Chapter 71
Stand Up, Stand Up

"I think he's going to do it," Lucas turned his head to his wife. Maya was lying on the couch, propped up with cushions, reading through some material for Professors Robinson and Patil. She looked down to her husband, who had been sitting on the ground with their son for over an hour.

"You say that a lot," she teased. Really, she could only find it sweet, especially when he had that eagerly excited look in his eyes as he waited for 'the big moment,' his phone in hand, ready to hit record.

"I know, but I think this is the one," Lucas nodded confidently.

"Alright, well, I'll be here," Maya hummed. Alright, so she was kind of sneaking looks every few seconds, too. Much as Lucas' 'hyper vigilant camera dad' mode amused her, she could see as well as he did that their boy was possibly on the verge of evolving from mobile to upwardly mobile, or at the very least just the upward part. He'd been grabbing on things and moving himself about as though he was attempting to figure out how to pull himself up, to stand on his feet. Whenever he'd stop, his head would turn to them, little blue eyes questioning like 'guys, what do I do?'

"Come on, Elliott, you got this," Lucas smiled, speaking in such a jolly tone. Maya snorted.

After another aborted attempt, the eight and a half-month-old babe crawled his way from the side table, along the length of the couch, until he could land back on his butt and look to his mother. He stretched up his little hand, making noises they recognized by now as a 'up, please?' request. Maya set aside her papers and looked down at him.

"Morning, sir," she smiled. "You want to come say hello?" she inquired, patting the cushion.

And that was when he did it. Slowly put surely, moving about, Elliott had grabbed on to the cushion, about where his mother had touched it, and he'd pulled himself on to his feet. Maya was so enthralled, watching him do it, that she could only confirm afterward whether or not Lucas had captured it. He had, which might have been a reflex of his hands, as he'd been just as taken with the sight of their boy, standing up on his own two feet.

It hadn't lasted very long before he'd gone and thumped back down on his diaper, but he never had time to feel in any way upset about it, as this was received by his parents with great cheer, and so he just laughed.

"Sprout, you did it!" Maya clapped her hands together, and Elliott imitated her to the best of his abilities, just as he was scooped up by his father, who deposited him into his mother's arms. She looked to Lucas with a thankful 'you read my mind' smile. The way she'd grown – expanded, as she would say – by her twenty-sixth week, picking him up herself would have meant a lengthier process than usual, and she was comfortable as it was. "Was it just me, or did you think 'wow, he's kind of tall'?" she looked up to Lucas. "For a baby, I mean."

"I did, but I think maybe it's that we've never seen him from this perspective," Lucas decided.

"We really didn't," Maya looked back to the boy now sat on her legs as she held his hands. "Oh, I almost forgot, check out what I got him doing earlier," she briefly looked to Lucas again, and he took this to mean 'start filming again.' They were prolific as any new parents in this department, as their friends and families would thank them. "Elliott…" Maya spoke to the baby, who looked back at her now. "Where's the baby? Where's the baby?" she asked, and a moment later, the boy reached out his small hand and tapped her belly. Maya laughed, congratulating him, and Elliott happily tipped back in her arms for some good mom hugs.

"Now when did you become not the baby?" Lucas crouched, looking to the boy.

"Somewhere about last August," Maya joked, making him laugh. "Doesn't matter how many brothers or sisters he ends up with though, does it? He'll always be our baby boy…" she promised, brushing at his blond hair, which had a tendency of sticking up every which way with great ease.

"He is that," Lucas agreed, setting his hand to their son's back. "Want to see the videos?"

"Did you have to ask?" Maya gave him a look.

"I know, I heard myself say it and I don't know why," Lucas pulled up the first video, the big standing up moment, and turned it for her to see.

They didn't know what it was, maybe some after-effect of their trip to New York with Kermit a few weeks back, or the fact that Valentine's Day was just a few days away and the city was full of hearts, but they'd been feeling good, better than they'd done in a while. This wasn't to say that they'd felt bad before, but there was just a lightness to the air, to their own human, non-cardboard cut-out hearts, and they were all too happy to enjoy it, together with one another and their boy and their Bee.

