: I think I may have found my muse. I think she was hiding in one of my totes full of school stuff. But alas there are seven of them and I'm not entirely sure where she is. Perhaps if the number of reviews were to reach 40, I could be inclined to search a little harder. ;)
"Deeg don't you think this is a bit over the top?" Wyatt asked as he pinned the neon colored paper to the wall.
"Of course it's over the top," DG replied. "It's her first birthday and as parents we are required to make way too big of a deal out of it. It's Otherside tradition. Just be happy I couldn't find a clown to hire."
Cain raised an eyebrow. "What in the name of Ozma is a clown?"
DG laughed as she stretched the balloon out between her fingers. "It's basically a guy—or a woman I guess—that dresses up in a crazy costume, paints his face, and entertains kids. He makes corny jokes and turns balloons into animals."
Wyatt stared at her for a moment digesting the description. "That sounds absolutely terrifying. Why would anyone want that at a child's birthday party?"
She just shrugged her shoulders as the red balloon hung from her lips half inflated. "I was always terrified of them as a child," DG confessed with a smirk.
Wyatt laughed as he continued to struggle with the streamers. He was all too happy to hear Dani cry from the other room. "I'll get her," he announced dropping the streamer and disappearing.
"Well good morning sleepy head," DG greeted her daughter when they emerged from her nursery. She thrust her arms out to take her but Dani turned and threw her arms around Wyatt's neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Well," DG admonished, "looks like someone has turned into daddy's little girl."
"Only when she first wakes up," Cain laughed, placing a light kiss to the girl's dark curls. "Wait until your parents get here. It's like you and I aren't even in the room."
"Well what else would you expect from the people who spoil her rotten?" She reached out and ran her fingers down the sides of her daughter's ribs, tickling the girl mercilessly. Dani giggled in response, grabbing at her mother's hands in a vain attempt to still them.
"We better get these decorations finished before everyone arrives," DG said looking around the room.
"I'll finish that. You go get her dressed," Cain added handing Dani to DG.
"Sure you can handle that, Tin Man?" she laughed.
"I think I've got it handled."
DG smiled before leaving Wyatt to his decorating while she concentrated on getting Dani ready for her big party. Her mother had a beautiful dress made for the occasion; the seamstresses had been working nonstop for weeks on it. It really was beautiful, full of lace and frills and shimmer; everything a dress for a princess should be. And therein laid the problem.
"Now I know this is going to be a pain," she laid Dani on the bed while she retrieved the dress from the girl's own personal wardrobe. She wasn't even a year old yet, but the baby had more clothes than even DG. She found the dress quite easily and returned to the bed, "But grandma had this dress made especially for your birthday and, well, it would be rude not to wear it."
Dani looked up at her mother with blank eyes. "Gammy."
"Exactly," DG answered. She began to undress the girl from her play clothes stopping to tickle her bare tummy and under her arms, earning a squeal of laughter. She slipped the dress over her head and buttoned it in the back. "There," she stepped back to admire the garment, "let mommy get dressed and we'll see what daddy says."
Emerging from their bedroom, DG carried Dani in her arms after an unsuccessful attempt to make her walk. "Well, what do you think daddy?"
Cain let the balloon he was struggling with drop to the floor. It was an uphill battle that had been kicking his butt for the last ten minutes. There were more than enough decorations anyhow. "There's my little princess," he grabbed Dani from her mother's arms and bounced her in his arms. "You look like a beautiful pink flower."
"Or a giant strawberry cupcake," DG laughed.
Wyatt eyed her with raised eyebrows. "Whatever that is."
OZOZOZ
Not quite an hour later everyone had gathered in the sitting room of Wyatt and DG's quarters. Ahamo and Lavender sat on the loveseat, his arm wrapped around her waist tightly. Glitch sat on a rather ornate chair with much too straight of a back and overstuffed cushion while Az perched herself on his lap. Normally the couple would have received a rather harsh reprimand from the Queen about such acts of affection, but in such private settings the expectations were relaxed. It was not as though the citizens of the OZ were going to be witnessing anything that happened inside the room. Besides now that Az and Glitch were married it was harder to cry 'scandal!' at public displays of affection. On the chair opposite Az and Glitch sat Jeb and his girlfriend Sarah in much the same fashion. Raw and Kalm sat on the floor between the loveseat and the fireplace, letting the low flames warm their fur covered limbs.
"What are these weird balls of air?" Glitch asked as he studied a white balloon in his hands.
"It's called a balloon, Sweetheart." Az took the object from him and popped it into the air with her hands, batting it back and forth. "Deeg let me play with one last week before the party."
"But how does the air get into it?"