It wasn't as though the rest of the world had gone away. Kermit was still on his last stretch, and after the trip he'd taken a bit of a turn for the worse, almost like his body had been holding on through the trip but only so far. He spent so much more of his days laid out on the couch now.

And then there had been 'the necessary evil' which had come out of the trip, which was to organize and officialize Maya and Lucas' guardianship for the children. None of them wanted to even contemplate the idea, but they had to, not for their discomfort but their reassurance, and the protection of Elliott and his soon-to-be baby brother or sister. As decided, they had first spoken with Topanga. Then, they had spoken to the parents, all the parents, when they had gathered for a family dinner.

They hadn't been too sure on how to proceed, how to actually tell their parents about this plan of theirs. They had both been so nervous about it, but then in the end it wasn't about them, was it, not entirely. A small part was for their own peace of mind, but the vast majority was about looking out for the kids, should this choice ever become enacted. This was it, this was where their courage existed. They had been that much braver, from the day they had become parents to their boy.

Maya had not wanted to make this into some big speech to the six parents, around the table, no. It really just felt like something that needed to be more… one on one, or at least two on two. Lucas was absolutely on board with this, and so they had made their way to the elder Friars' house earlier than planned. They had been hosting the dinner that week.

"Would you look at this young man? Oh, sweet boy, come to Granny Mel," Melinda Friar was all smiles as she reached out and was handed her grandson, who earned extra points by being so visibly happy to see her, too. Thomas Friar, standing near, was not shy about making faces at the boy from over his wife's shoulder, which should have felt out of character for him if they hadn't seen him interact with children before. It was as both Maya and Lucas had said, as they'd considered this choice. Elliott's paternal grandparents were just so good with him, and they would be good for him… if…

Once they'd all landed in the kitchen, rather than to make it last any longer than it really had to, they got right down to the reason for their early arrival. They waited until all four of them were sitting at the table, with the baby now in his grandfather's lap, securely held and joined by his best friend Opie Bunny, which Mr. Friar would have 'walk' on the table top, making the boy laugh and squeal, to the merriment of his parents and his grandmother. For a moment, Maya and Lucas briefly considered not bringing up The Subject, but no… They had to stick to the plan.

"Hey, so, uh… We wanted to talk to you guys, before everyone else gets here," Lucas started, sharing a look with his wife before turning back to his mother and father.

"Talk about what?" Melinda asked, and they had to wonder what she imagined was about to be said, because it clearly was nowhere near what she ended up hearing.

"When we were in New York, Maya and I got to talking, about what would happen to Elliott and the baby, if… if the two of us were no longer able to look after them, if we… well, if we died," he finally said it plainly. The reaction from his parents was about what they had imagined it would be. Thomas had become at once serious, minded to the topic at hand, while Melinda immediately grew sort of… fidgety, and motivated to find some way to bypass the very idea. But it had to be done, and so they had to push through. "Neither of us wants to think about it, but we wouldn't be doing right by our kids if we didn't make plans for them. So, we talked about it, and we would like to name the two of you as their guardians."

For a few seconds, all they could hear was Elliott, making noises as he tried to reach for his bunny. His crying, when he grew too frustrated for how Opie was kept out of his reach, brought his grandparents out of their stunned silence. Thomas gave the boy his bunny before looking back up to his son and his daughter-in-law.

"You want… us?" Melinda asked, not like 'why would you do that?' and more 'you chose us, wow.'

"We did," Maya nodded.

"She did," Lucas specified, tipping his head to her. "I would have said the same, but she was the one to say it." He knew it would mean a lot to them to know this much. It wasn't to say that his word didn't matter, but it felt to Lucas that hers held a different weight. She had carried their children, brought one into the world and would soon do the same for the other. To choose the people who would potentially carry on for them, for these boys of theirs…

"Oh…" Melinda breathed, moving to rise, only to settle again and turn to her husband. He only had to give her a short nod that she finally stood, even as Maya did the same, and the two mothers embraced. "I…" she tried to speak as they pulled back, and Maya could see very well the conflict she and Lucas had already predicted, of being honored but also never wanting it to come to pass.

"I know," Maya saved her mother-in-law the trouble, and Melinda breathed out.

Telling the rest of the parents had felt a bit easier after this, and thankfully they all understood why Maya and Lucas had chosen the Friars, and they supported that choice wholeheartedly. Once they'd made it official, they didn't have to think about it anymore. It was just something that existed.

Now today, weeks later, to watch their son stand on his feet for the first time, to be faced with the reality that he was growing more and more, that was more on their usual speed. They'd been watching him turn from a tiny little thing in Maya's belly, and getting bigger, and bigger, and then be a newborn, who visibly grew before their eyes.

"Did you send it?" Maya asked as she came into the kitchen with Elliott, getting him in his seat while Lucas finished getting his lunch ready.

"I did," he nodded. "Phone should ring any…" The phone rang. "Yeah, see?" he smiled, bringing her the bowl and spoon before answering the call. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, just this morning… Yeah…" he laughed.

"Great, big, joy giving Sprout," Maya told Elliott, who was more focused on the food than anything else. "Please, let's try and get most of this in your mouth, yeah?" she passed him the first spoonful. "No projectile today."

A great part of her still felt the urge to go and be with her father, to look after him. Kermit had insisted that she should split her time, not spend most of her days at the house with him. They had seen how much it wore on her as the pregnancy advanced, and the last thing he wanted was to see wear herself out for his sake. Maya knew it, and she wanted the same thing, but it was also difficult to restrain herself from doing it anyway. It became easier when she had other tasks on hand, and she did not lack for those – with moderation. She was continuing her baking education, and now she had started her work for the professors. Then today, after lunch, it was play date day with the parent group. They were all on their way here, within the hour.

The first to arrive, likely for having left earlier to cover the distance, were Willow and Lion with baby Zola. The ten-month-old girl didn't get to hang out with the rest of the kids here nearly as much, as the trip was a lengthy one, but then her parents and Elliott's had regular calls, with video, and the two babes would just zone in on one another like 'oh, hey, you are also a small human!' When Lion set his daughter down on the floor with Elliott, the girl and boy reacted to one another like old friends, which was possibly their parents' favorite thing.

"Before we left, we told her, 'hey, Zo-Zo, we're going to see Elliott,' and she would just…" Willow imitated the girl's happy squeals. Maya and Lucas laughed at this, looking back to the kids. Zola was of course a bit further ahead as far as getting up on her feet, but now today, her young friend put his new skill on display, much to the reaction of Willow and Lion.

"When did he…" Lion pointed with a grin.

"Literally this morning," Lucas nodded.

In no time, the others began to come along. Ainsley arrived, leading her son by the hand. Cameron Ellis, born on Valentine's Day, was days away from turning two, the eldest of their little bunch.

"Do you guys need a hand?" Ainsley called back, and Lucas stepped through the open door to spot Brianna and Jay back at the car, getting their daughter and her things.

"We're good, thanks!" Brianna replied, carrying the car seat where baby Zoey appeared to have recently woken from a nap. The four-month-old was, by contrast with her roomie, the youngest, and would remain thus until the Bee was born. She was such a bright-eyed girl, and as difficult as it could be for her young parents from time to time, dealing with the exhaustion and everything else that came with having a baby in high school, there was no denying they loved her dearly and did not regret their choice to keep her, to raise her. They also freely and frequently admitted that they wouldn't have been able to get through a lot of it if not for their new friends.

Jay had recently proposed, and Brianna had accepted. They would marry in the coming summer. There was still some uncertainty as to what they would do once that happened, where they would live. Brianna had been living with Ainsley and Cameron since before she had the baby, and by now the Ellis boy referred to little Zoey as his sister. None of them felt able to correct him, even though they knew the day was very likely to come when they would no longer share a room, or a home. Even now, as soon as the baby was brought into the house, Cameron just followed her around wherever she was carried. All the same, while she eventually acclimated herself grew more at ease, Zoey looked almost distressed when the boy wasn't nearby.

"Maya, wow… Last time I saw you, you were barely…" Next to arrive, along with Aaron, Marius, and baby Simone, was the baby's mother, Samantha. After months of keeping her distance, allowing the agreed upon separation, she had come back around, taking her place in the family unit. Aaron and Marius were Simone's fathers, her parents, but Samantha had agreed to help them have this baby on the condition that she would get to be involved in his or her life, and the guys had been one hundred percent on board. She had given them their family, it was only fair that she be a part of it. They were actually discussing the possibility of, at some point, maybe a couple of yours from now, having a second child.