DG laughed, rooting through a small bag and then tossing the green balloon to Glitch.
He studied it in his hands with a quizzical look. It was hard to believe that this small, rubbery object could be turned into the large, spherical toy. "Now what?"
"You put it between your lips and blow," DG instructed.
Glitch's eyebrows shot up. "Well that's just…just…dirty!" He tossed the offensive object over his shoulder not noticing where it landed.
Jeb laughed loudly, quickly trying to cover it with a strangled cough.
"Very smooth," Sarah whispered.
"Gich!" Dani called from her mother's lap.
The man in question smiled broadly and held out his hands to take the girl. DG handed Dani over, laughing as the girl's face lit up seeing her Uncle Glitch.
"Gich!" she yelled patting his face with her hands.
Azkadellia smiled softly playing with a stray lock of her new husband's hair. "You're so good with her. I can't wait until we can have our own."
"All in due time, my love. I like having you all to myself for a while." He tilted his head upward and received Azkadellia's lips in a tender kiss. Az brought her hand to the side of his face and stroked his jaw line lovingly.
DG made an overdramatic gagging noise from her chair. "Please spare us all from the mushy stuff. You have a room to do that in."
"And we do," Glitch agreed too quickly, blushing almost automatically.
Az shot her sister an annoyed look. 'Well two can play at that game little sister.' "So Deeg," she began sweetly smoothing out the front of her dress, "have you and Wyatt taught Dani any new words lately?"
The blush crept from DG's cheeks over to her ears and down her neck. She bit the inside of her mouth to keep from firing something back at her sister.
"Where is that husband of yours anyhow? We should get this show on the road." Everyone in the room looked at each other confused, but DG just smiled. She loved having a Slipper father; at least he got her strange sense of humor.
"He's changing," DG answered. "Dani spilt her juice all over his shirt so he had to go and change it. He whined more than she does."
"Because it was my favorite shirt," Cain cried emerging from the bedroom. He walked over and took a seat next to DG on the loveseat, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.
"Well good, now that he's here we can start with the presents!" Az took Dani from Glitch's lap and sat her on the floor so the guests could present their presents to her. She grabbed a large box from beside the chair she and Glitch had been occupying and set it in front of her niece. "Happy Birthday to my favorite niece! This one is from your Uncle Glitch and Aunt Azzie."
The toddler stared at the box wrapped in shiny silver paper with the large bow on top. She attempted to pick it up but found the box too heavy. Dani grabbed at the paper but couldn't get a good enough grip to tear it away.
"Here sweetie, let me help." DG slid from the couch and took a seat on the floor lifting Dani into her lap. She peeled the paper aside to reveal a large cardboard box. Peering inside, DG lifted what appeared to be a metal rendering of a horse. "Thanks guys, but what exactly is this?"
"It's an A.R.A.I.T., an Auto-Robotic Animal Impersonation Toy. It simulates the lifelike movement and characteristics of a horse. I made it myself," Glitch stated happily, his grin threatening to break the barriers of his face.
"Oh, very cool." DG put the animal on the ground and pushed the small button on its neck. Immediately the thing came to life, its neck and legs moving on strained hinges. The movements were jolting and stiff, really anything but lifelike. As promised the small toy began to trot in a small circle around the floor on creaking legs.
"That's pretty impressive Zipperhead," Cain laughed watching the toy on the floor.
"Yes Ambrose, it is a very unique toy," the Queen added.
All the praise about Glitch's toy must have gone to the animal's head because it dropped, mid-trot, to the ground. The sound of grinding gears emanated from its stomach.
"Man down!" DG laughed. She picked up the toy and handed it to her brother-in-law who grabbed it and began to check it in earnest.
"It worked perfectly fine only yesterday," Glitch exclaimed.
"Okay who's next?"
"Jeb and I," Sarah spoke up. She reached behind her back and handed DG a small bundle wrapped in green paper and tied with a matching string. "We made it ourselves."
"But I doubt this one will break so easily," Jeb laughed earning an elbow to the ribs from his girlfriend and a stern look from Glitch.
DG unwrapped the gift carefully and held the box in her hands. "Oh it's beautiful. Thank you so much." She pulled the top of the music box open and listened as the first strings of her favorite lullaby echoed from inside. "Oh guys this is perfect. Thank you so much. Look Dani!" She handed the box to her daughter who held it open listening to the soft melody. She stared at the strange object for a long time, apparently mesmerized by the music.
"She seems to enjoy it," Cain commented. "We'll have to remember that when her next teeth start coming in."
"I saw one of these at the market in Central City and remembered how much I loved mine as a child," Sarah said. "We bought an old jewelry box at an antique story. Jeb fixed it to play the music and I painted it."
"Quite handy aren't you?" DG laughed. "It's absolutely beautiful. Thank you both."
"Raw have something else to help." The Viewer handed something to Kalm who moved from his seat on the floor and brought it before the princesses. In his hands he held two large stones, smoothed over apparently by years of water wear, and shining a brilliant hue of colors. Held one way they appeared brown and dull, but when the light hit them just right ribbons of green and blue rippled through the surface.
"Oh they're beautiful Raw," DG said examining the stones closer in her hands.
"Healing stones," Raw supplied. "DG hold one and baby hold the other. Can calm and sooth without actually touching."
"Well those will definitely come in handy. Thank you Raw."
"Kalm choose gift for little Princess."
DG smiled, "Thank you too Kalm. It was very sweet of you." She kissed his head softly forcing Kalm to drop his head as the blush came to his cheeks.
"Your father and I would like to give Danika her gift now," the Queen announced. She held out her hands for the girl to walk toward her.
"Good luck with that," DG huffed standing Dani to her wobbly feet. "She won't walk for anything under the suns." She released Dani's hands and her daughter's body promptly crumbled to the ground. "See?"
"She just needs the right motivation." Lavender rose from her seat and took the girl by the hands helping her to walk the short distance to Ahamo, who scooped her off the ground and onto his lap. Lavender placed her hands on the child's head and closed her eyes in deep concentration. A soft light began to glow between her fingers, shining brightly before dimming and disappearing all together. When Lavender removed her hands a beautiful silver tiara adorned with emerald and amethyst stones sat upon Dani's head.
"Oh mother it's gorgeous," DG climbed to her feet to get a closer look. The small crown was exquisitely crafted and placed gingerly on her daughter's head, nestled in her thick chestnut curls.
"But I thought you didn't have access to your magic," Az asked coming up next to her sister. She was stunned by her mother's show of power, but worried for her knowing how easily it was for her to drain what little magic she had.
"Well it took quite a bit of practice," Lavender said a bit breathless. "You two are not the only ones that can relearn your magic." She laid her hand softly over her heart, closing her eyes and letting her head roll backward.
"Lav? Are you all right dear?" Ahamo studied his wife with concerned eyes. Her porcelain skin had become a little paler and her breathing was deep and labored.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "It just took a bit out of me. I'll be fine in a few minutes."
DG studied her mother for a few moments before turning her attention back to her daughter. She picked up the tiara off of Dani's head and held it in front of her face. "Look what Grammy and Pappy got you. Isn't it pretty Dani?"
Danika turned her attention to the shining object in front of her. She took the crown in her chubby hands and studied it closely…before promptly stuffing it into her mouth.
Azkadellia busted out laughing as DG snatched the tiara away sending Dani into a fit of tears. "She's just like you, Deeg. I remember you constantly chewing on your tiaras as a baby."
DG picked up her crying daughter and held her close. "That's comforting to know," she said sarcastically. She rocked her hips and bounced Dani along whispering soothing phrases in her ear, eventually calming the girl down.
"I didn't think we would cause such a commotion," Ahamo laughed.
"Indeed," Lavender smiled.
DG set Dani back on the floor and quickly grabbed a few toys to distract her. Luckily it worked and Dani quickly set to work playing with her favorite doll.
"Well what now?" Jeb asked playing with the hem of Sarah's sleeve.
"Now we have cake!"
OZOZOZ
The candle was blown out—with some help from DG—and the cake was sliced up and dished out. The group watched as Dani dove into her cake grabbing fistfuls of icing and sprinkles and shoving it into her face. The pink icing that had once made the cake look so pretty was now smeared from the girl's chin to her eyebrows as chunks of cake hung from her hair.
"You are an absolute mess," Az exclaimed taking in her niece's disheveled state.
"Yep! Isn't it great?" Everyone eyed her curiously but laughed along.
"You do realize that you are going to have to give her a bath after this, don't you?" Cain came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, leaning to rest his chin on her shoulder.
"What do you mean you? You're going to be helping out, buddy." She smiled and ran a hair through her hair. It was definitely going to take a long bath to get her clean tonight and she was absolutely going to hate it.
"I would say that everything went pretty well, wouldn't you?" he asked.
DG looked at her family before her, all of them watching her daughter and laughing at her antics. It had taken a long time, but those she cared about in this realm were together, safe and happy. "Yeah," she sighed happily leaning back against him. "It was a good day."
A/N: Wow this chapter was really long, but I found that there were so many things that I wanted to include but didn't want to break it up into chapters. Anywho here it is.
P.S. I think I may have found my muse. It seems as though she were hiding in my closet the entire time. Now if I can just get her to cooperate, we should be good.