"I know, everyone keeps asking me if I'm having more than one, whenever I tell them how far along I am, and I keep telling them there's just the one, and they give me the 'are you sure?' look, like yeah, trust me, I'm just bigger this time," Maya sighed, looking at herself as Samantha touched her belly. "I've been promised it doesn't mean the baby will be huge, right now I don't know if I believe them."

"Are you sure it's not just really sneaky and quiet?" Samantha asked with a laugh.

"What, like ninja baby?" Maya laughed, shaking her head. "Just the one."

Aaron and Marius came along now, showing equal amazement for the size of their friend as they brought along their eight-month-old girl. Little Simone was so close in age to Elliott, and while Zola lived in Houston and thus wasn't able to visit so often, Simone was one of the Friar boy's closest little friends, her along with…

"Sorry, I wanted to get here earlier, but this one went and had a diaper crisis right as we were leaving, so we had to change everything…" Billie breathed as she arrived at the house, the last of their group, nearly a half hour after the guys and Samantha. She had seven-month-old Stormy perched in her arms, head covered in a healthy dose of hair as red as her mother's. The girl was settled next to Elliott and Simone, as she so often was.

To see all those little ones together, it really put in perspective how much time had gone by. Not too long ago, most of them had been in their mothers' bellies, as they all went from being strangers to friends, and now something almost like family. They were all indispensable to one another. If anyone needed an errand run, or a baby watched, if they needed advice, or just someone to air any frustrations to, they could always count on someone answering the call. In the last few months, with anything from school, to work, to dealing with an ailing father and a recuperating mother, and now a baby brother with evolving needs, all while raising one child and expecting another… These people had been more than indispensable, they'd been… a miracle. Neither Maya nor Lucas ever missed a chance to show their appreciation for this.

These play date days were definitely a part of it. Today, they all cheered for Elliott's new skill, which he displayed, without prompt, several times throughout the afternoon. He was still falling back on that padded behind every time, but sometimes it did feel like he managed to stay up longer than other times. He was also catching on quick to the fact that people seemed to enjoy whenever he did this, so whenever he would pull himself up, he would then turn his head in search or his mother or father… which would usually cause his downfall. He would laugh every time.

"Where's the baby?" Lucas asked his son, that night, after their guests had gone away. Maya had taken Elliott upstairs for a bit of mother-son napping, and after cleaning up in the kitchen, Lucas had come up to find the boy had woken up again. Now they sat together, next to the sleeping Maya, and upon hearing the question, Elliott quickly lay his little hand to his mother's belly. "Yeah, you got it," Lucas smiled, leaning to kiss his head. There's your baby brother, he wanted to say, but even in a whisper, even seeing how Maya slept, he didn't want to take the chance that she might have been coming around and could have overheard the thing he wasn't supposed to know. It was just as well, as only seconds later Maya's eyes opened.

"Today was really good, wasn't it?" she sleepily asked.

"Yeah, it was," Lucas smiled back at her. They had surprised Ainsley in turning the day's play date into a birthday party for Cameron, with cake, and hats, and presents. The boy had been so surprised, too, and as giddy as could be. Ainsley had been so touched by the gesture, as though she wouldn't do the same for any of their kids when their birthdays would come around.

"Do you think it would be weird if we had a sort of… pre-birthday birthday party? For Elliott? With my dad…" Maya asked after a few seconds. The boy was lying next to her again, snug in her arms, just as she liked to have him and as he liked to be. Lucas looked to his wife, knowing without asking of course the reason why she would want this party to happen so soon. Everything told them Kermit wouldn't make it to Elliott's first birthday, and if he did, if he even got close to seeing his second grandson born, much less his first one reach this milestone, he would be in no shape to enjoy it. And she wanted him to have that.

"I don't think it'd be weird at all," Lucas promised. "When should we do it?" She thought about it.

"In a few weeks at the most, I think," she finally pronounced herself.

"Alright, we can do that. Do we want everyone there? The parent group, friends and family, all of them, or just…"

"Just the family, that could be good. I can make the cake," Maya smiled. Lucas agreed.

"Just the family."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners